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December 22, 2024
 

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JAPANESE ECONOMY

Takeshi Shina, an opposition lawmaker and a member of the Lower House's financial committee, has frequently summoned Bank of Japan governors, including incumbent Kazuo Ueda, to parliament for grilling on monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2024
BOJ should raise rates to 1% to reverse weak yen, says CDP lawmaker
His remarks highlight how concern over the demerits of a weak yen will remain a key topic of debate among politicians.
The government aims to finalize an economic package later this month to help households hit hard by rising prices.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024
Japan eyes ¥30,000 benefits for low-income households
The planned economic package includes a proposal of ¥20,000 per child to the benefits, which are designed to support households hit hard by soaring prices.
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024
As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action
Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
The corporate goods price index rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed, above market forecasts for a 3.0% gain.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 13, 2024
Japan's wholesale inflation heightens uncertainty on rate hike timing
A spike in the price of rice, coupled with the increasing cost of nonferrous metals, food and oil, pushed up overall wholesale inflation.
An infrastructure project in the city of Mumbai. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 7.0% growth for India in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025, compared with 0.3% growth for Japan this year and 1.1% next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
India set to overtake Japan in GDP rankings
Economic stagnation and a weak yen could take Japan's economy to fifth place globally as early as next year.
Global investment firms plan to beef up hiring in Japan, as deals surge on the domestic market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2024
Global investment firms hunt for talent in Japan as deals boom
The hiring spree underscores the intensity of dealmaking in Japan, which has been a rare bright spot amid a slowdown in M&A deals globally over the last couple of years.
Shares in retailers may rise after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba formed a minority government that may cut taxes to lure cooperation from opposition parties.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
Minority government in Japan can help retail stocks and utilities
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may cut taxes to keep smaller parties on side — increasing workers’ disposable income.
A man walks past the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 30.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2024
Worsening corporate mood and bankruptcies cloud BOJ's rate hike path
Some BOJ board members have voiced concerns that intensifying labor shortages could constrain growth, rather than lead to higher wages.
Japanese exporters could be hit by higher U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 11, 2024
Trump tariffs could have a significant impact on Japanese exports
The U.S. president-elect has promised 10% to 20% duties on all goods coming into the United States.
Many on the Bank of Japan board highlighted the need to scrutinize market developments in determining whether the economy can weather higher borrowing costs, a summary of opinions from October meeting shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 11, 2024
BOJ divided on rate hike timing, October summary shows
Many highlighted the need to scrutinize market developments, particularly yen moves, in determining whether the economy can weather higher borrowing costs.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a commemorative ceremony at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on July 3, the day new yen notes went into circulation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024
Japan needs tighter monetary policy to restore balance
Japan’s economy undoubtedly suffers when the yen is too strong; that is why some advocate for a more expansionary monetary policy.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said on Saturday at a forum in Switzerland that monetary tightening would be necessary in Japan if inflationary pressures from decarbonization investments exceed a certain threshold.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 10, 2024
Decarbonization investment to give some inflationary pressure: BOJ chief
Ueda said that monetary tightening would become necessary if inflationary pressure exceeds a certain level.
In a fresh aid package set to be compiled this month, the Japanese government will show its commitment to large-scale strategic support spanning several years in both areas, bearing in mind Rapidus, which has advanced into the Hokkaido region to mass-produce next-generation chips.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 9, 2024
Japan eyes ¥2 trillion for chips and AI in economic package
In the package, to be compiled this month, the government will show its commitment to large-scale support spanning several years in both areas.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024
The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services
“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
Japanese household spending fell in September for the second straight month as higher prices choked consumers' appetite.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2024
Japan’s households cut spending once again as prices rise
Consumer spending in Japan has consistently failed to show clear signs of strength as shoppers have been forced to cope with prices increasing.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a post-policy meeting news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Trump victory might give Bank of Japan some room to maneuver
The Bank of Japan has been under pressure to keep monetary policy accommodative given the state of the economy and the tentativeness of the recovery.
The Finance Ministry noted firm private consumption in raising its economic assessments in the Kanto region and other areas.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Government upgrades economic views for five regions
In a quarterly report, the Finance Ministry raised its views for the Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Shikoku and Okinawa regions.
The pace of gains in Japanese workers' base pay quickened to 2.6% year on year in September, versus a 2.4% clip in August.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Japan’s biggest base pay gains in 31 years support case for rate hikes
While base pay rose in September, real wages fell for a second straight month even as price gains slowed.
UA Zensen President Tomoko Nagashima addresses the labor union's meeting in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2024
Japan’s UA Zensen union aims for continued 6% wage hike in 2025
UA Zensen’s target follows an announcement last month by Rengo that it will continue to aim for at least a 5% pay rise in the next round of negotiations.
During the Bank of Japan's September policy board meeting, some members pointed out that the central bank needs to more carefully communicate with the public to prevent a divergence between its views and those of investors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 6, 2024
Bank of Japan board member moots Fed-style dot-plot projections
The dot plots show short-term rate projections of U.S. Federal Reserve officials.
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling environmental activist Paul Watson, who was released from prison in Greenland's capital Nuuk after five months in detention, arrives with Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, near Paris, on Friday.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
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