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July 16, 2024
 

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JAPANESE ECONOMY

Foreign visitors learn how to make sushi in a cooking class in Tokyo's Asakusa district. Japan's services balance swung back into the black in November, thanks to increased spending by foreign visitors to the country.
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2024
Japan logged record ¥1.93 trillion current account surplus in November
The current account surplus, one of the widest gauges of international trade, expanded 8.7% from a year earlier.
A monitor in Tokyo shows the Nikkei stock average briefly rising by over 700 points on Friday morning.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 12, 2024
Nikkei posts 34-year high, best week in 22 months
The rise was driven both by receding bets on an early exit from the Bank of Japan's stimulus and sheer momentum as foreign investors returned.
The yen's exchange rate against the dollar on Wednesday. The yen declined from ¥103 against the dollar in 2020 to as little as ¥151 in late 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2024
Is a weak yen good for Japan’s economy?
The yen's fast depreciation is boosting overseas investment and sectors like tourism, but could also trigger inflation. In response, the BOJ should raise interest rates.
Monitors at a foreign exchange dealer show the Nikkei Stock Average rising above 35,000 during morning trading in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 11, 2024
Nikkei breaches 35,000 for the first time in 34 years
Wall Street's tech-driven gains and a weakening of the yen give Japanese stocks a boost for third day in a row.
The Bank of Japan is fully prepared to put an end to the world’s last negative interest rate, an ex-official has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 11, 2024
BOJ fully prepared to end negative rate, likely in April: ex-official
"They are just waiting for one last push from one or two economic data,” said former board member Makoto Sakurai.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 11, 2024
OECD urges Bank of Japan to gradually raise interest rates
The central bank should thus continue efforts to make the yield curve control more flexible, the organization said.
Akio Mimura, honorary chairman of Nippon Steel and head of a private panel focused on depopulation, submits the group's proposal to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 10, 2024
Japan should aim to maintain population of 80 million by 2100: panel
A group comprising academics and business leaders say a higher target than the projected 63 million is needed to maintain economic growth.
Monitors at a firm in Tokyo shows the 225-issue Nikkei average topping the 34,000 mark on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 10, 2024
Nikkei stock index surges to near 34-year high for second day
The 225-issue Nikkei average ended up 678.54 points, or 2.01%, from Tuesday at 34,441.72, its highest close since February 1990.
Japanese workers' real wages kept shrinking for a 20th month in November, raising fresh alarm for the sustainability of the country's economic recovery as firms enter the period of annual pay negotiations with labor unions.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2024
Japan’s slower wage growth adds to reasons for BOJ to hold
Nominal cash earnings for workers rose 0.2% from the previous year, decelerating sharply from a 1.5% increase in October, the labor ministry said.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose to its highest since March 1990 on Tuesday on gains in technology companies.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 9, 2024
Nikkei 225 hits highest since Japan's 1990 bubble economy era
The gains followed a rebound of the Nasdaq 100 Index from last week’s slump and a drop in U.S. Treasury yields.
The yen extended gains Tuesday after the Bank of Japan indicated it will reduce monthly buying of superlong government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 9, 2024
Yen rises after BOJ indicates cut in superlong bond buying
The BOJ bought ¥150 billion ($1.04 billion) of 10-to-25 year debt on Tuesday.
Consumer price gains in Tokyo slowed for a second month in December.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2024
Tokyo inflation slows as thrifty consumers curb some outlays
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in the capital, decelerating from 2.3% in November.
Japan's labor productivity per person in 2022 was the lowest calculated among the Group of Seven advanced economies since 1970, according to a report by the Japan Productivity Center.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2024
Japan's labor productivity ranked 30th among 38 OECD members in 2022
Measured by the worth of goods or services a worker can produce per hour, labor productivity totaled $52.30 in Japan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a New Year’s event hosted by Rengo, the nation’s biggest trade union federation, in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 6, 2024
Kishida and Rengo chief amplify push for strong wage growth
Wage gains feeding into demand-led price gains are a condition for any move to normalize monetary policy.
Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, arrives for a news conference at the Tungaloy Corp.'s headquarters in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, in November of 2011.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 5, 2024
Warren Buffett brought Japan back. Will it last in 2024?
In 2023, Japan experienced an unexpected surge in investor interest, leading to the Nikkei 225 index reaching highs not seen since 1990.
Tsumugi-nen is artificial intelligence talent agency Pictoria's most popular AI Vtuber that has garnered thousands of fans through her content, including streaming for five days straight — something a human can not do.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 5, 2024
Is AI a friend or foe of the Japanese entertainment industry?
While proponents tap the technology's potential, others are worried about the possibility of losing their jobs.
A damaged vehicle under a collapsed house following an earthquake in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday. Speculation that the Bank of Japan might shift its policy this month is receding, as the central bank has to assess the adverse impact from the Noto Peninsula disaster on the economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 5, 2024
Yen falls as earthquake raises bar for BOJ to end negative rates
While speculation about a January tweak is receding, many still expect an end to negative rates in April, or later in 2024.
A store in the Akihabara district of Tokyo in December
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2024
Over 70% of firms expect Japanese economy to keep growing in 2024
In the survey of 113 companies, including Toyota Motor and SoftBank Group, 72% said they expect moderate growth and 1% see solid expansion.
The new Nippon Individual Savings Account program expands annual investment limits and extends the tax-exempt period from up to 20 years to an indefinite term.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 1, 2024
Revamped NISA program launched to spur investment wave in Japan
The new Nippon Individual Savings Account program expands annual investment limits and extends the tax-exempt period from up to 20 years to an indefinite term.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s new plant nears completion in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 1, 2024
Competitive pay at TSMC plant may ripple across Japan and beat inflation
The chipmaker's compensation packages can serve as a wakeup call to manufacturers in other regions of the country, economists say.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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