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July 12, 2026
 

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Erica Yokoyama
Japan’s net external assets rose to an all-time high at the end of 2025, but the total was surpassed by China, Finance Ministry data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 26, 2026
Japan slips to world’s No. 3 creditor behind Germany and China
Japan’s net external assets rose to an all-time high at the end of 2025, but the total was surpassed by China’s, which climbed at a faster pace.
Former economics professor and Bank of Japan board member Junko Koeda is the second among members who voted in favor of holding settings steady at bank's last policy meeting to have since signaled the likelihood of rate hikes to come. But she has also hinted at caution, saying it’s important to assess the impact stemming from the Middle East conflict.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2026
BOJ should raise policy rate at appropriate pace, says board member Junko Koeda
Koeda was among those who voted with the majority in favor of holding settings steady at the last policy meeting on April 28.
Real gross domestic product rose 2.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, according to a Cabinet Office report on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2026
Faster economic growth supports BOJ’s case for hike
Real gross domestic product rose 2.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, according to a Cabinet Office report.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an Upper House budget committee meeting on May 11.
JAPAN / Politics
May 18, 2026
Takaichi calls for extra budget amid Middle East shock
The planned supplementary budget is expected to function as an emergency relief measure rather than a broad economic stimulus program.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said an extra budget is not yet necessary, after long-term Japanese government bond yields hit multi-decade highs amid spillover concerns from a spike in U.S. inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2026
Satsuki Katayama denies need for extra budget as yields rise
The finance minister said that a recent rise in yields on Japanese government bonds is part of a broader global trend.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2026
BOJ’s policy rate likely to reach 2% by end-2027, OECD says
The report marks the OECD’s first survey on Japan since January 2024, when the BOJ’s policy rate was still in negative territory.
Kazuo Ueda, governor of the Bank of Japan, speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on April 28.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2026
Panel urges BOJ to take cautious approach to rate hikes
Gov. Kazuo Ueda may face pushback if he seeks to raise the benchmark rate next month.
Inflation-adjusted wages increased 1% in March from a year earlier, slowing from a revised 2% gain in February, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2026
Japan’s real wages rise for third month to keep BOJ on hike path
It remains unclear whether higher wages will lift consumption.
A Finance Ministry official cited an International Monetary Fund rule on Monday noting that three days of intervention count as a single market operation.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 5, 2026
Japan can intervene twice more before November under IMF rules, official notes
The comments came after the yen surged last Thursday following reported intervention by the authorities, and also saw a number of intraday rallies during days that followed.
Albert Park speaks during an interview in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 5, 2026
ADB urges countries to limit fuel subsidies to vulnerable groups
Japan has capped gasoline prices at around ¥170 per liter through subsidies after they surged to about ¥190 after the start of the Iran war.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama
BUSINESS / Markets
May 3, 2026
Finance minister declines to comment on yen intervention for now
“As finance minister, at this stage I’m not in a position to comment,” Katayama told reporters in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Rengo's tally showed that the average wage gain secured by labor unions stayed above the group's 5% target for a third straight year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Japan’s wage growth holds momentum after small firms reach deals
The development comes even after results from smaller firms were factored into the tally, an outcome that will keep the Bank of Japan on track for a near-term interest rate hike.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 17, 2026
Ueda cites upside and downside risks, avoiding clear hints before BOJ meet
The BOJ Policy Board meets on April 28.
Rahul Anand during an interview at the International Monetary Fund's headquarters in Washington on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2026
BOJ urged to keep clear message on policy as war clouds outlook
Anand’s remarks come ahead of the BOJ’s closely watched April 27-28 meeting, with markets still seeing a slim chance of a rate hike.
A woman holds a handheld fan bearing the image of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's wedding photo, during an election campaign event in Tokyo on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 11, 2026
Debt-laden Japan should review spending on gender equality, survey finds
The results come from a taskforce, set up in an effort to emulate the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, seeking cost-cutting suggestions from the public.
Japanese workers' base pay increased 3.3% in February, the largest gain in nearly 34 years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2026
Japan’s real wages rise most since 2021 to keep BOJ on hike path
The increase was 1.9% from a year earlier in February, marking a second straight monthly gain, the labor ministry reported Wednesday.
Japan’s household spending fell for a third consecutive month in February, dropping 1.8% year-on-year despite real wages turning positive, highlighting weak domestic demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2026
Japan’s households cut spending even after real wages advance
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation fell 1.8% in February from a year earlier, a faster decline compared with January’s 1% retreat.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 1.7% in the capital from a year earlier in March, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 31, 2026
Tokyo inflation cools for now as BOJ monitors Mideast impact
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 1.7% in the capital from a year earlier in March, marking the smallest increase since April 2024.
Olivier Blanchard, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 27, 2026
Japan invites Blanchard to panel in bid to boost global outreach
Sanae Takaichi’s administration wants to showcase its so-called responsible fiscal approach, even as it increases spending.
Labor unions under Rengo have so far secured an average pay increase of 5.26% in wage negotiations with employers, according to an initial tally.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 23, 2026
Japan’s key labor union wins wage hike topping 5% for third year
The development will likely keep the central bank on track for another interest rate hike in the coming months.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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