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July 12, 2026
 

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Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo in January.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 17, 2026
BOJ likely to sit tight as Middle East conflict clouds economic outlook
Though a rate hike is unlikely this month, if the yen’s depreciation continues, pressure on the bank to act will likely grow at the next meeting in April.
Brian Yun, co-founder and CEO of Woodstock, at the company's headquarters in Tokyo. According to the company, 62% of its users are under the age of 40, and 56% have no prior investing experience.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 16, 2026
Tokyo startup betting free trades and small lots will draw young investors
Woodstock allows customers to trade U.S. stocks 24 hours a day.
Real wages have been falling in Japan for a number of years despite high nominal increases.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 6, 2026
Unions seeking wage increases this year of almost 6%
The spring offensive results are likely to be in line with last year’s.
Katsumoto Yoshimura, an official from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, and Masaaki Shibuya, mayor of Ogasawara Village, met to discuss a survey on the use of Minamitorishima island as a site for nuclear waste disposal.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
Minamitorishima island considered for initial nuclear waste disposal survey
The government is seeking cooperation from Ogasawara village, which administers the remote island.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Feb. 18. Takaichi has repeatedly stressed her focus on boosting investment in growth, especially in technologies vital to Japan’s food, energy and economic security.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 3, 2026
Takaichi takes aim at Japan’s supplementary budgets
The prime minister wants to push as much spending as possible into the initial budget.
The Nikkei 225 stock average nears 60,000 on Thursday as analysts revise up their estimates.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 26, 2026
Nikkei 225 index forecasts revised upward after LDP’s big win
Analysts are looking for 60,000, and that level is already near.
Toyota CEO Koji Sato (left) and Chief Financial Officer Kenta Kon in early February. In April, Kon will become CEO.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Making CFOs CEOs a growing trend in Japan
The expertise of chief financial officers is needed as corporations are pushed to improve financial performance.
Akie Mimori, country manager, Straker Japan. Some international investors are seeking more detailed disclosure from Japanese companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 17, 2026
AI translation could help Japanese corporations close the disclosure gap
New Zealand’s Straker has a product that can quickly produce complete English-language financials ready for international investors.
PayPay CEO Ichiro Nakayama (left) and Jack Forestell, Visa’s chief product and strategy officer, attend a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2026
PayPay might form company with Visa for U.S. expansion
Japan’s largest QR code payment service is looking to make its first move abroad.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi discusses the consumption tax cut last month before the Feb. 8 election.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2026
Takaichi’s big victory might not be mandate for big spending
Fiscal hawks in the LDP and the bond market are expected to keep a lid on stimulus spending.
Kenta Kon, Toyota’s chief financial officer, will succeed Koji Sato as president and CEO effective April 1.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2026
Toyota appoints CFO Kenta Kon as new CEO
Koji Sato, current president and CEO of the world’s largest car company, will step down effective April 1.
SkyDrive’s flying car unit at its flight test base in the city of Yamaguchi
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 6, 2026
Japan’s SkyDrive hopes to have flying cars in service by 2028
Regulatory approval from the Japanese government is key to achieving the company’s goal.
Japanese politicians are debating ways to cut the consumption tax on food bought outside of restaurants.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 28, 2026
Food consumption tax cut plans have parties crunching the numbers
Reducing the rate to 0% from 8% is popular with politicians but expensive.
Waymo autonomous taxis on Bush Street in San Francisco on Dec. 17
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 25, 2026
Waymo-backed robotaxis quietly ply the streets of Tokyo as tests continue
The service could be rolled out in Japan in 2026, though no target date has been set.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in December. The central bank has opted to leave rates unchanged ahead of next month's election.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 23, 2026
Bank of Japan leaves rates unchanged ahead of February election
Rates were raised at the last policy board meeting to 0.75% from 0.5%.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda in December. Rate increases are expected later this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 21, 2026
Bank of Japan expected to keep rates steady ahead of February election
Policy rate is 0.75%, a 30-year high, after an increase in December.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks in a news conference Monday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 19, 2026
Takaichi might surprise markets bracing for a big spender
Some stock and bond investors are anticipating Takaichi to act as an unrestrained fiscal dove after the election.
Noritaka Okabe, CEO of JPYC, has said that stablecoin issuers can become major buyers of government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 5, 2026
Stablecoins likely to be a factor, not a game changer, in Japan’s bond market
Issuers might not buy up enough long-term debt to make a big difference.
Yu Ishikawa, Mercari’s head of cross-border business development, says the platform has an unmatched lineup of unique Japanese items.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 2, 2026
Mercari goes global with anime and manga leading the way
It wants to be the go-to marketplace for international customers seeking high-quality Japanese entertainment products.
Stocks plummeted in April as tariffs put into place by U.S. President Donald Trump started kicking in.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 30, 2025
For Japanese markets in 2025, it was politics, politics, more politics and AI
Japan’s benchmark stock index had a rough start to the year but made a strong comeback.
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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