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June 30, 2026
 

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Toru Fujioka
The consumer price index excluding fresh food for the Tokyo area, considered a leading indicator for nationwide price trends, rose 1.6% in June from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2026
Tokyo inflation picks up, keeping BOJ on track for further hike
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.6% in June from a year earlier in Japan’s capital.
Bank of Japan board member Naoki Tamura is a widely known hawk on the board who frequently calls for interest rates to be raised to a more normal setting.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2026
Rate hikes needed every few months, hawkish BOJ board member says
While the remarks suggest another rate hike may come earlier than BOJ watchers expect, they also show there is some caution around raising rates again in July.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 24, 2026
BOJ summary affirms rate hike stance as inflation risks mount
The summary came out as the yen remained close to the weakest level since 1986 against the dollar amid growing bets on the Federal Reserve raising rates this year.
Toichiro Asada disagreed with his peers on the biggest risks facing the economy as he voted against the Bank of Japan’s most recent interest rate hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 22, 2026
Dissent by Takaichi’s BOJ pick hints at case for faster hikes
Toichiro Asada, the first policy board member appointed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, left little doubt about his commitment to monetary stimulus.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda was hospitalized on June 9 for treatment of a liver cyst infection and didn’t attend a policy meeting earlier this week.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2026
Gov. Ueda has been discharged from hospital, BOJ says
Ueda, 74, was hospitalized on June 9 for treatment of a liver cyst infection and didn’t attend a policy meeting earlier this week.
Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino warns that the central bank could be forced to conduct more rapid interest rate hikes later on if it is late with necessary adjustments.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2026
BOJ’s Himino sees risk of price trend rising above 2% target
The central bank deputy governor warned that it could be forced to conduct more rapid interest rate hikes later on if it is late with necessary adjustments.
Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Shinichi Uchida holds a news conference after a BOJ policy meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 18, 2026
BOJ will hike rates again by December, 90% of economists say
A key question is whether or not the BOJ needs to act a little faster than its widely seen pace of moving once every six months.
Former Bank of Japan Gov. Hideo Hayakawa
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 9, 2026
BOJ may raise rate in June and October, former official says
The BOJ is widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate a quarter percentage point, in what would be the first adjustment since December.
Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Atsushi Mimura speaks to reporters in Tokyo on May 1 following reports of Japan's possible intervention in the currency market.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 5, 2026
Japan likely sold Treasurys to fund yen intervention
Treasury sales may not go down well in Washington where officials have become increasingly focused on the stability of the U.S. government bond market.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s remarks Wednesday at a forum in Tokyo indicate there is a good chance of a rate hike this month.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2026
Ueda says BOJ needs to keep raising rates to contain inflation
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s remarks Wednesday at a forum in Tokyo indicate there’s a good chance of a rate hike this month.
The Bank of Japan will probably increase its benchmark rate next month, according to Makoto Sakurai, who served on the central bank's board from 2016 to 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2026
BOJ will probably raise rates in June, former board member says
The central bank’s policy will fall into a state of being behind otherwise, says Makoto Sakurai, who served on its board from 2016 to 2021.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo. Tokyo inflation cooled to its slowest pace in nearly two years in May, but BOJ policymakers are wary of prices picking up due to the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2026
Tokyo inflation slowdown unlikely to derail BOJ rate hike
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.3% in May from a year earlier in the capital.
"Japan’s experience shows that oil price shocks are never just oil price shocks. They are tests of the entire inflation regime,” Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday in a speech to open a two-day international banking conference in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 27, 2026
BOJ’s Ueda warns of oil shock’s impact on entire inflation regime
Following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, Ueda has repeatedly said that the central bank needs to pay attention to upside inflation risks.
Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 1.4% in April from a year earlier, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2026
Japan’s inflation eases to four-year low, complicating BOJ hike
Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 1.4% in April from a year earlier, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
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.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Japan is ready to take bold action in the FX market if needed.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2026
Japan’s finance chief pledges bold action for weak yen as needed
“We have understanding” from the G7 counterparts, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said. “We will take bold action as needed.”
Japan’s corporate goods prices in April posted their biggest rise in 12 years, driven by higher oil and naphtha prices, the Bank of Japan said.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2026
Japanese producer prices jump by the most since 2014, backing case for rate hike
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 2.3% in April from a month earlier, a full point above the highest estimate in a survey of economists.
Japan’s current account surplus in March rose to the highest on record, as the nation has apparently benefited from strong global artificial intelligence-related demand and a weaker yen.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2026
Japan’s current account surplus hit record high in March
Data on the nation’s balance of payments with the rest of world showed that the surplus climbed in March to ¥4.7 trillion, up 29.1% from a year earlier.
Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s board at the Bank of Japan voted 6-3 on April 28 to hold policy settings unchanged, an unusually divided outcome that pointed to momentum building for a rate increase when authorities next set policy on June 16.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2026
BOJ signals possible June rate hike amid inflation risks from Mideast war
Opinions documented in a summary of the central bank’s April meeting noted inflation risks and the need to raise rates even if the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran continues.
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in Tokyo, the smallest gain since March 2022, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Tokyo inflation cools on childcare support, backing BOJ caution
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in the capital, the smallest gain since March 2022.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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