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June 30, 2026
 

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INFLATION

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.
A draft by a tax panel calls for reducing the consumption tax rate to 1% for food for two years from April 2027.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2026
Interim draft on two-year food tax cut presented
The proposal calls for reducing the tax rate to 1% for food for two years from April 2027.
While Japanese government bonds saw yields rise to multiyear highs in May, the attractiveness has been offset by concerns that the Bank of Japan is unlikely to tighten monetary policy quickly enough to contain inflation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2026
Japanese insurers sold domestic superlong bonds as yields soared
Local insurers sold a net ¥201.2 billion ($1.25 billion) of Japanese sovereign debt due in more than 10 years, according to the latest Japan Securities Dealers Association data.
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 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.
Japan's core consumer prices, excluding fresh food, in May rose 1.4% from a year earlier, matching the lowest level since 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2026
Japan’s inflation holds steady as subsidies restrain energy
Core consumer prices, excluding fresh food, rose 1.4% year on year in May, in line with economists’ expectations and matching the lowest level since 2022.
The national average price of a packet of 10 eggs stood at ¥309, matching the highest level marked in March and May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 17, 2026
Prices of chicken and eggs in Japan hit record highs
The national average price of chicken rose has risen to ¥155 per 100 grams while that of a packet of 10 eggs is now at ¥309.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party pledged during February’s general election campaign to speed up discussions on suspending the tax on food for two years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 16, 2026
LDP still considering cutting sales tax to zero for food
The ruling party pledged during February’s general election campaign to speed up discussions on suspending the tax on food for two years with a view to going ahead with it.
Urea, ammonium phosphate, and potassium chloride — raw materials for chemical fertilizers — are almost entirely imported in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2026
Fertilizer prices rise in Japan due to Strait of Hormuz squeeze
While shortages like those for naphtha have yet to emerge, warnings of an international shortage have been issued amid uncertainties in the Middle East.
The most up-to-date data for April shows that overseas investors sold more superlong Japanese debt than they bought for the first time since 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 15, 2026
Global funds pull back from long-dated JGBs amid concern of pressure on BOJ
Data for April shows that overseas investors sold more superlong Japanese debt than they bought for the first time since 2024.
A consumption tax cut on groceries is intended to help households struggling to make ends meet.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 12, 2026
Consumption tax cut on groceries could do more harm than good
It could lead to less confidence in Japan’s fiscal state, a weaker yen, higher rates and slower economic growth.
A stock index board in the Lujiazui financial district of Shanghai. The oil shock and the AI boom have revived inflationary pressures among factories in the world’s second-biggest economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2026
China’s inflation split widens as AI and war stir up factory prices
Years of weak demand and excessive supply have contributed to bruising competition among Chinese industrial firms that’s keeping a lid on consumer prices.
Corporate goods prices rose again in May, signaling stronger inflationary pressure across Japan’s supply chains as the war in Iran keeps energy prices elevated, with input prices up 0.9% from a month earlier, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2026
Japan’s producer prices jump again on elevated energy costs
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 0.9% in May from a month earlier, and April’s increase was revised higher, the Bank of Japan says.
The pharmaceutical industry is among the most strained sectors, with profits squeezed by drug price cuts and rising costs amid Middle East tensions, according to Shunji Horitani, president of the Japanese Federation of Energy and Chemistry Workers’ Unions.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2026
Wage gains at Japan’s smaller firms at risk as Iran war drags on
Many of such companies lack the pricing power to fully pass rising costs on to customers because of intense competition and entrenched business practices.
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.
Daiwa Real Estate Asset Management is raising rents for office space and apartments to offset higher interest rates.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 9, 2026
Daiwa Real estate unit aims to raise rents to fight higher rates
The company has also started expanding its team of rent negotiators to help improve the terms of lease agreements for properties in Daiwa’s real estate portfolio.
Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management warned that the Bank of Japan may need a larger or unscheduled rate hike, saying an expected increase this month may not be enough to halt the yen’s slide and weakness in government bonds.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 5, 2026
Mitsubishi UFJ says Japan may need jumbo rate hike to boost yen
Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management said a larger or out-of-cycle Bank of Japan rate hike can’t be ruled out, warning that an expected increase this month may not be enough to prevent further declines in the yen and Japanese government bonds.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers a question during a House of Representatives budget committee session in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 5, 2026
Takaichi still highly popular despite slide in approval ratings
The lower ratings in two of three recent media polls come amid concerns over rising prices and the availability of crude oil-derived naphtha due to the Middle East conflict.
The won fell on Wednesday and was a whisker away from 1,536.95 per dollar, the lowest level since 2009.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 4, 2026
South Korea pledges action to curb volatility as won nears 2009 low
South Korea joins authorities in Indonesia and the Philippines in stepping up measures to defend currencies as elevated oil prices hurt the region’s importers.
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.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
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.
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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