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July 01, 2026
 

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INFLATION

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.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday. Takaichi has described the supplementary budget as being designed to “minimize risks” from the increasingly uncertain situation in the Middle East.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2026
Lower House passes ¥3.11 trillion extra budget to ease Mideast war impacts
The budget will create a new reserve fund to respond to developments in the conflict while aiding impacted energy users and replenishing the existing reserve fund.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a party leaders' debate at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on May 20. A pledge to cut the consumption tax on food products is quickly becoming a policy headache for the prime minister.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 4, 2026
Consumption tax cut is quickly turning into a headache for Takaichi
Translating the pledge from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration into policy has proven more complicated than many lawmakers anticipated.
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 Iran war highlights how geopolitical instability can become politically useful, allowing leaders to consolidate support and exert pressure on rivals even as ordinary citizens pay the human and economic price.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2026
The politics of chaos in the Iran conflict
As long as chaos remains politically and economically rewarding, such conflicts will remain difficult to contain.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet has endorsed a ¥3.1 trillion extra budget to fund measures meant to cushion households from inflation tied to Middle East turbulence.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2026
Japan unveils ¥3.1 trillion extra budget to cushion Mideast impact
While the government has yet to specify the usage of that fund, it is expected to be used initially to cap costs for gasoline.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo last month.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2026
Takaichi administration considering 1% tax on food from next April
A tax cut to 1% would require less time to update cash register systems and could be implemented sooner than her campaign pledge of zero percent.
Yen underperformed all its Group-of-10 peers in May despite record spending by Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 1, 2026
Yen defies record intervention as wait for BOJ hike raises risks
The currency underperformed all its Group-of-10 peers in May despite record spending by Japan, putting it in danger of weakening to 160 against the dollar before June 16.
Capital expenditure excluding software fell 3.5% from the previous quarter in the three months through March, according to the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Japan’s firms cut spending over Iran stress despite record profits
Capital expenditure excluding software fell 3.5% from the previous quarter in the three months through March, the Finance Ministry reported Monday.
Some manufacturers are passing on increased costs for packaging materials and energy to consumers amid the uncertain situation in the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2026
Prices for over 1,000 food items in Japan set to rise in June
Seasoning accounted for the largest share of products set to see higher prices, followed by processed food.
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.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has priced a ¥300 billion ($1.9 billion) dual-tranche Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond deal, adding to a growing pipeline that underwriters estimate could push Japanese bank issuance of the special bond to a record high this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2026
Japanese banks see hybrid bond boom to fund regulatory capital
The issuance of Additional Tier 1 bonds, which are considered among the riskiest forms of bank debt, could rise to a record high in Japan this year.
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.
Despite government efforts to lower the price of rice by tapping into the nation’s emergency stockpile, the cost of Japan’s staple grain remains at an all-time high.
JAPAN / Society
May 27, 2026
Rice consumption in fiscal 2025 the lowest in seven years
The drop coincided with last summer’s “Reiwa rice riots” when the staple disappeared from supermarket shelves and prices surged nationwide.
Mizuho Financial Group’s CEO Masahiro Kihara said on Wednesday that he expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates in June or July, though any modest hike is unlikely to have a major market impact.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2026
Mizuho CEO floats idea of first outsized BOJ hike since 1990
Masahiro Kihara says whether the BOJ raises rates in June or July is unlikely to have a big impact on the market unless the increase is large.
"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.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda has been taking time to gauge the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2026
Bank of Japan might be behind the curve on interest rate increases
The wait-and-see approach is becoming an issue with yen weak, bond prices falling and doubts increasing about fiscal discipline.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
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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