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July 12, 2026
 

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JAPANESE ECONOMY

People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2026
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
Firms are stepping up their efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion in a bid to improve their management of human resources.
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.
Guidance by the economy ministry urging firms to focus more on mid- to long-term growth, with the aim of boosting capital spending and wages, is at odds with the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s push for better capital efficiency.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2026
Japan’s push for corporate growth over value sets off skepticism
Pressure from the government toward encouraging unnecessary investment may undermine progress and derail the market rally.
The nonpartisan National Council discusses a consumption tax reduction in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2026
Takaichi acknowledges proposed cut of consumption tax on food to 1%
The plan has divided party members and raised concerns about its impact on financial markets.
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.
Revelers take a photo with a tourist after carrying a portable shrine during a Shinto festival in Tokyo's Asakusa district on May 17.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2026
Visitors to Japan fell 3.6% in May
Japan saw visitors from South Korea, Taiwan and the United States hitting their respective highest levels for May.
The trade balance flipped to a ¥378.6 billion ($2.36 billion) deficit in May on an unadjusted basis, according to the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 17, 2026
Japan’s trade balance swings to deficit as yen inflates imports
The deficit suggests trade may weigh on growth in the second quarter, when economists largely expect a slowdown due to the impact of the war in Iran.
The Bank of Japan made its first move since the end of 2025 on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 16, 2026
Bank of Japan takes rates to 1%, the highest level since 1995
Inflation and the weak yen forced its hand and made it difficult to wait and see any longer.
Tokyo stocks have been rallying in recent months on optimism about artificial intelligence and tech in general.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 16, 2026
Nikkei 225 breaks 70,000 on hopes for peace and after rate increase
The U.S. and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
An electronic board shows the Nikkei stock average's surge above 69,000 on Monday morning in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 15, 2026
Nikkei average closes above 69,000 for the first time
Expectations that turmoil in the Middle East would subside following the announcement of a deal to end the U.S.-Iran conflict led to broad-based buying of Tokyo equities.
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.
What is known as the yen carry trade, which involves borrowing in the relatively low-yielding Japanese currency and investing in other currencies offering higher returns, is thriving again.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 15, 2026
Yen short bets jump to nine-year high as carry trade revives
Leveraged funds increased their bearish positions on the yen to over 115,000 contracts in the week through June 9, the highest level since November 2017, data has shown.
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.
Japan's National Diet Building in Tokyo. Japan has released an online visualization tool that makes it easier to analyze the fiscal conditions of local governments.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Japan releases tool to visualize local government finances
Users can examine revenues, expenditures and fiscal indicators of local governments through graphs and color-coded maps.
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.
The Eneos Endeavor supertanker arrives at a refinery in Yokohama on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2026
Japan’s July oil imports to return to pre-Iran war level, Takaichi says
Japan relied on the Middle East for over 90% of its oil imports but has significantly diversified its supply chain.
The Bank of Japan last raised rates in December 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2026
Bank of Japan rate hike a ‘done deal’ given inflation and weak yen
With markets worried the BOJ might be falling behind the curve, the bank is increasingly compelled to act.
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.
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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