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July 08, 2026
 

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BOJ

Economic policy minister Minoru Kiuchi says the way Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is approaching economic and fiscal policy is different from her predecessors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Japan is not pushing for low interest rates, economic policy minister says
Investors are still trying to gauge if Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is trying to slow the Bank of Japan’s efforts to raise borrowing costs.
Japan's nominal wages rose 3.2% in May from a year earlier, marking a fourth straight month of wage growth of at least 3%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Japan’s nominal wage rises top 3% again in longest streak since 1992
Employers are showing they are committed to raising pay despite difficulties related to the Middle East conflict that have disrupted supply chains and boosted inflation.
As the U.S. Fed keeps borrowing costs high and the Bank of Japan eyes rate hikes, Japan's property owners are relying on strong office demand to stay resilient.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 5, 2026
Asian landlords are ready for a hawkish Fed
The lesson across these markets is the same: Property owners who cleaned up their debt profiles ahead of time are well poised to navigate any economic turmoil.
Workers at 5,368 companies affiliated with Rengo have secured an average wage increase of 5.01%, according to the group’s final tally released Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2026
Japan’s 2026 wage talks result in third year of gains above 5%
Workers at 5,368 companies affiliated with Rengo, the country’s largest labor union group, have secured an average wage increase of 5.01%.
Products at the Oshikatsu Expo in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2026
Inside Japan’s $25 billion consumer market built on fan devotion
From collecting Hello Kitty goods to manga figurines, what was once considered a niche hobby has evolved into a fan-merchandising economy estimated to be worth ¥4.1 trillion.
Japanese companies issued ¥1 trillion ($6.2 billion) worth of convertible bonds in the first half, the highest amount since 2004, as rising interest rates boosted demand for cheaper financing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2026
Japan’s convertible bonds regain favor as rates continue to rise
Japanese companies issued ¥1 trillion ($6.2 billion) worth of convertible bonds in the first half, the highest amount since 2004.
Until recently, economists generally saw the Bank of Japan hiking rates about every six months, but now markets are pricing in a solid chance that another increase could come by October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2026
Sinking yen and robust economy support BOJ case for earlier rate hike
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has indicated her preference for monetary easing, helping push the yen to its weakest level against the dollar since 1986.
Traders see little long-term relief from the Japanese government’s repeated warnings that it will take bold action to stem the yen's decline.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 2, 2026
Traders plot worst-case scenario for yen if currency crisis hits
The yen sliding to a once-unthinkable ¥200 to the dollar level is now a risk — albeit an extreme one — for some investors.
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2026
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
The yen has tumbled past a 40-year low against the U.S. dollar, prompting the Japanese government to vow “appropriate action at any time.”
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Confidence among large manufacturers rose to the highest level since 2018, supporting the BOJ’s stance to keep raising interest rates.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Japan’s manufacturer mood improves to highest level since 2018
Inflation expectations climbed, supporting the Bank of Japan’s stance to keep raising interest rates.
Ayano Sato in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Takaichi’s new BOJ board pick signals tame view on inflation
Ayano Sato begins her five-year term just two weeks after the BOJ raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest level in 31 years.
The government kept its view that the economy is "recovering moderately,” signaling its expansion still has room to run.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Japan nears longest postwar growth even as households struggle
The government kept its view that the economy is “recovering moderately,” signaling the expansion still has room to run.
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2026
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
The market remains skeptical about the effectiveness of government efforts to prop up the yen, and pressure on the currency has been steady.
The yen has been trading well within intervention territory for about a week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 26, 2026
Yen’s decline makes perfect sense to some analysts
They have started to wonder whether there is really much at all holding the currency up.
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.
A draft of the government's economic blueprint urges the Bank of Japan to align its decisions with Prime Minister Sanae ​Takaichi's drive to reflate growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2026
Japan’s government blueprint nudges BOJ to fuel demand, clouding rates path
The draft urges the Bank of Japan to align its decisions with Prime Minister Sanae ​Takaichi’s drive to reflate growth.
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.
New U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh holds a news conference after a Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington on June 17.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2026
Warsh Fed era heralds a new trial for Asian currencies
The Warsh era has arrived. In his first news conference, the chair described it as a new chapter for the Fed. Asia needs to read in quickly.
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.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama attends a budget committee session in April.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 23, 2026
Katayama-Bessent call pulls yen back as it approaches four-decade low
The currency strengthened so fast that some traders suspected that intervention was underway.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
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.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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