Economy

Bank of Japan to Raise Interest Rate Target to 0.25%; Govt Bond Purchases to be Halved by Early 2026 (UPDATE 1)

The Bank of Japan decided Wednesday to raise its short-term interest rate target to around 0.25%,...

July 31, 2024

BOJ Decides to Cut its Monthly JGB Purchases to ¥3 trillion by End of March 2026

BOJ decides to cut its monthly JGB purchases to ¥3 trillion from ¥6 trillion by end of March 2026...

July 31, 2024

BOJ Decides to Raise Short-term Policy Interest Rate to Around 0.25%

BOJ decides to raise short-term policy interest rate to around 0.25% from range of zero to 0.1%

July 31, 2024

BOJ to Mull Raising Interest Rates to 0.25%

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Bank of Japan policymakers will consider a plan on Wednesday to raise short-te...

July 31, 2024

Govt Panel to Propose ¥50 Raise in Average Minimum Wage; Increase Would Set Record High for 4th Straight Year

A record-high ¥50 increase in the national average hourly minimum wage is in the offing this fisc...

July 25, 2024

Lodging Taxes Mulled Across Japan as Response to Overtourism; Business Community Voices Concerns About Impact

Local governments are considering charging tourists a lodging tax to help deal with overtourism, ...

July 23, 2024

Major Japanese Real Estate Companies Broaden Presence in Asia; Technologies to Tackle Environmental Issues Attracting Interest

BANGKOK — Major Japanese real estate companies are broadening their presence throughout Asia amid...

July 21, 2024

Japan Cuts Growth Forecast, Prime Minister Warns of Weak-Yen Pain

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government cut this year's growth forecast on Friday as consumption too...

July 19, 2024

BOJ Underestimated Impact of 2014 Tax Hike

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Bank of Japan policymakers were largely optimistic in the first half of 2014...

July 16, 2024

Kansai Airports to Add Slots, Flight Paths for Expo; Steps Taken to Limit Additional Noise for Residents

Kansai municipalities and other stakeholders agreed on Monday to increase takeoff and landing slo...

July 16, 2024

AI-Equipped Energy Efficient Air Conditioners Grow In Popularity; Some Can Guess Users’ Moods, Automatically Adjust Temperature

Air conditioners equipped with AI (artificial intelligence) systems that allow them to conserve m...

July 14, 2024

Yen Hits ¥157.30 Range Briefly in N.Y.; Market Speculates 2nd Consecutive Day of Currency Intervention

NEW YORK — The yen appreciated to temporarily ¥157.30 against the dollar in New York on Friday, ...

July 13, 2024

Japanese Ice Cream Proving to be Hot Seller Overseas; Trend Seen as Result of Visitors Wanting Unique Tastes After Returning Home

When it comes to Japanese ice cream, they’re screamin’ for it overseas, and companies here are ma...

July 12, 2024

Sales in China Fall for 3 Japan Automakers

BEIJING (Jiji Press) — Three major Japanese automakers respectively reported new vehicle sales de...

July 10, 2024

Japan’s Current Account Surplus for May Rises to New Record

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan posted ¥2,849.9 billion in current account surplus in May, up 41.8% fr...

July 9, 2024