Condominiums in central Tokyo are relatively inexpensive compared to those in cities like New York, Hong Kong and London. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Property

Weak yen sends central Tokyo condo resale prices soaring

Foreign investors also swayed by rental income and trends in other global cities

11 May 2024
Less profit earned by Japanese companies abroad are flowing back to Japan.
Business trends

Japan companies kept $68bn of overseas profits abroad

Government seeks to encourage repatriation to spur demand for yen

11 May 2024
The yen remains under pressure after apparent interventions by Japanese authorities to bolster it. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Currencies

Why is Japan's yen falling? Retail investors are one reason

Inflows into foreign-stock funds through NISA program add to pressure on currency

11 May 2024
Many market watchers believe Japan intervened to shore up the weak yen last week.
Currencies

Japan seen earning $13bn from suspected yen interventions

Realized gains on dollar assets could boost surplus tapped for budget

10 May 2024
Toyota Motor doubled net profit in the previous fiscal year.
Business trends

Japan manufacturers score record profits on price hikes, weak yen

Earnings expected to help buoy wages and hiring, especially at smaller suppliers

10 May 2024
A woman sells food at a market in Yangon, Myanmar. Food prices have soared by more than 50% over the past year. (Photo by Nikkei)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's public struggles with inflation as currency tumbles

Local demand for dollars drives kyat lower as draft-age youths flee country

9 May 2024
Laos' weakening currency threatens faster food price inflation. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Economy

Laos, other debt-laden Asia-Pacific nations under pressure from strong dollar

ADB boosts funding for vulnerable countries amid debt trap fears

7 May 2024
Japan's currency is coming off a last week's rollercoaster ride against the dollar. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Comment

What's ahead for the yen? After wild week, U.S. inflation watch resumes

American fiscal spending spree is an underlying factor in rising prices

6 May 2024
The yen strengthened to the 151 level against the dollar, the highest since April 10.
Currencies

Yen surges against dollar, but weakness concerns remain

Finance minister declines comment on currency's level or suspected intervention earlier

4 May 2024
The U.S. Federal Reserve has held off on a rate cut amid sticky inflation.
Currencies

Yen's surge after Fed announcement stirs fresh intervention talk

Data suggests authorities possibly pumped in $19bn to prop up yen

2 May 2024
Proxy sites provide consumers outside Japan with direct access to some of the country's biggest e-commerce platforms. (Photo by Tatsuhiro Yuki)
Retail

Weak yen drives U.S. shoppers to Japan proxy sites

Foreign buyers get their hands on specialty Japanese goods at hefty discounts

1 May 2024
Bank of Japan data offers circumstantial evidence of possible government intervention in currency markets. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
Currencies

BOJ data points to possible yen-buying intervention

Stokes speculation Japan stepped in to support its currency against the dollar

30 April 2024
Japan is aiming to push up real wages to eliminate the deflationary mindset from its economy. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
Inflation

Weak yen stokes Japanese concern over strong rise in import prices

Higher costs could hit 'most vulnerable,' says top currency diplomat

30 April 2024
Currency authorities can either buy their home currency to strengthen it, or sell their home currency to weaken it. (Source photos by Nikkei)
Currencies

Yen's surge raises questions over intervention: 3 things to know

Japanese currency rebounds by around 5 to dollar after touching new 34-year low

30 April 2024
The yen's sharp rise after depreciating past 160 to the dollar spurred speculation that the Japanese government and Bank of Japan had intervened in the foreign exchange market.
Currencies

Yen strengthens sharply, triggering speculation of intervention

Japanese currency had fallen past 160 per dollar before rebounding

29 April 2024
The yen hit a new 34-year low against the dollar on April 26. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara) 
Currencies

Yen tumbles past 158 against dollar on stubborn U.S. inflation

Japan's currency in intervention territory, but stepping in unlikely to work: Mizuho

27 April 2024
A clerk prepares Indonesian rupiah bank notes at a money-changer in Jakarta.
Economy

Indonesia hikes key interest rate to 6.25% as rupiah slumps

Central bank to continue interventions to maintain currency stability

24 April 2024
In Japan, it is impossible to escape notice of the country's sliding currency. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
Opinion

Yen's decline will inevitably affect confidence in Japan's economy

End of quantitative easing would be vital step toward restoring normalcy

24 April 2024
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda will chair a two-day policy board meeting later this week, the first since the bank ended its negative interest rate policy in March. (Photo by Yumiko Oshima)
Bank of Japan

BOJ to discuss impact of yen's rapid slide at this week's policy meeting

Further rate hikes seen as unlikely as bank keeps close eye on inflation

24 April 2024
The yuan's weakness against the dollar has made it harder for the People's Bank of China to cut interest rates.
Economy

China's weak yuan forces central bank to hold rates steady

PBOC walks narrow path on stimulus as economy sends mixed signals

23 April 2024
Dollar strength has become a monetary policy headache for Japan and other Asian economies.
Currencies

Squeezed by strong dollar, BOJ watches yen ahead of policy meeting

Ueda signals possibility of action if impact on inflation becomes too big to ignore

20 April 2024
Tokyo stocks lost 3.4% at one point in morning trading on April 19 as other Asian bourses also declined.
Markets

Asian stocks fall as concern over Middle East spurs selling

Nikkei and KOSPI down by 3%; yen strengthens, other currencies weaken

19 April 2024
Higher costs for raw materials are a major factor in Japan's sharper inflation in recent months, which remains above the Bank of Japan's 2% target. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Inflation

Japan's March inflation slows; BOJ cautions on yen weakness

Central bank chief hints at rate hike to contain inflation caused by weak yen

19 April 2024
Some analysts view Washington's nod to concerns in Tokyo and Seoul over their plunging currencies as taking a step closer to market intervention.
Currencies

Asian currencies' plunge raises alertness over coordinated intervention

Washington, Tokyo and Seoul finance chiefs express concerns over currency movement

18 April 2024
From left, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok in Washington on April 17.
Currencies

U.S., Japan, South Korea finance chiefs share concern for weak yen, won

First trilateral meeting also addresses Pyongyang missile sales and supply chains

18 April 2024