Economy

Commercial real estate values in Tokyo have grown due to a deluge of funds from international investors. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Property

Japan real estate sees signs of global investors shying away

Clouded outlook for financial markets saps buying appetite

24 March 2023
Incoming BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda during a Diet hearing on Feb. 24: He can forget tapering the balance sheet when he arrives on the job next month.
Opinion

Crumbling Western banks will be new worry for Ueda at BOJ

Like Silicon Valley Bank, many Japanese lenders have piled into bonds

23 March 2023
An aerial view of Tokyo: Real estate prices in the Japanese capital's business districts and tourist zones are on the rise. (Photo by Karina Nooka) 
Property

Japan land prices recover from COVID to rise fastest in 15 years

Easy money, people returning to the office and foreign investment fuel gains

22 March 2023
In "The Price of Time: The Real Story of Interest," author Edward Chancellor brings the potentially dry subject of interest rates to life with a wealth of anecdotes and walk-on characters both famous and obscure. (Nikkei montage/Photos by Grove Atlantic and Edward Chancellor)
Books

Book review: The funny business of central banks and money supply

'The Price of Time' comes as incoming BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda in celebrity spotlight

20 March 2023
The Federal Reserve building in Washington.
Economy

Fed, BOJ and other central banks set joint liquidity operation

Move with Canada, Europe involves U.S. dollar swap line arrangements

20 March 2023
An investment strategy that was successful in a deflationary environment has backfired for many Japanese savers after a recent rise in consumer prices.
Datawatch

Inflation shatters Japan's savings myth

Purchasing power of time deposits sinks to 48-year low

18 March 2023
Japan's railway companies are raising fares to help cover accessibility improvements like platform screen doors, such as the ones seen here at a JR East station in Tokyo. (Photo by Keiichiro Sato)
Transportation

Tokyo train, subway fares go up Saturday in wave of price hikes

With ridership down, railways push ahead with accessibility upgrades

18 March 2023
The BOJ's huge paper loss on its bond holdings will make monetary policy navigation difficult.
Bank of Japan

BOJ's paper loss on bond holdings spikes tenfold

Hit to Japan central bank's assets grows to $71bn as yield cap is raised

18 March 2023
A Japanese-language teacher in Tokyo demonstrates a point. Japan is determined to attract more foreign students. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
Japan immigration

Japan shoots for 400,000 foreign students by 2033

When they graduate, government intends to encourage them to stay and take jobs

17 March 2023
A slowing global economy exacerbated Japan's trade deficit.(Photo by Hiromasa Matsuura) 
Economy

Japan's trade deficit soars on costly fuels, slowing exports

Murky economy saps shipments to U.S., China, Europe

17 March 2023
Crowds form at the Fukuoka Airport in western Japan on Feb. 4. Inbound travel is expected to pick up further after Japan lifted entry curbs for arrivals from China.
Travel & Leisure

Vietnam, Indonesia help drive tourism recovery in Japan

February visitors reach 57% of pre-COVID level in boon for restaurants, stores

16 March 2023
Workers at an affiliate of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Okayama prefecture, in western Japan. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Economy

Top Japanese manufacturers agree to big wage hikes amid inflation

But higher prices seen offsetting gains in low-paying industrialized economy

16 March 2023
An electric vehicle is assembled at Mazda Motor's plant in Hiroshima, Japan. Chinese curbs on technology exports could hinder the development of new EVs. (Photo by Ryotaro Yamada)
Supply Chain

Joint patents with China pose pitfalls in U.S.-led decoupling

American, Japanese filings on EV tech exposed to Beijing's leverage in trade battle

15 March 2023
As falling exports and other factors tug at Japan's gross domestic product, services exports are expected to support it as more foreign tourists return to the country.
Economy

Japan GDP suffers steepest decline in 5 months, 0.6%, JCER says

2nd straight monthly contraction led by weak corporate investments and exports

13 March 2023
The price of the Beyond Max Legacy bat used in adult sandlot games has topped 50,000 yen ($371). (Photo by Hayate Koike)
Sports

Japan's sandlot players snap up $350 bats for edge at the plate

Mizuno's top-end fiber composite stick doubles in price in two decades

13 March 2023
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's tenure was marked by a string of policy decisions that caught market players off guard.
Comment

Kuroda's surprise-filled tenure at BOJ comes to quiet close

Ueda's challenge: fixing communication breakdown between bank and markets

13 March 2023
There is a 70% chance that a magnitude 7-class earthquake will occur directly under Tokyo within the next 30 years, resulting in about 6,600 "untreated deaths," according to one estimate.
Natural disasters

Tokyo risks over 6,000 'untreated deaths' in major earthquake

Medical resources would stretch past breaking point if large quake hit capital

11 March 2023
Lanterns commemorating the victims of the 2011 disaster light a path at a memorial park in the Miyagi prefecture city of Iwanuma on March 10. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Fukushima Anniversary

Japan's great quake: 12 years later, 30,000 still unable to go home

Death toll stands at 15,900, while portions of Fukushima remain uninhabited

11 March 2023
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda speaks during a press conference on March 10 in Tokyo. (Pool photo)
Bank of Japan

BOJ's Kuroda calls aggressive easing a 'success,' urges continuation

Board decides to keep ultra-loose policy after Ueda approved as next gov.

10 March 2023
Ukrainian troops pose atop a British-made Challenger 2 tank. Western nations have started sending heavy tanks to Ukraine.
Defense

Japan weighs weapon exports to nations under invasion

Push comes as PM Kishida prepares to flex diplomatic muscle while hosting G-7 summit

10 March 2023
Hitachi has teamed up with Nissan in developing a system to supply electricity from EV batteries to run elevators and other equipment in the event of a disaster.
Technology

Hitachi offers EV dispatch system to blackout-hit areas

Vehicle batteries will supply electricity to evacuation centers after disasters

9 March 2023
The BOJ is trying to curb short-selling of government bonds as it faces difficulty in maintaining its yield curve control.
Bank of Japan

BOJ's move to curb bond short-selling is working, with side effects

Brokerages have hard time procuring bonds as supply dries up

8 March 2023
Stricter Japanese export controls on South Korea were imposed in 2019, covering materials used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Japan-South Korea rift

Japan moves to ease export curbs on South Korea, eyes Yoon visit

Trade talks to resume as Kishida hails 'opportunity' to advance bilateral relations

7 March 2023
"It would be difficult to return to Japan without sacrificing the good salary and work-life balance I can get in Sweden," said a 34-year-old systems engineer.
Business trends

Japanese workers become migrants seeking better pay overseas

Former car company employee who moved to Sweden enjoys higher pay and family time

6 March 2023
Investors are starting to see Japanese government bonds in a more positive light. (Photo by Masaru Shioyama)
Bonds

Japan's top banks bide time on bonds, with eye on BOJ

Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui and others watch for possible end to yield curve control

5 March 2023