Economy

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Travel & Leisure

The top 10 Japanese hotels for architectural excellence

Discover artistic accommodations designed by prominent Japanese architects

4 March 2023
From left to right, former Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa, current Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda and nominee Kazuo Ueda. (Source photos by Nikkei)
Bank of Japan

Great monetary experiment? BOJ's decade of easing draws scrutiny

Incoming chief faces balancing act as experts question policy's merits

3 March 2023
Filipina technical interns at a Starlite car parts factory in Hiroshima prefecture: Japan can no longer operate without foreign workers.
Opinion

Immigration is the best solution for Japan's population woes

Country has distinct advantages in global competition for human resources

3 March 2023
Komatsu sees room to raise prices on its construction equipment again after a round of hikes in fiscal 2022. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Construction

Komatsu to reap $700m windfall from fresh price hikes

Equipment maker to continue raising sticker prices to hedge against uncertainties

2 March 2023
Japanese taiko drum players greet the Amadea cruise ship March 1 at a port in Shizuoka, Japan. (Photo by Hiroto Okura)
Travel & Leisure

Cruise ships return to Japanese ports after 3-year COVID gap

Japan takes first step toward regaining 2m cruise passengers annually

2 March 2023
Japan's hotels and restaurants have struggled to hire workers to respond to a rebound in inbound tourists. (Photo by Makoto Okada)
Travel & Leisure

Japan opens up to Chinese tourists, but can it handle the rush?

80% of hotels short-staffed as country sees 84 times as many overseas visitors

1 March 2023
The Ritz-Carlton Nikko hotel near Lake Chuzenji in Nikko city, Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo (Courtesy of the hotel)
Travel & Leisure

Japan to lure hotel operators to open luxury inns in national parks

Government hopes tourists will consider country as nature destination

28 February 2023
Health care workers move a COVID patient at a hospital in Hokkaido: The pandemic, along with falling numbers of couples of childbearing age, accelerated Japan's population decline.
Society

Deaths jumped 8.9% in Japan in 2022 to almost double birth total

Record 1.58m people died, showing impact of aging population, COVID

28 February 2023
Shinichi Uchida, left, and Ryozo Himino, candidates for deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, at a hearing in the House of Councilors on Feb. 28.
BOJ confirmation hearings

BOJ deputy chief nominees say monetary easing must continue

Uchida, Himino say central bank addressing side effects at upper house hearing

28 February 2023
Volunteer staff and kids dine at a kodomo shokudo in Osaka in 2022: Being a member of a community brings a new yardstick for personal fulfillment.
Opinion

A community approach could be the cure for Japan's baby woes

Throwing more money at families is unlikely to meaningfully increase births

28 February 2023
Kazuo Ueda, the government's nominee to lead the Bank of Japan, answers questions in his second parliamentary confirmation hearing on Feb. 27. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
BOJ confirmation hearings

BOJ nominee Ueda declines to commit to permanent easing

Would-be governor says positives of ultraloose policy 'outweigh negatives'

27 February 2023
The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet has topped 40% for the first time in four months.
Politics

Kishida cabinet's approval rating climbs to 43%: Nikkei poll

Government pick for next Bank of Japan chief backed by 48%

27 February 2023
The world may see a shortage of crude oil in the second half of 2023 due to increased demand from China and a further output cutback by Russia.
Datawatch

Renewed China energy demand threatens to fuel global inflation

Crude oil seen topping $100 a barrel this year as Chinese economy picks up

25 February 2023
The yen weakened against the dollar on Feb. 24 on signs the gap between Japanese and U.S. interest rates will continue to widen.
Currencies

Yen hits 2-month low on BOJ nominee's easing stance, U.S. inflation

Kazuo Ueda's remarks seen as favoring status quo at Bank of Japan

25 February 2023
Kazuo Ueda, nominee for Bank of Japan governor, attends a hearing at the lower house of the Diet in Tokyo on Feb. 24. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
BOJ confirmation hearings

Kazuo Ueda seeks to steer BOJ toward more flexible path

A decade after Kuroda's 'bazooka,' nominee puts pragmatism over ideology

24 February 2023
The nominee for Bank of Japan governor, Kazuo Ueda, speaks during a hearing session at the lower house of the Diet in Tokyo on Feb. 24. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
BOJ confirmation hearings

BOJ nominee Kazuo Ueda says 'appropriate' to continue easing

Governor nominee signals normalization once stable 2% inflation is in sight

24 February 2023
Consumers in Japan are paying more for eggs and foods that use them. (Photo by Nozomu Ogawa) 
Food & Beverage

Japan egg prices surge on bird flu, costs of feed and labor

Beef bowls, mayonnaise get more expensive; Taiwan, Philippines also affected

23 February 2023
The center's opening ceremony on Feb. 17 was attended by local executives from Japanese companies. (Photo by Shunsuke Tabeta)
International relations

China's Chengdu opens Japan business center in investment bid

Inland city rolls out welcome mat for companies to drive post-COVID recovery

23 February 2023
The U.S. imported far less Russian crude oil in 2022, with shipments down 90%. China's imports of Russian crude, by contrast, rose 30%, while India's surged seventeenfold over the same period.
Commodities

Commodity prices dip in year since Russia's Ukraine invasion

Prices down from prewar level for 14 of 19 items in widely tracked index

21 February 2023
International students look for jobs at a career fair in Tokyo: Wanting to work in Japan and wanting to work for a Japanese company are two different things. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Opinion

Japanese companies need to meet foreign workers halfway

Effective communications and recognition of performance should be focus

21 February 2023
Reflationists rose to prominence at the Bank of Japan under late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Photo by Kaisuke Ohta)
Bank of Japan

As BOJ leadership change nears, reflationists leave center stage

Governor nominee Ueda seen as more attuned to easing's side effects

18 February 2023
The Bank of Japan has been working since 2021 on a proof of concept to see if the introduction of a digital yen is technologically possible. (Photo by Kento Awashima)
Economy

Digital yen pilot program to start in April, Bank of Japan says

Banks and payment service companies expected to take part in project

18 February 2023
Against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown, the continued high price of raw materials is squeezing profitability. (Photo by Karina Nooka)
Companies

Japan Inc. sees profit growth slowing as manufacturers struggle

Forecasts dialed back to 2% uptick for fiscal 2022 on material costs, interest rates

18 February 2023
Economics professor and longtime Bank of Japan policy board member Kazuo Ueda, left, is set to succeed Haruhiko Kuroda as BOJ chief in April. 
The Big Story

Kazuo Ueda: Next BOJ chief inherits world's toughest central bank job

'Nonideological' pragmatist tasked with unwinding controversial legacy of predecessor Kuroda

16 February 2023
Analysts anticipate a monetary policy course change by the Bank of Japan under Kazuo Ueda, who has been nominated as the next governor.
Bank of Japan

BOJ will scale down ultraloose policy this year: analyst survey

Economists mostly expect change to yield curb control or complete exit

16 February 2023