Datawatch

Higher corporate earnings account for half of inflation in Europe.
Datawatch

'Greedflation' still grips Europe

Corporate profit growth continues to outpace wage increases

2 September 2023
The world continues to see an increase in coal-fired capacity as more facilities are built in Asia and elsewhere.
Datawatch

World struggles to break coal habit despite looming climate risk

Demand for black rock surges on Ukraine war, post-COVID recovery and heat waves

26 August 2023
Households headed by people 65 and older accounted for 39% of all personal consumption in Japan last year, nearly twice their share 20 years earlier.
Datawatch

Pensioners' share of spending hits nearly 40% of total in Japan

Seniors hold key to country's drive to escape deflation

20 August 2023
Japanese businesses need to make the workplace safer for older workers as they keep them on payrolls longer to cope with labor shortages.
Datawatch

Nearly 40% of Japanese companies hire people over 70 years old

Facing labor shortages, Japan Inc. turns to elderly to fill jobs

13 August 2023
A recent survey finds that 67% of workers have not changed the number of days they work from home since Japan downgraded COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal flu. 
Datawatch

Hybrid work takes root in post-COVID Japan

Nearly 40% of employees still perform part of their jobs at home

6 August 2023
Venture capitalists have shifted focus to nurturing promising businesses rather than chasing opportunities for quick returns.
Datawatch

Unicorns see their green pastures dry up around the world

Number of new billion-dollar startups down 80% from 2021 peak

30 July 2023
Entrepreneurship beckons young bureaucrats, with the number of job changes among those in their 30s rising sevenfold over the two years through fiscal 2022.
Datawatch

Japan's bureaucrats flock to startups to make social impact

Job changes from public sector to business ventures up 300% in two years

22 July 2023
Elon Musk's SpaceX launched more than 1,000 satellites in the first half of 2023, winning contracts from NASA and expanding its satellite-based internet business.
Datawatch

Elon Musk dominates orbit with Starlink satellites

Billionaire entrepreneur's SpaceX takes 60% share of global launch business

16 July 2023
Protectionist industrial policies take hold around the world as the WTO's dispute settlement system remains paralyzed.
Datawatch

Subsidies race casts pall over global free trade

Number of state handouts favoring local businesses rises 60% in 3 years

8 July 2023
Many parents in Japan say there is a mismatch between demand for nursery places and supply, with some mothers simply choosing to extend their maternity leave given the dearth of nearby facilities for their children.
Datawatch

Finding child care still the bane of city life for many in Japan

Despite growth in nursery spots, overall demand continues to outstrip supply

1 July 2023
The number of female IT engineers is on the rise in Japan, but many lack skills in data science and other advanced areas.
Datawatch

Japan's digital future depends on women

Shortage of high-tech professionals places premium on female IT specialists

24 June 2023
Regulators around the world worry about the impact of sluggish office demand on the financial system, as the value of debt backed by commercial real estate has declined due to rising interest and vacancy rates.
Datawatch

Wave of empty offices hits global market

Vacancy rates log post-Lehman highs in 60% of big cities

17 June 2023
Japan has only five organizations monitoring fake news and other misleading information, far fewer than other countries, according to Duke University of the U.S.
Datawatch

Japan lags Asian peers in dealing with fake news

Study shows only one in five Japanese know how to fact-check information

10 June 2023
Japan's tax revenue for fiscal 2022 is expected to hit a record 70 trillion yen (around $500 billion), but many businesses are still struggling with the upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 
Datawatch

Japan's $500bn puzzle: Why are tax revenues surging amid slow growth?

Fiscal 2022 collection likely to hit record as 'K-shaped' recovery deepens

3 June 2023
Japan's rigid labor market limits the pool of potential job switchers, posing a serious obstacle to broader wage increases.
Datawatch

Surge in job hopping boosts Japanese wages

One in three workers saw salary increases of 10% or more after switching jobs

20 May 2023
Tokyo's nighttime businesses have been slower to recover than those of other major urban centers around the world.
Datawatch

Tokyo nightlife still not fully lit despite global COVID recovery

NASA data on luminosity shows city at 90% of pre-pandemic levels

13 May 2023
Japan lags behind other advanced economies in agricultural productivity, as individual farms still account for 60% of domestic sales.
Datawatch

Businesses help spur Japan's agricultural revival

Companies now make up 40% of local sales, but overall productivity still low

6 May 2023
Monthly inbound spending per credit card increased 30% in the three years through last December, thanks to spending on leisure and other activities by Asia's wealthy.
Datawatch

Rural Japan leads growth in inbound tourism spending

Asia's rich lured to hot springs and golf resorts

29 April 2023
Many international students are drawn to universities in emerging countries due to lower tuitions and expanding job opportunities.
Datawatch

Foreign students flock to Global South for jobs, low fees

Overseas applicants rise sharply at universities in Argentina, Turkey, India

22 April 2023
More data centers are opening in Greater Tokyo as global IT companies shun China to ensure data security and avoid being caught in the U.S.-China tussle.
Datawatch

Tokyo challenges Beijing as Asia's data center hub

Capacity in Japan's capital forecast to double in 3 to 5 years

15 April 2023
The current "shadow" interest rate in the U.S. shows monetary conditions there remain mostly accommodative, with the risk of inflation intact.
Datawatch

Lower 'shadow' interest rate points to higher U.S. inflation

Lingering effects of quantitative easing offset Fed's tightening

8 April 2023
Measured on an hourly basis, Japan's wages and productivity have risen over the past decade. But experts say most of this growth comes from a decline in the average number of hours worked.
Datawatch

Japan's hourly wages up 12% in 10 years but, can it last?

Higher total wages needed to create virtuous circle of economic expansion

1 April 2023
The net flow of people into the Tokyo metropolitan area is a long-term trend, but Tokyo itself is not luring all generations equally and has lost families with young children.
Datawatch

Younger families leaving Tokyo for Japanese capital's neighbors

Increase in new homes arouses concern about glut in three prefectures

25 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
Given the scarcity of academic achievements since the 2010s, Japan will likely see its Nobel Prize winners fall sharply from the 2030s.
Datawatch

Japan sees pool of Nobel hopefuls drain

Nation's scholars lag Chinese and other rivals in high-tech academic citations

11 March 2023