Datawatch: News & Insights

A growing number of Japanese startups are offering fat compensation packages to lure midcareer talent.

Datawatch

Japan's midcareer job seekers flock to startups

Workers ditch secure positions at big companies as new opportunities abound

13 March 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly hard on working women in Japan as they shoulder the main burden of child care.

Datawatch

COVID worsens Japan's persistent gender gap in child care

Day care closures hit working moms disproportionately, deepening labor shortage

5 March 2022

The changing outlook for Japan's OIS rates, which have never been positive since 2016, follows a move by the ECB to address inflation.

Datawatch

Tokyo money market prices in 2023 rate hike

Overnight index swap rate turns positive for first time since early 2016

23 February 2022

Policymakers are worried about the impact of monetary tightening on household debt, which has risen to record levels in major countries due to an increase in home mortgages. (Source photo by AP)

Datawatch

World's red-hot housing markets brace for interest rate hikes

Global household debt hits record $55tn as people ramp up borrowing to buy homes

16 February 2022

In just over a decade, more than half Japan's road bridges and tunnels will be at least 50 years old, an age widely seen as marking the end of the normal life span for infrastructure.

Datawatch

Aging infrastructure a major roadblock to Japan's future

About 60% of road bridges, 40% of tunnels will be at least 50 years old by 2033

10 February 2022

Once seen as panacea for Japan's economic ills, the weaker yen is sapping households' purchasing power through higher prices for imported goods.

Datawatch

Weaker yen pinches household budgets in Japan

From clothing to smartphones, rising import prices mean lower living standards

2 February 2022

If the omicron wave in Japan is similar to that in other areas like New York, shown above, cases are not expected to decline until early February. (Source photo by UPI/Kyodo)

Datawatch

Japan COVID surge unlikely to ease until early February

Global data shows omicron waves take on average 27 days to peak

26 January 2022

The untapped potential of female workers can bring huge benefits to the workplace, research by Keio University found, boosting return on investment and productivity.

Datawatch

Women's working hours underscore gender disparity in Japan

Burden of overtime and job transfers dissuade women from full-time employment

20 January 2022

Cuts to the defense budget since the end of the Cold War and low profit margins are some of the reasons why Japan's domestic manufacturers have pulled back from the production of military equipment.

Datawatch

Japan's defense industry on the ropes amid growing threats

Reliance on U.S. for equipment grows as more companies stop production

12 January 2022

Although the U.S. Federal Reserve is starting to tighten its grip on credit, other central banks continue their shift to gold, reflecting global concerns about the dollar-based monetary regime.

Datawatch

Central banks accelerate shift from dollar to gold worldwide

More resilient to upcoming rate hikes, holdings rose to a 31-year high in 2021

29 December 2021

China is maintaining its food stockpiles at a "historically high level," says the head of grain reserves at the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration. "There is no problem whatsoever about the supply of food."

Datawatch

China hoards over half the world's grain, pushing up global prices

Testy ties with U.S. and Australia could be prodding China to boost food reserves

23 December 2021

The delayed authorization and slow development of coronavirus vaccines in Japan have exposed deeper problems. (Source photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)

Datawatch

Japan falling behind in developing biopharmaceutical drugs

Trade deficit in medicines likely to top $26bn in 2021 due to weak R&D

16 December 2021

Datawatch

Faltering capital spending saps Japan's economic growth

Problem comes on top of festering issues such as country's dwindling population

8 December 2021

Datawatch

New global rules set to end race to cut corporate taxes

Move set to spark big gains in tax revenues in many countries

2 December 2021

The actual and theoretical values of the yen diverged in the April-June quarter.

Datawatch

Yen selling continues despite positive real interest rates

Actual exchange rate stands at 9.6 yen lower than theoretical value

23 November 2021

In the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which handle 40% of the containers entering the U.S., backups have been observed since this summer, with many ships sitting offshore. (Source photo by Reuters)

Datawatch

U.S. retailers suffer shortages before holiday season

Shipping mess causing grave supply-side constraints at critical time for recovery

17 November 2021

The LDP, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, secured an "absolute stable majority" of 261 seats in the lower house in the last election. (Source photo by Nikkei)

Datawatch

Japan's LDP gains more popularity among people under 40

Ruling party still lacks traction among women and voters in big cities

9 November 2021

Brine pools and processing areas at a lithium mine in Chile. The country is one of the world's key producers of the material, used in EV batteries.

Datawatch

Mineral oligopoly overshadows world's drive to decarbonization

Australia, 2 others account for nearly 90% of world's lithium production

4 November 2021

Companies in Japan are borrowing more but earning less, setting up for what might be a tsunami of defaults.

Datawatch

COVID pushes debt at small Japanese companies to 10-year high

Bankruptcies feared on the rise as grace period for loans to end in 2022

27 October 2021

Datawatch

Family business? Newcomers face hurdles in Japan's election

Candidates connected by blood or marriage have 80% chance of winning

19 October 2021

"The forest industry will keep falling into decline because there is no way of recording profit," a major forestry company said.  (Source photo by Nikkei)

Datawatch

Aging forests likely to hinder Japan's decarbonization efforts

Old trees detract from disaster prevention and CO2 absorption effects

15 October 2021

Datawatch

To raise Japan's tepid birthrate, get men off the couch

Fathers doing less housework translates to sub-replacement fertility, study shows

7 October 2021

Japan in 2018 produced 29,000 graduates who had majored in natural science, mathematics and statistics, a 10th the number in the U.S.

Datawatch

Japan races to hire 270,000 artificial intelligence engineers

Nation has 4th largest number of IT workers but in wrong disciplines

30 September 2021

As the West pushes to decarbonize, a lack of investment in fossil fuel production and exploration threatens a supply squeeze, with alternative energy struggling to fill the gap.

Datawatch

Global energy shortage looms as investment in fossil fuels slides

Decarbonization push may cut oil output 73% by 2050 despite lack of alternatives

21 September 2021

Datawatch

U.S. freed from burden of high crude oil prices

Washington to reduce Middle East involvement even further

14 September 2021