51³Ô¹ÏÍø

author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 24, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Makiko Yamazaki
JPMorgan and other U.S. banks are likely to provide some financing for Japan's $550 billion investment pledge made to U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2026
JPMorgan among banks to help finance Japan¡¯s $550 billion U.S. investment plan: sources
Japanese banks have been reluctant to participate, as their funding base is in yen,?and obtaining U.S. dollars for ?big long-term infrastructure projects can be costly for them.
Fumiaki Kobayashi, an LDP lawmaker, attends an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 8, 2026
LDP plans tighter oversight of disclosures by activist investors
The proposals come as Japan has become one of the ?world¡¯s busiest markets ?for activist investing outside of the U.S.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in parliament on May 20
BUSINESS
May 25, 2026
Takaichi unveils $19 billion extra budget while vowing no extra borrowing
The supplementary ?budget marks a reversal from Takaichi¡¯s previous remarks ruling out ?the need for extra spending.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama poses for a photo ahead of a G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Paris on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2026
Japan ready to act on foreign exchange volatility
Rising U.S. Treasury yields have fueled market speculation that Washington may become sensitive to large-scale yen-buying, dollar-selling intervention by Japan.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda arrives for a news conference after a BOJ policy meeting in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 9, 2026
Japan bets on Washington and BOJ for extra punch in yen battle
The strategy is reliant on a small cast of heavyweights and is aimed less at a dramatic turnaround than at raising the cost of betting against the yen.
Japan and the U.S. may announce later this month a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse to be funded by Japan's $550 billion investment package.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2026
Nuclear power project could be added to investment package, sources say
The project is designed to strengthen energy supply chains for the U.S. and Japan as war in the Middle East renews concerns about energy security.
A plant for synthetic diamonds in the United States may be one of the projects under Japan's $550 billion investment package.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 27, 2026
Japan and U.S. eye synthetic diamond production under $550B investment plan
Talk of such a move comes amid a push to expand production of the material, which is vital to chip and high-precision manufacturing.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama (right) meets with ?U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the sidelines of a multilateral meeting on critical mineral supply chains, in Washington on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2026
Bessent shares concerns about yen¡¯s ¡®one-sided depreciation,¡¯ says Katayama
The yen crossed ?158-to-the-dollar mark this week for ?the first time in about a year following reports that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ?may call a February snap election
Nobumitsu Hayashi, head of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), is interviewed in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 1, 2025
Japan¡¯s JBIC shifts financing focus to economic security projects
JBIC¡¯s role has expanded in response to China¡¯s growing influence and rising geopolitical risks, evolving into a tool of economic statecraft.
Labor unions in Japan have already made clear they will again demand bumper pay hikes, as real wage growth has remained negative despite hefty increases in recent years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 24, 2025
Early signs for 2026 wages bolster case for near-term BOJ rate hike
Sustained wage growth would underpin private consumption, giving Japan¡¯s central bank confidence to raise rates without derailing Japan¡¯s economic recovery.
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, attends a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 18, 2025
Japan¡¯s fractured politics could ensnarl Takaichi¡¯s economic plans
Sanae Takaichi may have found the political support she needs to become Japan¡¯s next prime minister ¡ª but the new cross-party alliances come with risks.
Hideyuki Okamoto, ice pop maker Akagi Nyugyo's marketing team leader, says the public is more accepting of price hikes as he holds the company's flagship Garigari-kun ice pop.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2025
Enough apologies: How Japan is shaking off its price hike phobia
A shift in consumer mindset about such increases is driven by the biggest pay hikes in three decades and has given companies more confidence to pass on rising costs.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato listens to a question during an interview at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2025
Japan¡¯s finance minister is ¡®deeply concerned¡¯ over impact of Trump¡¯s tariffs
The minister also voiced concern over volatile market moves that Trump¡¯s tariffs triggered, saying they could hurt Japan¡¯s economic recovery.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives instructions to Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa (third from left) and others at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2025
Japan braces for talks on yen and BOJ in trade negotiations with U.S.
Ryosei Akazawa, who is heading the task force, is reportedly set to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent next week.
A potential foreign acquisition of Japanese retail giant Seven & I would be "heavily related" to national security, Japan's economy minister Ryosei Akazawa said on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2025
Japan flags foreign takeover of 7-Eleven owner as a security issue
His public comment is the first by a senior Japanese official over security issues raised by a $47 billion buyout offer by Canada¡¯s Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Small businesses in Ino, a town in Kochi Prefecture known for its paper industry, show how a labor shortage is a growing threat to smaller companies that provide seven out of every 10 jobs in Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 24, 2024
Small businesses with low wages struggle to tackle labor shortages
A worker shortage is threatening firms that are otherwise robust, including those that have invested in automation and creative hiring.
The entrance of the Sodegaura LNG Terminal, operated by Tokyo Gas, in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 18, 2024
Japan¡¯s draft climate strategy spurs calls for bolder cuts in carbon emissions
The government last month presented a draft plan to aim for a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 from 2013 levels.
Nobuhiro Ito, who runs casting-maker Ito Tekko, which employs about 100 people, in front of his company's factory in the city of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 13, 2024
BOJ¡¯s rate hike plans clouded by small firms¡¯ wage woes
Next year¡¯s wage prospects are crucial for sustaining a consumption-led recovery ¡ª a prerequisite for further rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.
Business sentiment among large manufacturers in Japan improved for the first time in two quarters, the Bank of Japan's tankan survey for December showed Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 13, 2024
Japan business mood improves slightly, but global risks cloud outlook
The Bank of Japan tankan survey results come ahead of a two-day policy meeting next week, when its board will debate whether to lift rates from the current 0.25%.
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024
As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan¡¯s ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action
Kanda¡¯s warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ?155 to the dollar.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Intervention is the word after yen moves beyond ?163 and sits there
The government could prop up the yen at any moment, though its signaling is hard to read.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER