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July 24, 2026
 

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Akemi Terukina
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2026
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
The collecting and trading of cards, once a pastime confined to the schoolyard, is now a lucrative global market.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers a question in parliament in Tokyo last week.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 21, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s popularity dips after prioritizing controversial laws
Support for Takaichi¡¯s government decreased to 53% from 60% in June in an Asahi Shimbun poll, while broadcaster ANN found her popularity fell over 10 points to 49.2%.
Economic policy minister?Minoru Kiuchi says the way Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is approaching economic and fiscal policy is different from her predecessors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Japan is not pushing for low interest rates, economic policy minister says
Investors are still trying to gauge if Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is trying to slow the Bank of Japan¡¯s efforts to raise borrowing costs.
Workers at 5,368 companies affiliated with Rengo have secured an average wage increase of 5.01%, according to the group¡¯s final tally released Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2026
Japan¡¯s 2026 wage talks result in third year of gains above 5%
Workers at 5,368 companies affiliated with Rengo, the country¡¯s largest labor union group, have secured an average wage increase of 5.01%.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party pledged during February¡¯s general election campaign to speed up discussions on suspending the tax on food for two years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 16, 2026
LDP still considering cutting sales tax to zero for food
The ruling party pledged during February¡¯s general election campaign to speed up discussions on suspending the tax on food for two years with a view to going ahead with it.
Japan is home to 27 registered crypto exchange providers, including BitFlyer.
BUSINESS
Jun 11, 2026
Japan moves to regulate crypto like stocks in market growth push
The bill would classify crypto assets as financial instruments, making them subject to lower taxes and stricter trading rules and opening the door to new products like ETFs.
Kazuo Ueda, governor of the Bank of Japan, speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on April 28.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2026
Panel urges BOJ to take cautious approach to rate hikes
Gov. Kazuo Ueda may face pushback if he seeks to raise the benchmark rate next month.
Yuichiro Tamaki, head of opposition party the Democratic Party for the People, says the government should present a five-year road map toward achieving a primary surplus by around 2030.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 20, 2026
Japan¡¯s opposition DPP presses for 5-year road map to primary surplus
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki said that while a deficit is acceptable in the near term, Japan should aim for a surplus by around 2030.
Rengo's tally showed that the average wage gain secured by labor unions stayed above the group's 5% target for a third straight year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Japan¡¯s wage growth holds momentum after small firms reach deals
The development comes even after results from smaller firms were factored into the tally, an outcome that will keep the Bank of Japan on track for a near-term interest rate hike.
Olivier Blanchard, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 27, 2026
Japan invites Blanchard to panel in bid to boost global outreach
Sanae Takaichi¡¯s administration wants to showcase its so-called responsible fiscal approach, even as it increases spending.
Labor unions under Rengo have so far secured an average pay increase of 5.26% in wage negotiations with employers, according to an initial tally.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 23, 2026
Japan¡¯s key labor union wins wage hike topping 5% for third year
The development will likely keep the central bank on track for another interest rate hike in the coming months.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s economic strategy aims to boost the nation¡¯s growth potential by offering public support to cutting-edge industries.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2026
Japan¡¯s investment targets include AI, quantum computing and drones
The list includes 27 technologies already under early stage review, such as physical artificial intelligence systems, regenerative medicine, quantum computing and marine drones.
Some 466 unions affiliated with UA Zensen are seeking a pay raise of 6.46% for regular workers on a weighted average, according to a tally released Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2026
Japanese labor union group sets more ambitious pay goal as BOJ watches
The push by UA Zensen, which represents unions across the retail, restaurants, materials and service sectors, follows other labor groups¡¯ ambitious targets.
A supporter holds a flyer for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, alongside an English vocabulary book at an LDP election rally in the city of Saitama on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
How Sanae Takaichi won over disillusioned young voters
So far, the prime minister¡¯s strategy of presenting herself as different from previous leaders seems to have struck a chord with Japan¡¯s youth.
Japan¡¯s largest trade union federation, Rengo, was seeking a wage increase of at least 5% as wage talks between unions and employers kicked off Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 27, 2026
Japan business lobby warns of tariff impact as wage talks start
The head of Japan¡¯s biggest business lobby said he expects businesses to maintain wage hike momentum to a certain extent during the talks despite some ¡°clearly very tough factors.¡±
Akihiro Kaneko, president of the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers¡¯ Unions, has expressed concern over the Bank of Japan¡¯s anticipated rate hike Friday possibly weighing on companies¡¯ ability to raise wages in the coming fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2025
Japan¡¯s auto union chair fears BOJ hike may impede wage momentum
A sharp drop in the yen after the expected hike on Friday could affect corporate sentiment.
The Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers¡¯ Union plans to seek a slightly more ambitious wage hike in the upcoming negotiations than last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2025
Japan¡¯s auto union seeks higher wage gains as BOJ watches trends
The Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers¡¯ Union (JAW) will aim for a minimum ?12,000 ($77) monthly base wage increase.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Nov. 7. Although Takaichi has refused to recant her comments on Taiwan, she said in parliament later last month that she learned her lesson and will avoid speaking about specific scenarios.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Dec 12, 2025
Takaichi¡¯s Taiwan comment that sparked China spat apparently unscripted
The discrepancy between the prepared response and the prime minister¡¯s actual comment suggests she veered off-script from official policy.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito says he hopes to visit China soon to help ease tension between Beijing and Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Dec 11, 2025
Japan-China spat lacks immediate off-ramp despite Komeito talks
Tetsuo Saito, the head of former ruling coalition partner Komeito, says he¡¯s spoken several times with China¡¯s ambassador.
Tomoko Yoshino, chair?of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as?Rengo, during an interview in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 25, 2025
Japan¡¯s union chair urges government to step up inflation fight
¡°We really expect the government to bring prices under control,¡± said Tomoko Yoshino, chair of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo.
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

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