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July 25, 2026
 

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Takashi Umekawa
The lack of movement in the yen following Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama's warning speaks to the diminishing power of verbal intervention if it isn¡¯t backed up with further action.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2026
Japan¡¯s ¡®decisive action¡¯ threat does little to scare yen bears
The lack of movement in the yen speaks to the diminishing power of verbal intervention if it isn¡¯t backed up with further action.
The parliament building in Tokyo. Close attention to policy wording shows how sensitive the issue of possible government influence on Japan's central bank has become.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2026
Government tweaks phrasing on BOJ in draft policy plan
The draft of Japan¡¯s economic and fiscal agenda adds a reference to inflation, calling for appropriate monetary policy that contributes to stable price increases.
Atsushi Mimura, Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs, during an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2026
Japan¡¯s forex chief flags contact with U.S. and intervention impact
Mimura¡¯s remarks indicate that he continues to see intervention as a useful tool to stem excessive moves in the currency market.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama says Japan is currently undergoing the greatest budgetary reform process since the end of World War II.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 9, 2026
Katayama says Japan undergoing biggest budget reform since 1945
The government plans to incorporate as much spending for one year as possible into the initial budget rather than rely on additional funding via supplementary packages.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an Upper House budget committee meeting on May 11.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
May 18, 2026
Takaichi calls for extra budget amid Middle East shock
The planned supplementary budget is expected to function as an emergency relief measure rather than a broad economic stimulus program.
MUFG Bank, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking are all likely to gain access to Anthropic¡¯s artificial intelligence model, Mythos.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2026
Japan megabanks set to win Mythos access after Bessent visit
Mythos access could be granted to MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Mizuho Bank as early as the end of May.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government is likely to propose replacements for two of the nine-member board at a parliamentary session as soon as next Wednesday, sources say.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 19, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s first BOJ member picks could hint at her desired rate path
Following her landslide election victory, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has a chance to use her historic mandate to stack the board with reflationists.
Tatsuo Yamasaki, former vice finance minister for international affairs
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 13, 2026
Japan¡¯s ex-FX chief sees yen firming as Takaichi¡¯s stance clears
Tatsuo Yamasaki also largely ruled out the likelihood of the United States helping Japan with joint currency intervention.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a news conference on Monday following a landslide victory of her Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday¡¯s Lower House election.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 12, 2026
Japan investors remain wary Takaichi will spur another meltdown
Worries that she would add to Japan¡¯s mountain of public debt prompted yields to spike last month to the highest levels in decades.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 3, 2026
Katayama says Takaichi wasn¡¯t emphasizing weak yen merit
Takaichi¡¯s comments suggested she was trying to preserve speculation over government intervention risks.
A board showing the yen's exchange rate with the U.S. dollar in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 30, 2026
Japan business leader calls on government to act more on yen rate
The comments came as the weak yen continues to hurt smaller firms by pushing up import costs and narrowing room for wage increases.
The Bank of Japan should take a cautious approach to raising interest rates further, a former BOJ policy board member has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 25, 2025
BOJ needs caution on rates during growth push, ex-official says
The former board member said the government should fully utilize fiscal, monetary and tax policy to stimulate demand and realize a ¡°high pressure¡± economy.
The Finance Ministry in Tokyo¡¯s Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 24, 2025
Japan budgeting for bond payments at 3% as debt servicing soars
The Finance Ministry will set a key rate used to calculate the country¡¯s likely interest payments on bonds next fiscal year at 3.0%, the highest in nearly three decades
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama says Japan has a ¡°free hand¡± to take bold action against currency moves during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 23, 2025
Japan has ¡®free hand¡¯ for bold action in FX market if needed
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama¡¯s remarks are her strongest warning yet to speculators following the yen¡¯s weakening even after a rise in interest rates.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at a meeting in Nagoya on Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2025
Key Japan officials would go along with a BOJ December rate hike
The comments come amid heightened speculation that the BOJ will increase the benchmark rate to 0.75% at the end of its next policy meeting on Dec. 19.
The extra budget, totaling about ?18.3 trillion ($117 billion), will be funded by ?11.7 trillion in additional bond issuance, according to a document seen Thursday.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2025
Japan to issue $75 billion in new bonds to fund stimulus
The extra budget, totaling about ?18.3 trillion ($117 billion), will be funded by ?11.7 trillion in additional bond issuance.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other members of a government panel on economic growth strategy gather for their first meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 11, 2025
Takaichi eyes stimulus package to jump-start growth plan
Takaichi has signaled a shift toward more expansionary fiscal policy and said that Japan remains only halfway toward achieving stable inflation supported by wage growth.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato reaffirmed in a joint statement their commitment to allowing markets to determine currency exchange rates and not targeting them for competitive advantage.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2025
U.S. and Japan pledge not to manipulate forex for competitive advantage
Tokyo has spent close to $150 billion in the last three years trying to prop up the yen with the last move in July last year.
The Finance Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. The ministry plans to seek a record 32.4 trillion yen in debt-servicing costs in its budget request for fiscal 2026.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 26, 2025
Finance Ministry seeks record budget for debt financing
The ministry¡¯s request would be the highest amount ever budgeted for debt-servicing costs, which already account for about a quarter of Japan¡¯s national budget.
Government Pension Investment Fund President Kazuto Uchida says there is no need to change the fund's portfolio even after a trade deal was reached between Japan and the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2025
Japan¡¯s top pension fund keeps strategy amid volatility
As it seeks to ride out the turmoil, the Government Pension Investment Fund aims to enhance portfolio rebalancing with futures and analyze correlations between different assets.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
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.
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.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
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.

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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