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Tag - fiscal-spending

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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FISCAL SPENDING

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 14, 2026
Private sector representatives urge Takaichi to overhaul budget processes
The members of a key government panel also called for setting a new investment quota for crisis management and growth.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and minister in charge of growth strategy Minoru Kiuchi (center right) attend a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 4, 2025
Takaichi eyes economic growth plan by next summer
A newly established government panel has been tasked with mapping out a growth plan for 17 key sectors, including AI, chips and defense.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament, on Oct. 24, 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Takaichi might be more of a supply-sider than a Keynesian
It¡¯s not all about Abenomics, one economist argues.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in the Lower House in Tokyo on Friday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Oct 24, 2025
Takaichi focuses on economic and security concerns in first policy speech
Over half of the new prime minister¡¯s speech was dedicated to economic policies, and she described the fight against inflation as the top priority for her administration.
Debt servicing costs are estimated to increase, reflecting the Bank of Japan's interest rate hikes.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2025
Japan¡¯s government debt climbs to record ?1.32 quadrillion
The combined balance of Japanese government bonds, borrowings and financing bills swelled by ?7.2 trillion from the end of September 2024.
While the ruling minority government¡¯s weakened position has emboldened opposition parties to push for more spending across multiple policy fronts, the International Monetary Fund has warned there is limited space today in Japan to address the risks of natural disasters and mounting social security costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 7, 2025
Japan needs immediate deficit cut to fix fiscal path, IMF warns
The government needs to prepare now to avoid negative surprises four or five years down the road, the IMF¡¯s Japan mission chief says.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato holds a news conference at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo in October last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 24, 2025
Finance chief vows to balance economic revival and fiscal consolidation
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato highlighted the need to improve Japan¡¯s fiscal health, which is the worst among major countries.
The streets of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October show that the city is still struggling from the aftermath of the Jan. 1 earthquake and heavy rain in September.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Nov 15, 2024
Japan faces urgent need to boost state finances for emergencies
If a major earthquake were to strike directly beneath Tokyo, the projected damage would total around ?107.5 trillion.
Krishna Srinivasan, director of Asia and Pacific at the International Monetary Fund
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 2, 2024
IMF Asia-Pacific chief urges Japan to start debt cuts
The leading IMF official called for Japan to ¡°have a well fleshed-out, credible medium-term fiscal framework.¡±
Krishna Srinivasan, director of the International Monetary Fund's Asia Pacific Department
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 1, 2024
Japan must avoid issuing debt to fund fresh spending, IMF says
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has pledged to compile another large-scale spending package to cushion the blow to households from the rising cost of living.
Japan's new prime minister may want to consider setting a budget surplus-to-gross domestic product target to ensure that the nation stays in the black, government adviser Takero Doi has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 3, 2024
Japan¡¯s new prime minister must set fresh fiscal target, adviser says
Setting such a target would help bring down Japan¡¯s public debt-to-GDP ratio, government adviser Takero Doi has said in an interview.
Fuel prices are displayed on a board at a gas station in Tokyo in September 2023. Fighting high prices is among the priority policy measures encompassed by a special spending quota for the fiscal year from April 2025.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2024
Japan to create priority policy spending quota in fiscal 2025
Priority measures include strengthening the country¡¯s defense capabilities, raising its birthrate and expanding investments in carbon reduction.
The Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on March 18. With the BOJ¡¯s policy tightening, the difficulty of managing the country¡¯s debt payments is expected to become worse.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2024
Japan expects to hit primary balance goal in fiscal 2025
The government initially aimed to achieve the goal in fiscal year 2011 but kept pushing it back for over a decade.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force disembark from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during a live fire exercise in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 23, 2023
Kishida¡¯s proposed tax cuts put higher defense spending on hold
The plan to raise defense spending partly through tax hikes has been put on ice. In fact, it was never likely to deliver fast results.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2022
Japan tweaks budget goal wording to gain more fiscal flexibility
Japan¡¯s target of balancing its budget excluding debt payments by 2025 had long seemed unlikely, even by the government¡¯s own growth projections.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 30, 2022
Japan drops time frame for budget balancing target in draft economic roadmap
The absence of the target in the midyear policy roadmap could raise questions about Japan¡¯s resolve to fix its tattered public finances.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 8, 2021
New Japanese finance chief faces dilemma: Spend more or repair fiscal health
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki will be forced to balance Kishida¡¯s spending plans with the nation¡¯s poor fiscal health.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2021
COVID-19 trauma has changed economics ¡ª maybe forever
The 2008 crash triggered a rethink, but the framework in place since the 1980s emerged relatively intact. The pandemic then cast those conventions aside around the world.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2021
G7 to back minimum global corporate tax and support economies
A draft statement said the G7 supported efforts to set a global minimum corporate tax level that would ensure large multinationals paid their fair share.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 10, 2020
Japan¡¯s latest stimulus boost may fall short of official forecast
Many economists expect the dollar-for-dollar impacts of stimulus measures to typically decrease as time passes from a crisis or recession.
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.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
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.
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.

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Longform

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