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July 02, 2026
 

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INFLATION

Former economics professor and Bank of Japan board member Junko Koeda is the second among members who voted in favor of holding settings steady at bank's last policy meeting to have since signaled the likelihood of rate hikes to come. But she has also hinted at caution, saying it’s important to assess the impact stemming from the Middle East conflict.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2026
BOJ should raise policy rate at appropriate pace, says board member Junko Koeda
Koeda was among those who voted with the majority in favor of holding settings steady at the last policy meeting on April 28.
Morgan Stanley Japan chief Alberto Tamura said warned the yen could weaken to 170 versus the dollar or gain to 140 depending on how the Bank of Japan decides to act.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2026
Morgan Stanley Japan head says BOJ hike key to strengthening yen
If the central bank fails to raise interest rates in June, that would have an impact on the bond and currency markets, Alberto Tamura said in an interview.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Japan is ready to take bold action in the FX market if needed.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2026
Japan’s finance chief pledges bold action for weak yen as needed
“We have understanding” from the G7 counterparts, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said. “We will take bold action as needed.”
Alexander De Croo, head of the U.N. Development Program, is interviewed in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2026
UNDP head warns of food shortages amid surging fertilizer prices
High energy prices, inflation and the resulting instability will persist “at least until the end of the year,” UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo also said in an interview in Tokyo.
Real gross domestic product rose 2.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, according to a Cabinet Office report on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2026
Faster economic growth supports BOJ’s case for hike
Real gross domestic product rose 2.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, according to a Cabinet Office report.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, speaks to reporters last week.
JAPAN / Politics
May 17, 2026
Japan opposition to grill PM on extra budget in leaders’ debate
Opposition parties are set to grill Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a party leaders' debate on Wednesday over her delay in preparing an extra budget to combat rising oil prices and inflation.
Amy Van Duyn at the liquor store where she works in Wiggins, Colorado, on May 11
WORLD / Politics
May 17, 2026
Trump says Iran war is worth the economic pain. These rural voters agree.
In two dozen recent interviews along Colorado’s Highway 52, Trump voters echoed the president’s logic.
Japan’s corporate goods prices in April posted their biggest rise in 12 years, driven by higher oil and naphtha prices, the Bank of Japan said.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2026
Japanese producer prices jump by the most since 2014, backing case for rate hike
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 2.3% in April from a month earlier, a full point above the highest estimate in a survey of economists.
Electricity and city gas fees are likely to start rising around June as prices for crude oil and liquefied natural gas have been soaring because of the war in Iran.
JAPAN
May 14, 2026
Japan considers electricity and city gas subsidies in summer
Fees are likely to start rising around June as prices for crude oil and liquefied natural gas have been soaring due to the war in Iran.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2026
BOJ’s policy rate likely to reach 2% by end-2027, OECD says
The report marks the OECD’s first survey on Japan since January 2024, when the BOJ’s policy rate was still in negative territory.
The Marunouchi business district of Tokyo. Upward pressure on Japanese government bond yields is building as oil prices remain high.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2026
Japan’s 20-year bond yield rises to 1997 high on inflation woes
Upward pressure on Japanese government bond yields is building as oil prices remain elevated after the U.S. and Iran rejected each other’s proposals to end the conflict.
Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s board at the Bank of Japan voted 6-3 on April 28 to hold policy settings unchanged, an unusually divided outcome that pointed to momentum building for a rate increase when authorities next set policy on June 16.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2026
BOJ signals possible June rate hike amid inflation risks from Mideast war
Opinions documented in a summary of the central bank’s April meeting noted inflation risks and the need to raise rates even if the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran continues.
Inflation-adjusted wages increased 1% in March from a year earlier, slowing from a revised 2% gain in February, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2026
Japan’s real wages rise for third month to keep BOJ on hike path
It remains unclear whether higher wages will lift consumption.
People share a parasol in Ginza district during high temperatures in Tokyo in 2025. El Nino is forecast to bring drier conditions and hotter weather later this year.
ENVIRONMENT
May 8, 2026
Asia heat waves spell double trouble for economies hit by oil shock
El Nino could bring higher temperatures and dry weather to countries from India to New Zealand, driving up food costs.
Of those surveyed by a Tokyo-based research company about their Mother's Day plans, 17.6% said they would give flowers.
JAPAN
May 7, 2026
Over 60% of people in Japan have plans for Mother’s Day, survey finds
Asked about their plans, 21.2% of those surveyed said they will give confectioneries, while 17.6% chose flowers and 14.4% said they will say thank you.
A line of natto products shown on the website of Mizkan
BUSINESS / Companies
May 4, 2026
Mizkan suspends sales for four natto products amid supply strain
The war in the Middle East has driven up procurement costs, the company said, putting pressure on packed natto production.
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in Tokyo, the smallest gain since March 2022, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Tokyo inflation cools on childcare support, backing BOJ caution
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in the capital, the smallest gain since March 2022.
Japan may see food and drink prices rise as early as this summer, as war-related disruptions to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz squeeze naphtha supply, driving up plastic packaging costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 30, 2026
Food prices in Japan set to rise as war drives up cost of plastic packaging
Prolonged disruption to energy flows via the Strait of Hormuz has cut the availability of naphtha, a critical ingredient used in the production of plastic packaging.
Auto rickshaw drivers, along with members of the Awami Rickshaw Union, protest rising fuel prices in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 7 amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2026
Get ready for another summer of rage in Asia
Young workers are especially vulnerable. Even before the war, the World Bank had warned of mounting unemployment among the region’s youth.
PAG President and co-founder Jon-Paul Toppino says competition for property investment in Japan has intensified as more global firms enter the market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2026
PAG beefs up Japan investment with $13 billion in targeted deals
The Asian alternative asset manager plans to invest in real estate and private equity in the next three to four years.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

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