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July 08, 2026
 

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INFLATION

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, flanked by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso, attend a party meeting at LDP headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
LDP uses election manifesto to pledge stable rare earths supply amid China row
The ruling party says it will also accelerate talks on eliminating the current 8% consumption tax on food for two years as Japan grapples with inflation.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda in December. Rate increases are expected later this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 21, 2026
Bank of Japan expected to keep rates steady ahead of February election
Policy rate is 0.75%, a 30-year high, after an increase in December.
Citigroup predicts the Bank of Japan will potentially raise interest rates three times this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2026
Citigroup sees risk of three BOJ rate hikes in 2026 on weak yen
The Bank of Japan will potentially raise interest rates three times this year to double the current level if the yen’s weakness persists.
A proposed ban in the U.S. on institutional investors buying single-family homes may sound populist but would do little to improve affordability and would likely reduce home construction.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2026
This is not the way to make housing more affordable
Any good policy to address affordability needs to ensure that it doesn’t result in fewer homes being built. This proposal fails that test.
A supermarket in Tokyo in March 2023
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
Takaichi reportedly considers suspending sales tax on food in election pledge
The government and Takaichi’s Liberal ‍Democratic Party will carefully assess the impact on markets before deciding.
A stock board shows major gains by the Nikkei 225, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 17, 2026
‘Takaichi trade’ faces risks from inflation, yen slump and yield jump
While Japan’s equity benchmarks are repeating a familiar pattern of rallying ahead of Lower House elections, further gains may depend on details of Takaichi’s spending plans.
The most popular timing for the next hike is July, by a wide margin, with 48% of economists picking that month, according to the Bloomberg’s survey of 52 economists.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2026
BOJ watchers see next rate hike by July with yen as the X factor
All the respondents to a survey predicted policymakers will keep the benchmark rate unchanged at the next BOJ gathering this month, with the most popular timing being July.
Price increases for Tokyo taxis come amid a shortage of taxi drivers around the nation, which has been caused by the aging and retirement of drivers and a lack of people newly entering the industry.
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2026
Price hike eyed for Tokyo taxis
The transportation ministry plans to shorten the distance that passengers can ride taxis with the ¥500 base fare.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election
Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.
In the week ended last Sunday, the average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan rose by ¥93 from the previous week to ¥4,416 per 5 kilograms, according to agriculture ministry data.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2026
Japan’s average rice price hit new record high
In the week ended last Sunday, the average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan rose by ¥93 from the previous week to ¥4,416 per 5 kilograms.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2026
BOJ indicates it’s eyeing more rate hikes with regional report
Most BOJ watchers expect the pace of rate hikes to be once in every six months or so.
2026 is shaping up as a year of competing forces for Japan, with strong underlying momentum and reform potential outweighed by the risks from inflation, geopolitics and policy missteps if leadership does not act decisively.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 8, 2026
The top 10 surprises for the Year of the Fire Horse
For 2026, the only certainty is that this year of the Fire Horse will be shaped both by existing trends that evolve and genuine surprises.
Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui (left), Ken Kobayashi (center), head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Keizai Doyukai Chairman Akio Yamaguchi at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2026
Japanese business leaders positive about continuing wage hikes
One of the key challenges in upcoming negotiations is to extend the trend of significant wage increases beyond large companies.
A screen displays Japan's 10-year government bonds (left) and the rate of the yen against the dollar outside a securities firm in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 6, 2026
Japan’s 10-year bond sale draws investor demand on high yields
Japanese government bond yields have recently risen to around multi-decade highs as investors consider the Bank of Japan’s rate-hike path.
A customer looks at foods displayed for sale at a Lawson convenience store in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 2, 2026
Japan retailers racing to offer low-priced goods amid inflation
Companies are making efforts to keep the prices of their merchandise low by using cheap materials and ingredients.
People walk past closed shops following protests over a plunge in the Iranian currency's value in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jan 2, 2026
Fresh clashes kill six in Iran cost-of-living protests
The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country.
People walk past closed shops following protests over a plunge in the currency's value, in the Tehran Grand Bazaar in the Iranian capital on Tuesday.
WORLD
Dec 31, 2025
Students join Iran demonstrations after shopkeepers protest
The student action came after Monday’s protests in Tehran by shop-owners as the Iranian rial has dropped against the dollar and other world currencies, forcing up import prices.
Following the release of minutes of the Federal Reserve's December meeting, the likelihood of a January cut based on federal funds futures contracts dropped slightly to about 15%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 31, 2025
Fed minutes show most officials expect additional rate cuts
The officials remain divided over when and how far to cut.
The Bank of Japan’s headquarters in Tokyo. The central bank on Dec. 19 raised its policy rate to 0.75%, the highest since 1995.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 29, 2025
Summary of BOJ’s December meeting hints of further rate hikes
Some members of the central bank’s board signaled that Japan’s real interest rate remains very low.
Farm minister Norikazu Suzuki stresses the need to secure demand for rice first, including foreign demand, and then promote production.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 28, 2025
Japan’s rice policy at crossroads amid output shift and high prices
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s policy is to keep production in line with demand, reversing her predecessor’s approach.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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