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Tokyo, Oct. 15 (Jiji Press)--A majority in Japan support legislation to cut the consumption tax on food and introduce an income-linked benefit program, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed. The poll found that 55.3 pct of respondents supported the legislation while 37.3 pct opposed it. The legislation is designed to cut the 8 pct consumption tax on food to 1 pct for two years from next April...
Washington, Oct. 14 (Jiji Press)--U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday attributed the selection of a U.S. semiconductor plant construction project for the third batch of Japanese investments in the United States to his "historic" trade deals. The investment deal "is a result of my historic trade deals," Trump said in a social media post after U.S. semiconductor contract manufacturer Glo...
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama warned speculators that she was prepared to take action in the currency market again if needed, after the yen touched its weakest level against the dollar this month following a heating up of US inflation figures.
Rio Times · Asia Intelligence Brief October 14, 2026 — China's September exports rose 36.3% and the trade surplus hit US$133.53 billion, drawing IMF calls for domestic consumption; Japan protested a Chinese delegation's visit to Russian-held Iturup; Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine completed its 24th sea trial. The post Asia Intelligence Brief — Wednesday, October 14, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.
Tokyo, Oct. 14 (Jiji Press)--About 30 pct of Japan's working population, or some 20 million people, may be eligible for a financial aid program that the government aims to introduce alongside a planned consumption tax cut for food, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday. The figure was calculated based on similar systems in other countries, Takaichi told a meeting of the Budget Commit...
A business delegation from northeastern China has visited a Russian-controlled, Japanese-claimed island off Hokkaido to explore joint economic projects, a move that has prompted protests from Tokyo. Officials and business leaders from Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia’s far east, travelled to Etorofu – known to Russians as Iturup – to survey potential investment opportunities, according to the Sakhalin Oblast government, which oversees the island. Etorofu is the largest island in a...
Bangkok, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)--The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its economic growth projection for Japan to 0.7 pct for 2026, up 0.1 percentage point from its July forecast. The IMF's World Economic Outlook report cited "fiscal support measures partly cushioning the impact from higher energy prices." Japan's growth rate is now expected to be 0.7 pct in 2027, unchanged fr...
Tokyo, Oct. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama will become the next chair of the joint ministerial committee of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced on Monday. Katayama will be the first Japanese national to chair the joint committee, also known as the Development Committee, since its establishment in 1974. T...
Overseas investors dumped the most Japanese stocks on record last week while buying up cash equities amid growing uncertainty over whether a rally in shares will continue.
New York, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japanese alcoholic beverage makers have entered the growing U.S. market for ready-to-drink, or RTD, products, including those known as "can chuhi" in Japan but not canned beer. While U.S. consumers are steering away from alcohol amid the soaring cost of living and rising health consciousness, RTD beverages are increasing their presence. According to British ...
Japan’s household spending fell for a ninth month even as wages continued to climb, showing consumers remain cautious as persistent inflation squeezes purchasing power.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will support a Japanese initiative to bolster oil supplies in Southeast Asia after war-driven disruptions heightened concerns over energy security.
Japan’s 30-year government bond auction drew stronger demand than its 12-month average as elevated yields attracted investors.
Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi touted her plan to cut the consumption tax on food and pay support payments to workers at a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, on Wednesday. The combination of a consumption tax reduction and support payments is "the best in light of sufficiency and promptness" to ease the impac...
Washington, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expressed concern over soaring long-term interest rates in Japan and the United States in a speech in Singapore on Wednesday. Georgieva described recent interest rate hikes by the central banks in Japan, the United States and Europe as "highly appropriate" in the speech ahead of the annual me...
New Delhi, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--India is expected to overtake Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in nominal terms by the end of next March, V. Anantha Nageswaran, chief economic adviser to the Indian government, has said. In a recent interview with Jiji Press, Nageswaran predicted that India will rank behind the United States, China and Germany in global nominal gross domestic produ...
A Citigroup Inc. strategist sees Japanese government bond yields nearing their peaks and expects financial institutions to step up investments once the fiscal policy outlook becomes clearer.
Osaka, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--Major Japanese drugmaker Shionogi & Co. has said that it will acquire U.S. biopharmaceutical company IntraBio Inc. for 2 billion dollars as part of efforts to strengthen its rare disease drug business. Shionogi will buy all outstanding shares in the Austin, Texas-based company, according to an announcement Monday. Founded in 2015, IntraBio develops and commerci...
Japan and Australia have agreed to establish an annual finance ministers’ dialogue aimed at deepening cooperation in financial and economic policy, as well as strengthening bilateral collaboration on economic security. Under a memorandum of understanding signed on Monday that is effective for five years, the two countries’ finance ministers will meet regularly to promote cooperation across a broad range of economic themes. “Recognising that Japan and Australia’s economic and security...
Japan should continue to rely on the Middle East for the bulk of its crude as that’s cost-effective, processor Taiyo Oil Co. said, pushing back against a government drive to diversify triggered by the US-Iran war.
Five years ago, Sarah and her husband were optimistic about Japan’s economic future and were expanding their small businesses across several sectors. Today, that optimism has been replaced by concern over a sense of hostility towards two hard-working foreigners who feel they have contributed to the society that they have worked hard to fit into. New regulations that took effect on Thursday mean the two Britons, who have been in Japan for more than 10 years, now face significantly higher costs...
Rio Times · Asia Intelligence Brief October 1, 2026 — South Korea posts record exports of US$120.9 billion on US$60.3 billion of chips; Lee Jae Myung offers the North talks and promises nuclear submarines; Japan's Tankan hits an eight-year high; India's stocks fall an eighth straight week; Thailand's floods close Toyota plants; Pakistan lines Islamabad with containers ahead of a 4 October march. The post Asia Intelligence Brief — Thursday, October 1, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.
Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)--Toys "R" Us plans to stop operating stores in Japan, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. Toys "R" Us-Japan Ltd., based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, currently runs a total of some 150 Toys "R" Us toy stores and Babies "R" Us baby goods stores in the country. The Japanese operations, including the stores, are expected to be acquired...
Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)--The number of food items in Japan whose prices have been raised or are set to be raised this year stands at 20,187, surpassing 20,000 for two years in a row, a survey by Teikoku Databank Ltd. showed Wednesday. Food makers in the country plan to raise prices for 3,153 items in October, a slight decrease from 3,161 items a year before, according to the Japanese r...
Japan’s two-year government bond auction Wednesday saw stronger demand than the 12-month average as elevated yields underpinned buying.
Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and her Mongolian counterpart, Nyam-Osor Uchral, agreed Tuesday that Japan will provide yen loans to support the expansion of Chinggis Khaan International Airport in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. The loans are expected to total around 150 billion yen, sources familiar with the matter said. The visit marked Uchra...
Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)--October will see price changes in products and services that are part of people's daily lives in Japan, including a tax cut on beer and levy hikes on quasi-beer and heat-not-burn tobacco products. Households will likely feel an increased financial burden, given that price hikes will also hit a wide range of food products, Japan Post Co.'s Yu-Pack parcel deliver...
Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japan's total population, including foreign residents, was 122,972,528 as of Oct. 1, 2025, shrinking by 3,173,571, or 2.5 pct, from five years earlier, census data released by the internal affairs ministry showed Tuesday. This was the third consecutive decline in the quinquennial survey that dates back to 1920. The number of foreign residents climbed by 1,09...