World News by Wild Rose

Japanese companies are moving to pay compensation to ⁠users following waves ⁠of cyberattacks that have disrupted internet ⁠services and raised concerns about economic stability. GMO Internet said customers would be compensated for losses stemming from unauthorised access following a cyberattack on its foreign exchange trading service, and all customers would receive 5,000 yen (US$32) ‌as “an initial gesture of good faith”, CEO Masatoshi Kumagai said in a blog post on Sunday. The move comes after...

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan's four major beer companies, suspected of price collusion, kept shipping prices unchanged after the 2023 tax cut of 19 yen per liter of beer, citing higher costs, it was learned on Saturday. Meanwhile, they all implemented a price hike of 20 yen per liter in 2025, according to informed sources. The Japan Fair Trade Commission is investigating a possible...

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government highlighted the urgent need to fundamentally strengthen the country's energy supply-and-demand structure to prepare for future emergencies in its fiscal 2025 white paper on energy, adopted at a cabinet meeting on Friday. The white paper noted that, in response to the deterioration in the Middle East situation, Japan was the first in the w...

Japan’s key price gauge rose above the Bank of Japan’s target level for the first time this year, supporting the case for a widely expected BOJ interest rate hike in December.

With one eye on her baby in a stroller, Minae Kamata operates an arcade machine in a Tokyo suburb, manipulating a claw to grab not a stuffed toy but a pack of toilet paper. As inflation weighs on Japanese households, huge arcades on the outskirts of major cities are installing claw machines filled with eggs, rice, laundry detergent and other necessities. The “shop-and-play destinations” merge essential buying with entertainment so that families do not feel a choice between bringing home the...

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)--Japan will switch to a post-departure refund system for consumption tax for travelers from abroad on Nov. 1, following a series of cases in which purchased tax-free goods were resold in Japan at prices including tax. Foreign visitors can currently buy goods at prices excluding the consumption tax at tax-free shops in Japan. Under the new system, which is inte...

An electricity symposium in Tokyo this week was crowded with global investors looking to make money.

BNP Paribas Asset Management has been raising its positions in long-dated Japanese government bonds, attracted by a steep yield curve and signs that domestic demand is returning to the market.

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government will cut its subsidies for the purchase of eco-friendly vehicles, including electric and fuel-cell vehicles, to 60-80 pct of their current levels next year, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The reduced subsidies will apply to cars registered from Jan. 1. The ministry is expected to temporarily stop accepting subsidy applications a...

Japan and other major iron ore buyers risk becoming price takers as China’s state-backed purchasing company seeks greater influence over how the steelmaking ingredient is priced, according to consultant Wood Mackenzie Ltd.

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--The personnel commissions of Japan's 47 prefectures have recommended higher monthly salaries and bonuses for prefectural government employees for fiscal 2026, a survey showed Tuesday. It marked the fifth consecutive year that all prefectural commissions have made such recommendations. If the hikes are implemented as recommended, the average annual salary will...

Anna Edwards, Guy Johnson, and Paul Dobson break down today's key themes for analysts and investors on "Bloomberg: The Opening Trade." (Source: Bloomberg)

Japanese investors’ purchases of domestic government bonds climbed to the highest in 17 years in the fiscal first half, a move that some analysts said reflected an attempt by pension funds to rebalance their portfolios.

Rio Times · Asia Intelligence Brief October 19, 2026 — China reports 4.5% Q3 growth and a US$28 billion green-tech export surge; Japan begins Keen Sword drills and PM Takaichi sends Yasukuni offering; Indonesian stocks fall over 5% as haze crisis and MSCI warning converge. The post Asia Intelligence Brief — Monday, October 19, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government on Monday warned against any move to deny preferential treatment being considered for European vehicles in the European Union to Japanese vehicles. The European Union "should treat products made in Japan on an equal footing with those made in the EU," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference. Germany and France ...

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)--The average price of rice sold from collectors to wholesalers in Japan plunged 42 pct from a year earlier to 21,293 yen per 60 kilograms of brown rice in September, the agriculture ministry said Friday. The September figure, which reflects transactions for the 2026 crop for the first time, is still the third highest on record, after those in 2024 and 2025. Du...

Japan’s Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Co. is maintaining an elevated cash position as a buffer against volatile global markets and concerns about rising government spending in the country.