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November 19, 2025
 

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Toru Fujioka
The Bank of Japan's September meeting minutes make clear that Japan¡¯s experience with more than a decade of deflation is keeping some members cautious as they await more data.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 5, 2025
BOJ minutes highlight caution rooted in Japan¡¯s deflationary era
The minutes shed light on the discussions surrounding policy at the September meeting, when Gov. Kazuo Ueda faced for the first time two votes against keeping rates on hold.
Food inflation was highlighted as one of three factors to watch in deciding the timing of the central bank¡¯s next rate hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 24, 2025
Japan¡¯s faster inflation highlights need for Takaichi response
New Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made confronting the cost of living crunch a priority.
Most economists in a survey predict that the Bank of Japan will not raise its benchmark rate at its policy meeting this month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 23, 2025
BOJ watchers push back rate hike call after Takaichi takes helm
Some 10% of 50 economists predict the BOJ will raise its benchmark rate at the end of a two-day policy meeting on Oct. 30, plunging from 36% in the previous survey.
Bank of Japan building in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2025
BOJ board hawk calls for rate hike as Japan¡¯s price norm shifts
"I believe that now is a prime opportunity to raise the policy interest rate,¡± Takata said in a speech to local business leaders in Hiroshima.
Bank of Japan building in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2025
BOJ¡¯s most hawkish member calls for rate hike amid price risks
Tamura's latest remarks suggest little shift in his stance even after Japan¡¯s political landscape turned murky in recent weeks.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivers remarks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2025
Bessent says yen will settle if BOJ keeps taking right policies
The statement follows the U.S. treasury secretary's remarks in August that Japan¡¯s central bank was behind the curve in addressing inflation.
Nominal wages rose 1.5% in August from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.4% in the previous month, according to a report from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 8, 2025
Japan¡¯s wage growth slows, underscoring challenge for Takaichi
Nominal wages increased 1.5% in August from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.4% in the previous month and falling below economist expectations.
Etsuro Honda, who advises the ruling party's head Sanae Takaichi on economic policies, says a rate hike by the Bank of Japan this month would be difficult.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 7, 2025
Takaichi adviser and Abenomics architect says October too soon for BOJ rate hike
Remarks by Etsuro Honda, who advises the new ruling-party leader on economic policies, suggest the BOJ may wait, despite earlier speculation of an October move.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda left the door open to policy shifts by reiterating the bank's stance on interest rates, giving no clear signal on a possible rate hike ahead of this month's board meeting.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 3, 2025
BOJ¡¯s Ueda keeps options open by avoiding clear hints for rates
Ueda refrained from telegraphing any policy changes after market speculation over an impending rate hike gained momentum in recent weeks.
Tokyo inflation is holding steady in September as subsidies offset price pressures, supporting Bank of Japan's cautious policy path.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 26, 2025
Tokyo consumer inflation unexpectedly holds steady, backing BOJ¡¯s caution
The sudden steadying of the main gauge shows anew the volatility of data as government measures meant to help consumers cope with soaring costs of living swing the results.
Market expectations for a rate hike when the Bank of Japan next sets policy on Oct. 30 have been gaining momentum as inflation has held steady and the economy has showed resilience.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 25, 2025
BOJ may raise rate as soon as October, says former board member
Market expectations for a rate hike when the bank next sets policy have been gaining momentum as inflation has held steady and the economy has showed resilience.
Takatoshi Ito, professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, speaks during an interview in Tokyo in July 2017.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 24, 2025
Takatoshi Ito, 911±¬ÁÏÍø inflation target advocate, dies at 74
Ito died on Sept. 20 from an unspecified illness, according to a statement on his personal website.
A former Bank of Japan chief economist says growing market speculation about a potential rate hike in October is underestimating the uncertainty caused by U.S President's Donald Trump's tariff campaign.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2025
BOJ¡¯s October rate stance tough to call, its ex-chief economist says
Speculation over a potential rate hike underestimates the uncertainty wrought by U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s tariff campaign, Toshitaka Sekine says.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.5% in Tokyo in August from a year earlier, versus a 2.9% clip in the previous month, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025
Tokyo inflation slows on subsidies as BOJ stays on hike path
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.5% year on year in the capital in August, versus a 2.9% clip in July.
Bank of Japan rate hikes may continue though trade uncertainties remain, board member Junko Nakagawa says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 28, 2025
BOJ board member reaffirms stance on raising interest rates
Junko Nakagawa's remarks indicate there¡¯s at most a low chance of a move coming at the board's next meeting, which concludes on Sept. 19, as of now.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda (second from left) walks with Fed Chair Jerome Powell (left), European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde (second from right) and Bank of England Gov. Andrew Bailey outside the Fed¡¯s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2025
BOJ's Ueda expects tight labor market to keep upward pressure on wages
The remarks are likely to support growing speculation of another interest rate hike this year, although the BOJ governor didn¡¯t directly discuss monetary policy in a presentation.
Consumer prices in Japan rose 3.1% from a year earlier in July, slowing from a 3.3% gain in the previous month but still suggesting that inflation remains relatively sticky.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2025
Japan¡¯s inflation hovers well above BOJ¡¯s goal even as it slows
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.1% from a year earlier in July, slowing from a 3.3% gain a month earlier.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 3, 2025
BOJ watchers bring forward next rate hike call after trade deals
The view has emerged after clarity over trade increased with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing deals, including one with Japan.
The Bank of Japan kept the overnight call rate at 0.5% at the end of a two-day policy meeting in a unanimous vote, according to a statement Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2025
BOJ keeps rates unchanged and lifts price view after U.S. trade deal
While the changes in the outlook suggested Gov. Kazuo Ueda¡¯s board is closer to its next rate hike, the central bank also avoided dropping any clear hints as to the exact timing.
Bank of Japan officials view the trade deal with the U.S. as reducing a key source of uncertainty for Japan¡¯s economy and businesses, allowing the central bank to focus on monitoring the tariffs¡¯ actual impact in incoming economic data, according to people familiar with the matter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2025
BOJ is said to see potential rate hike environment this year
Assuming there¡¯s no change to the U.S. tariff deal, the central bank will likely have enough data by the end of the year to be able to consider whether a rate hike is appropriate.
A beloved Tokyo penguin¡¯s end presages Suica¡¯s shift to payments giant
JR East is retiring the beloved Suica penguin as part of a rebrand to transform the contactless payment platform, used for both transit and retail, into a mobile fintech powerhouse.
More 911±¬ÁÏÍø firms relax rules in tussle for workers
Hinako Mori, 22, arranges products at a Don Quijote outlet in Tokyo in October. The 911±¬ÁÏÍø retailer, which relaxed its rules concerning hair and nail polish three years ago, says nearly a quarter of its employees sport brightly colored hair.
Japan sends senior official to China to cool boiling tensions
A Chinese tour group in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Tokyo's new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
Japan seeks to placate China as strained relations move beyond political realm
Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Masaaki Kanai (left) and Chinese Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs Liu Jinsong depart after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday.
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ¡®Scooooop¡¯
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady¡¯s Modesty."
Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense
Japan's Ryuhei Sotani pitches against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
Who is cricket¡¯s Shohei Ohtani?
South African cricket legend Jacques Kallis plays a shot during the final day of a cricket test match against India in Johannesburg in December 2013.
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
Foreign Correspondents¡¯ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents¡¯ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

An illustration features the 911±¬ÁÏÍø signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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