News
Interview: Ex-BOJ chief Kuroda says policy rate should be raised to around 1.5%
2+ day, 2+ min ago (491+ words) March 29, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Former Bank of Japan chief Haruhiko Kuroda said the central bank's policy interest rate should be raised to a "neutral rate" of around 1.5 percent from the current 0.75 percent to address inflation. Kuroda, 81, who had led…...
BOJ should hike rate 'without missing appropriate timing': policymaker
6+ day, 2+ hour ago (258+ words) March 25, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Bank of Japan policymaker said in January the central bank should conduct its next rate hike "without missing the appropriate timing," the minutes of its Policy Board meeting showed Wednesday. Addressing rising prices was…...
'Microshifting' puts a new spin on 9-to-5 schedules
1+ week, 2+ day ago (1111+ words) March 21, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) She works for an hour or so, then after the school run shops for groceries or gets gas before returning to focus deeply on her job as head writer and cofounder of Sheer Havoc, a creative services…...
Tokyo stocks drop on lingering oil supply concerns amid Middle East war
2+ week, 5+ day ago (399+ words) March 12, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks fell Thursday, hurt by surging oil futures as the International Energy Agency's decision to conduct its largest stockpile release failed to ease market jitters over supply disruptions caused by the war in the…...
Japan gasoline price hits record-high 190.80 yen per liter amid Iran crisis
1+ week, 6+ day ago (162+ words) March 18, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The average retail gasoline price in Japan has hit a record-high 190.80 yen ($1.2) per liter, reflecting higher crude oil prices amid the Iran war, industry ministry data showed Wednesday. The average price as of Monday was…...
Japan land prices up for 5th straight year amid modest economic recovery
1+ week, 6+ day ago (443+ words) March 17, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The average price of land in Japan climbed for the fifth consecutive year amid a modest economic recovery, government data showed Tuesday. The nationwide average of land prices in all categories logged a 2.8 percent increase…...
Tokyo stocks open mixed as crude oil futures remain high
2+ week, 1+ day ago (158+ words) March 16, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks opened mixed in early trading Monday after the benchmark crude oil futures contract remained elevated after closing at its highest level since July 2022 late last week. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the…...
Dollar hits upper 159 yen amid Middle East concern, highest since July 2024
2+ week, 4+ day ago (536+ words) March 13, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The U.S. dollar briefly rose into the upper 159 yen range on Friday, its highest level since July 2024, as fears heightened that the crisis in the Middle East could be prolonged and markets largely shrugged off a…...
US stocks lose ground as war with Iran keeps pressure on oil prices
2+ week, 3+ day ago (782+ words) March 14, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) The S&P 500 fell 0.6% after having been up as much as 0.9% in the early going. The benchmark index is now down 3.1% so far this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite finished 0.9% lower....
Japan Jan. household spending down 1.0% on year on lower education outlays
3+ week, 3+ hour ago (314+ words) March 10, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's household spending in January fell a real 1.0 percent from a year earlier, marking the second consecutive monthly decline, due partly to lower outlays for education and communication services, government data showed Tuesday. Households of…...