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July 12, 2026
 

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Japan’s producer prices rise at fastest pace since early 2023
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan’s producer prices rise at fastest pace since early 2023
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 7.1% in June from a year earlier, the Bank of Japan reported.
BUSINESS / Economy
Shoppers splurge on specs in Japan as deflation-era mindset fades away
As inflation reshapes behavior, Japanese eyeglass company Jins is working to prove higher prices are justified by delivering better materials, sharper designs and improved quality.
BUSINESS / Economy
Government tweaks phrasing on BOJ in draft policy plan
The draft of Japan’s economic and fiscal agenda adds a reference to inflation, calling for appropriate monetary policy that contributes to stable price increases.
Bank loans in Japan rose 6.3% in June from a year earlier, the strongest growth since August 2020, according to a Bank of Japan report released Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2026
Japan’s bank lending rises fastest since COVID-19, backing BOJ’s path
By Toru Fujioka
The figures reinforce the central bank’s assessment that financial conditions remain accommodative even after Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s board raised its benchmark interest rate last month.
Economic policy minister Minoru Kiuchi says the way Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is approaching economic and fiscal policy is different from her predecessors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Japan is not pushing for low interest rates, economic policy minister says
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Akemi Terukina
Investors are still trying to gauge if Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is trying to slow the Bank of Japan’s efforts to raise borrowing costs.
Japan's nominal wages rose 3.2% in May from a year earlier, marking a fourth straight month of wage growth of at least 3%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Japan’s nominal wage rises top 3% again in longest streak since 1992
By Erica Yokoyama and Keiko Ujikane
Employers are showing they are committed to raising pay despite difficulties related to the Middle East conflict that have disrupted supply chains and boosted inflation.
Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province. China dominates the global market for rare earths and it is using those supplies as a diplomatic cudgel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Corporate Japan’s rare-earth warnings get louder as China keeps spigot closed
By Satoshi Sugiyama and Hina Suzuki
As the economy strengthens, an unprecedented increase in company notices about critical ​minerals is flashing a warning signal for the quarters ahead.
Storage tanks and trucks loaded with gas cylinders in Mumbai.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2026
Energy-hungry Asia is already drawing lessons from Iran crisis
By Yongchang Chin and Kanoko Matsuyama
The region is realizing that it needs bigger buffers, a greater diversity of fossil-fuel suppliers, and a better mix of power sources overall.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on June 18
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2026
European nations now believe some Hormuz fees are inevitable
By Fiona MacDonald and Samy Adghirni
Privately, some Gulf Arab officials hold the same view, sources said, though this is not necessarily the formal position of their governments.
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, in February.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2026
Iran exploring oil sales to Japan, with buyers seeking longer sanctions waiver
By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi
Three Japanese buyers were looking at possible crude oil purchases from Iran, ​their first since 2019, said two Iranian sources.

China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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