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July 12, 2026
 

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Toru Fujioka
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 5, 2015
Abe boosts Kuroda reflation effort with BOJ board nomination
The Abe administration has nominated a proponent of reflationary monetary policy for the central bank’s board, buttressing Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda’s effort to end a two-decade slump in the world’s third-biggest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2015
December output gain hints at end to latest recession
Industrial production snapped two quarters of decline in December, signaling the economy may have limped out of recession.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 18, 2014
Companies still hoarding cash despite pleas from Abe, Kuroda to spend
Two days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured a pledge from Japan Inc. to do its best to boost wages to revive the world’s third-biggest economy, data showed companies hoarding record amounts of cash.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2014
BOJ rejects fresh stimulus to offset cheap oil’s affect on inflation, sources say
The Bank of Japan rejects the idea that additional monetary stimulus is needed to prevent a recent decline in oil prices from pulling down inflation, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2014
Abe will have chance to name more women to BOJ board
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a chance to appoint a second female to the Bank of Japan’s Policy Board next year, which would mark a first in the institution’s 132-year history, said one of his advisers, Etsuro Honda.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Nov 6, 2014
After BOJ shocks market, some ask why it gave no warning
Hours after the Bank of Japan caught central bank watchers off guard by boosting stimulus, officials were fending off complaints about its communications.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 3, 2014
BOJ struggling to meet inflation deadline, former vice governor says
The Bank of Japan may need more time to achieve its 2 percent inflation target and the country can’t ignore harm caused by an abrupt weakening of the yen, said Toshiro Muto, a two-time contender to lead the central bank.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 22, 2014
Weak yen puts Japan at risk of recession, says ex-BOJ deputy
Japan is in danger of falling into a recession as the yen’s decline reduces the purchasing power of households and squeezes corporate profits, according to a former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 13, 2014
BOJ holds course as analysts delay action calls
The Bank of Japan on Friday raised its view of overseas economies while maintaining unprecedented stimulus launched as part of BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda’s bid to stoke 2 percent inflation in two years.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2014
Big BOJ balance sheet may be inflation target’s legacy
Bank of Japan officials are considering maintaining a large balance sheet for the central bank even after it achieves its inflation target, reducing the risk of a surge in long-term bond yields, sources said.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2014
Assured BOJ foils analysts’ predictions
The confidence that Bank of Japan officials are demonstrating in achieving their inflation target is lowering the chances of additional monetary easing this year even as the economy weakens.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 25, 2014
BOJ said worried by bond traders’ ignoring of inflation
Bank of Japan officials are increasingly concerned the nation’s bond market is failing to reflect emerging inflation, raising the risk of a sudden surge in yields, sources said.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2014
BOJ will not buy bonds indefinitely
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has said the BOJ will not buy bonds just to keep down the government’s debt-servicing costs after it achieves its goal of stable 2 percent inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 14, 2014
Higher prices risk ‘Abenomics’ backlash
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to vault Japan out of 15 years of deflation risks losing public support by spurring too much inflation too quickly as companies add extra price increases to this month’s sales tax bump.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2013
Japan Inc. builds mountain of cash
Japanese companies’ cash holdings rose to a record last quarter, highlighting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s struggle to spur the investment and wage increases needed to end a 15-year deflationary malaise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2013
Abe betting this tax hike will be different
It’s different this time. The four most dangerous words in markets, according to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2013
Kuroda’s strategy follows in footsteps of U.S., Europe
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has followed the lead of his U.S. and European counterparts in swinging from incremental moves to unprecedented stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2012
Abe’s return could ease yen, aid exporters
The economy has shrunk almost 10 percent in the half decade since Shinzo Abe was last prime minister, as a soaring yen hollows out manufacturing. Abe’s return may be exporters’ best chance yet to halt the damage.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2012
Stimulus advocates tapped for BOJ slots
The government has nominated two economists to the Bank of Japan’s Policy Board who have previously signaled support for stimulus, underscoring forecasts for policy makers to expand asset purchases in coming months.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2012
Output fall clouds recovery
Industrial production unexpectedly dropped in February, undercutting signs of an economic rebound in the first quarter as policymakers assess whether to apply further stimulus.
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.

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