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July 12, 2026
 

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ECONOMIC INDICATORS

People walk through a business district in Beijing on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 19, 2026
China’s 2025 economic growth among slowest in decades
While the 5% expansion was in line with Beijing’s annual target, observers warned it was driven largely by exports and masked weak sentiment on the ground.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 15, 2026
Fed officials stress independence as rate hold signals mount
A slew of Federal Reserve officials spoke to the importance of central bank independence amid concerns over the subpoenas issued to the Fed.
The number of business failures with liabilities of ¥10 million or more grew 2.9% from the previous year to 10,300 in 2025, rising for the fourth consecutive year, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2026
Business failures in Japan top 10,000 for second year amid rising costs
The number of failures related to labor shortages, such as soaring labor costs, surged 35.9% to 397, the highest level since statistics began in 2013.
A United Nations report forecasts a 4.6% growth for China's economy in 2026, and 4.5% in 2027, down from an estimated 4.9% expansion in 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2026
U.N. predicts world economic growth to slip to 2.7% in 2026
This compares against a pre-pandemic average of 3.2% between 2010 ‍and 2019.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2026
BOJ indicates it’s eyeing more rate hikes with regional report
Most BOJ watchers expect the pace of rate hikes to be once in every six months or so.
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 2.9% in November from a year earlier, with the advance driven by outlays on cars and communications, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2026
Japan’s household outlays rose ahead of Takaichi’s stimulus plan
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 2.9% from a year earlier, with the advance driven by outlays on cars and communications, the internal affairs ministry reported.
Base pay in Japan increased 2% in November from a year earlier, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2026
Japan’s base pay growth holds steady, but nominal wage increases slow
The mixed signals come two weeks before the Bank of Japan next meet to decide policy.
A Japanese flag flutters near the National Diet Building in Tokyo on Oct. 21.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jan 4, 2026
Japan policy wonks consumed by debate over how to measure fiscal woes
Ignoring the primary budget balance just obscures the problem, one side argues.
Buildings in Mumbai. India said continued growth reflects its "resilience amid persistent global trade uncertainties."
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 30, 2025
India says its economy has overtaken Japan, and eyes Germany next
Official confirmation, however, depends on data due in 2026 when final annual gross domestic product figures are released.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 24, 2025
Trump shook up global trade this year. Here’s what to look out for in 2026
Whether many of the U.S. president’s tariffs are allowed to stand remains a big unknown going into the new year.
Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product, which measures the value of goods and services produced in the U.S., increased at a 4.3% annualized pace, a Bureau of Economic Analysis report showed Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 24, 2025
U.S. economy grows at fastest pace in years with 4.3% GDP gain in Q3
Consumer spending — the main growth engine of the economy — advanced at a 3.5% annualized pace, though spending on motor vehicles fell.
Japan's labor productivity plunged to 28th in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has been slow to recover ever since.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2025
Japan’s labor productivity falls to 28th among OECD countries
The country’s per-hour productivity stood at ¥5,720, or $60.1, the survey released Monday showed, based on OECD data.
Bonds and the yen have been week since the Bank of Japan increased rates on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 22, 2025
Japan’s 10-year government bond yield hits 2.1% as rout continues
The yen is also weak after the BOJ’s rate increase and as the approval of a record-busting budget looms.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda, speaking on Friday after the policy board announcement, said that growth and price data appear to be on track to meet central bank forecasts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 19, 2025
BOJ takes rates to a 30-year high; 10-year Japanese government bond breaks 2% 
Weak yen might have convinced the central bank that now is the time to make a move.
Japanese households' financial assets hit a record ¥2.286 quadrillion at the end of September, up 4.9% from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 17, 2025
Japan households’ financial assets rise to record ¥2.286 quadrillion.
The balance reflects higher stock prices and a rise in the yen value of foreign currency-denominated assets due to a weaker Japanese currency.
Japan's exports gained 6.1% in November from a year earlier, according to the Finance Ministry, beating economists' forecasts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 17, 2025
Japan’s exports to U.S. rise for first time since Trump’s April tariffs
A turnaround in shipments to the U.S. helped power the biggest gain in overall exports since February, paving the way for a widely expected interest-rate hike later this week.
The Bank of Japan's <i>tankan</i> survey showed that confidence among large manufacturers in Japan has risen to the highest level in four years, while the gauge for nonmanufacturers has remained near the strongest level since the early 1990s.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2025
Japan’s factory sentiment improves, firming up BOJ hike case
The business sentiment index advanced to 15 this month from 14 in September, the BOJ’s quarterly tankan business survey has shown.
Republican strategists say U.S. President Donald Trump should stop fixating on the term "affordability" and instead focus on presenting a clear plan to lower prices.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 12, 2025
The 13-letter word tripping up Trump — and risking Republicans’ hold on Congress
The U.S. president’s repeated mockery of the word “affordability” is worrying Republican strategists.
Positive business sentiment among Japan's big companies reflects higher demand for products and improvements in financial conditions.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2025
Sentiment at major Japan firms positive for second straight quarter, data shows
Sentiment among midsize companies also rose, while that for small businesses improved but remained negative.
Jerome Powell, the U.S. Federal Reserve chair. Divisions within the Fed have grown even as policymakers voted to slash rates twice in recent months to boost the weakening employment market.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 10, 2025
U.S. Fed appears set for third rate cut despite sharp divides
Division within the Fed has grown even as policymakers voted to slash rates twice in recent months to boost the weakening employment market.
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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