#JapanEseeconomy

From Japantimes RSS Feed: Japan could soon tighten rules for shareholder proposals

The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 2.3% in April from a month earlier, a full point above the highest estimate in a survey of economists.

The finance minister said that a recent rise in yields on Japanese government bonds is part of a broader global trend.

The impact of the war in Iran is believed to have been limited during the first quarter, but is expected to be felt in the second quarter.

The report marks the OECD's first survey on Japan since January 2024, when the BOJ's policy rate was still in negative territory.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also instructed industry minister Ryosei Akazawa to work to further increase the rate of crude oil procurement from alternative sources in July.

Data on the nation's balance of payments with the rest of world showed that the surplus climbed in March to ¥4.7 trillion, up 29.1% from a year earlier.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration plans to reduce the consumption tax on food items to zero for two years to cope with inflation.

Upward pressure on Japanese government bond yields is building as oil prices remain elevated after the U.S. and Iran rejected each other's proposals to end the conflict.

Net revenue at Goldman Sachs' local brokerage arm rose 10% to ¥125.5 billion ($800 million) in the 12 months to Dec. 31, spurred by securities trading business.

Transportation and communications made up the biggest drag on spending in March, while food, utilities and clothing also weighed on the figure.

Japan is also trying to diversify oil procurement sources, looking at the United States and Russia, as the Middle East situation remains unstable.

From Japantimes RSS Feed: Japan’s real wages rise for third month to keep BOJ on hike path

El Nino could bring higher temperatures and dry weather to countries from India to New Zealand, driving up food costs.

The 225-issue Nikkei stock average climbed 3.4%, with gauges in Australia and South Korea also rising.

Talk about Japan's market action has dominated trader discussions in recent days, with many seeing the 160 level as a trigger point for currency officials.

The comments came after the yen surged last Thursday following reported intervention by the authorities, and also saw a number of intraday rallies during days that followed.

Japan has capped gasoline prices at around ¥170 per liter through subsidies after they surged to about ¥190 after the start of the Iran war.

The whipsaw trading came after Japan likely spent around ¥5.4 trillion ($34.5 billion) last week to support the yen.

The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in the capital, the smallest gain since March 2022.