Japan, Peru pledge to step up effort for early TPP approval

LIMA (Reuters) - Japanese and Peruvian leaders said on Friday they will work harder to put into force a Pacific rim trade pact as early as possible, pledging support for the 12-nation accord with an uncertain future. "The two leaders have committed ... ( read original story ...)

Japan's Diet votes yes to more foreign care workers

TOKYO -- Legislation passed Friday opens more doors for foreign-born nursing care professionals to work in Japan, a move taken to address a labor shortage. The measures, approved by the upper house across party lines, take effect next year. Nursing care ... ( read original story ...)

Bank of Japan gets serious on yield-curve control

The Bank of Japan has put its "yield-curve control" plan into practice. On Nov. 17 the central bank offered to buy shorter-dated bonds in unlimited amounts, the first time it has wielded the tools it introduced two months ago. This episode hasn't cost the ... ( read original story ...)

Five Bright Spots for Japan Banks Burdened by Negative Rates

That’s all welcome news for the Tokyo-based banks, which this week reported lending income fell for a fifth straight quarter as interest margins continued to shrink under the Bank of Japan’s negative-rate policy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with the ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese monetary policy and the property market

Earlier this year, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) became the latest central bank to experiment with Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP). They followed this up in September with even further unconventional monetary policy, which they have called "Qualitative and ... ( read original story ...)

U.S. Treasury yields subside, Asian stocks steady

Japanese government bond yields also pulled back from multi-month highs after the Bank of Japan conducted a special fixed-rate bond buying operation for the first time, firing a warning shot against excessive yield moves. The dollar index, which measures ... ( read original story ...)

Japan's Central Bank Believes Blockchain Could Create Tax Issues

Growth in the use of both digital currencies and distributed ledgers could hold regulatory and monetary policy implications, a senior official for Japan’s central bank said today. Speaking during a fintech event at the Univeristy of Tokyo, Bank of Japan ... ( read original story ...)

Japan's PM Abe meets Trump, says confident can build trust

COMMON GROUND Back in Tokyo, Finance Minister Taro Aso commented: "The meeting ran longer than planned, which means that they were on the same wavelength and it went well." Some of Trump's campaign rhetoric suggested an image of Japan forged in the 1980s ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo shares up by break on lower yen

Tokyo stocks rallied Friday morning as the yen sank against the dollar after Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen indicated the bank would hike US interest rates next month. The dollar soared Thursday after Yellen told a joint congressional committee of her ... ( read original story ...)

Asian shares mixed, Nikkei up as Yellen remarks lift dollar

KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 0.6 percent to 17,967.41 as the yen hit a six-month low, helping shares of the country’s big exporters. South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.3 percent to 1,974.58 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.3 ... ( read original story ...)