Yen, baht promoted for direct Japanese-Thai dealings

Thailand and Japan have signed an agreement on use of their local currencies for bilateral business. Bank of Thailand assistant governor Chantavarn Sucharitakul said on Friday the BoT and the Finance Ministry of Japan signed a memorandum of cooperation to ... ( read original story ...)

Cautious Bank of Japan holds line on monetary policy

Tokyo: Japan’s central bank on Friday said it was keeping its ultra-loose monetary policy in place, in keeping with expectations, as the world’s third-largest economy struggles to rekindle growth. The Bank of Japan’s massive monetary easing programme ... ( read original story ...)

Japan will be printing money long after other big economies

It's a tough mindset for many Japanese consumers to shake off, in Okubo's view. Buying up the bond market The Bank of Japan has resorted to a number of drastic measures to try and deal with the problem. The moves were led by the central bank's governor ... ( read original story ...)

Japan’s Economy Faces Headwinds After Topping 4Q Forecasts

This would hurt the Bank of Japan, which has been making some progress toward 2 percent inflation. "I think it’s likely we are going to see some deceleration in the pace of economic expansion," said Takashi Shiono, an economist at Credit Suisse (SIX ... ( read original story ...)

Japan finance minister Aso says he has no intention to resign

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday he had no intention now of stepping down to take responsibility for the resignation of the National Tax Agency chief, who came under fire for remarks about a suspected cronyism scandal. ( read original story ...)

Japan Finance Minister Aso to hold news conference at 1040 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso will hold a news conference at 7:40 pm (1040 GMT) on Friday, the ministry said in a statement. The subject of the press conference was not immediately known. Earlier on Friday a ruling party source said ... ( read original story ...)

Japan finance ministry confirms death of official in scandal

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's finance ministry has confirmed the death of an official linked to a scandal potentially involving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife. Ministry officials acknowledged the employee's death at a parliamentary hearing Friday, but refused ... ( read original story ...)

Bank of Japan Sticks With Holding Pattern

TOKYO—The Bank of Japan left its aggressive easing policy unchanged Friday and offered no new clues on when and how it might join other major central banks in winding down its measures as Haruhiko Kuroda heads toward a second five-year term as governor. ( read original story ...)

Japanese Market Sharply Higher Ahead Of BOJ Decision

In addition, a weaker yen lifted exporters' shares. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan will wrap up its monetary policy meeting announce its decision on interest rates later in the day. The central bank is widely expected to keep its benchmark lending rate ... ( read original story ...)

Japan real wages slump, overshadow rebound in household spending

A spate of data issued on Friday cast doubt on the Bank of Japan’s optimistic projection that a strengthening recovery will prompt firms to hike wages and boost consumption, helping accelerate inflation to its elusive 2 percent target. The weakness in ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese banks to use Ripple for blockchain for payments

CNBC reports that the Japan Bank Consortium, comprised of 61 member banks, is set to release MoneyTap, a Ripple-powered smartphone app that will allow customers to settle transactions in real time. The country's current system for cash transfers is limited. ( read original story ...)

Japanese banks to roll out blockchain-based instant payments

Ripple powered mobile app to provide on-demand domestic payments in Japan — Ripple — “MoneyTap allows the bank consortium customers to make instant domestic payments and only requires a bank account, phone number, or QR code… The Japan bank ... ( read original story ...)