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 ...)
Exclusive: ANZ's sale of insurance unit attracts Meiji Yasuda, AIA Group – sources
which has been valued at $3.33 billion by the bank, is attracting interest from Japan’s Meiji Yasuda and Hong Kong-based AIA Group (1299.HK), according to people familiar with the situation. Meiji Yasuda, Japan's third-largest private sector insurer by ... ( 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 ...)
Bank of Japan policymakers acknowledge delay in hitting 2% inflation
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Bank of Japan policymakers said its goal of 2 percent inflation would be further delayed, but policy decisions would be based on momentum toward the target, according to a summary of opinions at the latest policy meeting released Thursday. ( read original story ...)
BoJ's Nakaso: central banks must keep up with technology
Central banks must stay abreast of developments in payments technology if they are to avoid constraining the economy, Bank of Japan deputy governor Hiroshi Nakaso said today (November 18). Addressing... ( 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 ...)
Nikkei rises to 10-1/2-month high as weakened yen seen boosting earnings
TOKYO Nov 18 Japan's Nikkei share average rose to a 10-1/2-month high on Friday as the yen weakened further against the surging dollar, raising prospects for better-than-expected exporters' earnings. The Nikkei ended 0.6 percent higher at 17,967.41 ... ( 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 ...)
Nikkei rises to 10-1/2-month high as weak yen raises strong earnings hopes
TOKYO, Nov 18 Japan's Nikkei share average rose to levels not seen since early January on Friday as the yen weakened further against the surging dollar, raising prospects for better-than-expected exporters' earnings. The Nikkei was up 0.7 percent at 17,989 ... ( read original story ...)
Osaka City ‘A+/A-1’ Ratings Affirmed On Very Strong Economy And Budgetary Performance; Outlook Stable
Our ratings on Osaka reflect its very strong economy and budgetary performance and its exceptional liquidity position. Japan's very predictable and well-balanced institutional framework also supports the ratings, as does the city's strong financial management. ( read original story ...)
Japan's leader Abe heads to New York to meet Trump
TOKYO — Japan's leader will likely seek reassurances that President-elect Donald Trump remains committed to the U.S.-Japan security alliance when the two meet in New York on Thursday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to meet the incoming president in what ... ( read original story ...)