2 months ago
By Leika Kihara
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believes **** an's government and central bank will take action that leads to a stronger yen, CNBC reported on Monday, signaling a strong chance of a Bank of **** an interest rate hike in September.
The remarks followed those by Bessent on Sunday, when he told Reuters he expects BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda to "do the right thing" on monetary policy to combat yen declines.
"I have information that the market doesn't have, and it's my belief that the **** anese government and the BOJ will do the things that will lead to a stronger yen," Bessent told CNBC in an interview during a Group of 20 finance leaders' gathering in Asheville, North Carolina.
When asked whether that meant raising interest rates, Bessent said: "I think the market's pricing that in now."
#cnbc #bank
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believes **** an's government and central bank will take action that leads to a stronger yen, CNBC reported on Monday, signaling a strong chance of a Bank of **** an interest rate hike in September.
The remarks followed those by Bessent on Sunday, when he told Reuters he expects BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda to "do the right thing" on monetary policy to combat yen declines.
"I have information that the market doesn't have, and it's my belief that the **** anese government and the BOJ will do the things that will lead to a stronger yen," Bessent told CNBC in an interview during a Group of 20 finance leaders' gathering in Asheville, North Carolina.
When asked whether that meant raising interest rates, Bessent said: "I think the market's pricing that in now."
#cnbc #bank
2 months ago
By David Lawder and Leika Kihara
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Sept 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for sound monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations and avoid excessive currency volatility during his meeting with Bank of **** an Governor Kazuo Ueda, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.
The remarks, which underline Bessent's recent calls for the BOJ to raise interest rates, reinforce the case for Ueda to argue for a hike at his bank's policy meeting on September 17-18.
The two officials met on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers' and central bank governors' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
"The Secretary emphasized the importance of sound formulation and communication of monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations and avoid excess exchange rate volatility," the statement said.
#carolina
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Sept 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for sound monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations and avoid excessive currency volatility during his meeting with Bank of **** an Governor Kazuo Ueda, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.
The remarks, which underline Bessent's recent calls for the BOJ to raise interest rates, reinforce the case for Ueda to argue for a hike at his bank's policy meeting on September 17-18.
The two officials met on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers' and central bank governors' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
"The Secretary emphasized the importance of sound formulation and communication of monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations and avoid excess exchange rate volatility," the statement said.
#carolina
2 months ago
Pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announced their engagement on Instagram on Aug. 22
The athletes won a gold medal at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
"Over time, we became irreplaceable parts of each other's lives," Miura wrote alongside photos of the proposal, which fittingly took place on ice
From the Olympic rings to an engagement ring …
Japanese pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara are engaged. They announced the happy news on Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 22, sharing photos of the proposal — which fittingly took place on ice.
#ryuichi #olympic #champions
The athletes won a gold medal at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
"Over time, we became irreplaceable parts of each other's lives," Miura wrote alongside photos of the proposal, which fittingly took place on ice
From the Olympic rings to an engagement ring …
Japanese pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara are engaged. They announced the happy news on Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 22, sharing photos of the proposal — which fittingly took place on ice.
#ryuichi #olympic #champions
2 months ago
Japan's Olympic figure skating pairs champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announced their engagement on Sunday.
Two-time world champions Miura, 24, and Kihara, 34, became media darlings after they won ******* an's first Olympic pairs gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Games in Italy in February.
They retired from competition in April.
"We're engaged," the pair said in a statement.
"Through both the happy times and the difficult ones, we've shared so many moments together, supporting each other every step of the way," they said.
#miura
Two-time world champions Miura, 24, and Kihara, 34, became media darlings after they won ******* an's first Olympic pairs gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Games in Italy in February.
They retired from competition in April.
"We're engaged," the pair said in a statement.
"Through both the happy times and the difficult ones, we've shared so many moments together, supporting each other every step of the way," they said.
#miura
2 months ago
By Yuka Obayashi
TOKYO, Aug 23 (Reuters) - ****** anese ice-skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won the hearts of many ****** anese in a country where skating can top the news bulletins, announced their engagement on Sunday, becoming partners off as well as on the ice.
"We're engaged," they posted on Instagram with a photo of Kihara kneeling on the ice to present Miura with the ring. "Through both the happy times and the difficult ones, we've shared so many moments together, supporting each other every step of the way."
Known jointly as "Riku-Ryu", Miura, 24, and Kihara, who turned 34 on Saturday, become the first ****** anese pair to win Olympic gold in figure skating at the Milano Cortina Winter Games in February.
Known for smiling, laughing and hugging — with Kihara sometimes carrying the 146-cm (4-foot-nine-inch) Miura onto and off the ice — the couple have had their share of difficult and happy times from teaming up in 2019 to announcing their retirement from competitive skating in April.
#happy
TOKYO, Aug 23 (Reuters) - ****** anese ice-skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won the hearts of many ****** anese in a country where skating can top the news bulletins, announced their engagement on Sunday, becoming partners off as well as on the ice.
"We're engaged," they posted on Instagram with a photo of Kihara kneeling on the ice to present Miura with the ring. "Through both the happy times and the difficult ones, we've shared so many moments together, supporting each other every step of the way."
Known jointly as "Riku-Ryu", Miura, 24, and Kihara, who turned 34 on Saturday, become the first ****** anese pair to win Olympic gold in figure skating at the Milano Cortina Winter Games in February.
Known for smiling, laughing and hugging — with Kihara sometimes carrying the 146-cm (4-foot-nine-inch) Miura onto and off the ice — the couple have had their share of difficult and happy times from teaming up in 2019 to announcing their retirement from competitive skating in April.
#happy
2 months ago
Olympic pairs' figure skating gold medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announced their engagement.
"Through both the happy times and the difficult ones, we've shared so many moments together, supporting each other every step of the way," was posted on their social media accounts. "Over time, we became irreplaceable parts of each other's lives — someone neither of us could imagine life without. We're truly happy to finally be able to share this news with all of you."
At the Milan Cortina Games, Miura and Kihara became the first pairs' team from ****** an to win an Olympic medal of any color. It was a rally for gold from fifth place after the short program.
It ended up being the last competition of their career. Miura and Kihara announced their retirement two months after the Games.
"While our competitive careers are coming to an end, we truly feel that we gave it our all, and have no regrets," their retirement post read. "We are proud of everything we went through, and feel we gained so much along the way. The two of us will now take on new challenges so that we can bring wider recognition to pair skating in ****** an. We hope that we can count on you to follow us on our journey."
#kihara #games #pairs
"Through both the happy times and the difficult ones, we've shared so many moments together, supporting each other every step of the way," was posted on their social media accounts. "Over time, we became irreplaceable parts of each other's lives — someone neither of us could imagine life without. We're truly happy to finally be able to share this news with all of you."
At the Milan Cortina Games, Miura and Kihara became the first pairs' team from ****** an to win an Olympic medal of any color. It was a rally for gold from fifth place after the short program.
It ended up being the last competition of their career. Miura and Kihara announced their retirement two months after the Games.
"While our competitive careers are coming to an end, we truly feel that we gave it our all, and have no regrets," their retirement post read. "We are proud of everything we went through, and feel we gained so much along the way. The two of us will now take on new challenges so that we can bring wider recognition to pair skating in ****** an. We hope that we can count on you to follow us on our journey."
#kihara #games #pairs
3 months ago
By Leika Kihara, Makiko Yamazaki and Tamiyuki Kihara
TOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A joint U.S.-Japanese effort to fight off speculative bets against a battered yen last week followed months of preparation by the two nations and a rare and public alignment of interests in Washington and Tokyo over exchange rates.
While unilateral efforts by **** anese authorities to stop sharp yen selling in the past have failed to provide a firm floor for the currency, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's verbal support for a stronger yen has given bureaucrats in Tokyo a new tool in their fight this year.
For **** an, a weak yen has fanned import prices, creating cost-of-living headaches for successive governments, including current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's.
For the U.S., a weak yen blunts the trade advantage from President Donald Trump's flagship tariffs while a related sell-off in **** anese government bonds could spill over to U.S. Treasury yields.
#weak
TOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A joint U.S.-Japanese effort to fight off speculative bets against a battered yen last week followed months of preparation by the two nations and a rare and public alignment of interests in Washington and Tokyo over exchange rates.
While unilateral efforts by **** anese authorities to stop sharp yen selling in the past have failed to provide a firm floor for the currency, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's verbal support for a stronger yen has given bureaucrats in Tokyo a new tool in their fight this year.
For **** an, a weak yen has fanned import prices, creating cost-of-living headaches for successive governments, including current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's.
For the U.S., a weak yen blunts the trade advantage from President Donald Trump's flagship tariffs while a related sell-off in **** anese government bonds could spill over to U.S. Treasury yields.
#weak
3 months ago
By Makiko Yamazaki and Leika Kihara
TOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - ******* an is expected to announce on Monday that it took joint action with the U.S. to halt the yen's slide to 40-year lows and express its commitment to rare bilateral coordination that it hopes could mark a turning point for the currency.
Preceding the expected announcement, President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States is helping ******* an to prop up the yen as a sign of friendship and to help the world economy.
"They have a weakening yen, and they wanted a little bit of help. And we're always there for ******* an," Trump said when he was asked by a reporter why the U.S. is helping to support the yen.
"Japan's been very good to us, with the exception, of course, of Pearl Harbor... It's also good for the world economy."
#Japan #makiko
TOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - ******* an is expected to announce on Monday that it took joint action with the U.S. to halt the yen's slide to 40-year lows and express its commitment to rare bilateral coordination that it hopes could mark a turning point for the currency.
Preceding the expected announcement, President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States is helping ******* an to prop up the yen as a sign of friendship and to help the world economy.
"They have a weakening yen, and they wanted a little bit of help. And we're always there for ******* an," Trump said when he was asked by a reporter why the U.S. is helping to support the yen.
"Japan's been very good to us, with the exception, of course, of Pearl Harbor... It's also good for the world economy."
#Japan #makiko
3 months ago
By Leika Kihara
TOKYO, July 24 (Reuters) - The Bank of ******* an will likely maintain its warning over the risk of inflation overshooting its 2% target next week, but signal that those risks have not increased significantly from three months ago, three sources familiar with its thinking said.
In a quarterly outlook report due at next week's policy meeting, the BOJ is expected to highlight lingering inflation risks stemming from the Middle East conflict, robust global AI demand and rising import costs from a weak yen.
At the same time, the central bank believes the likelihood of a worst-case scenario, in which severe supply disruptions trigger a sharp surge in prices and force rapid interest-rate hikes, has diminished from three months ago, said three sources familiar with its thinking.
"There is a risk of underlying consumer inflation deviating upward from our 2% target," the BOJ said in June when it raised interest rates, language sources said is likely to feature again in next week's quarterly outlook report.
#risk
TOKYO, July 24 (Reuters) - The Bank of ******* an will likely maintain its warning over the risk of inflation overshooting its 2% target next week, but signal that those risks have not increased significantly from three months ago, three sources familiar with its thinking said.
In a quarterly outlook report due at next week's policy meeting, the BOJ is expected to highlight lingering inflation risks stemming from the Middle East conflict, robust global AI demand and rising import costs from a weak yen.
At the same time, the central bank believes the likelihood of a worst-case scenario, in which severe supply disruptions trigger a sharp surge in prices and force rapid interest-rate hikes, has diminished from three months ago, said three sources familiar with its thinking.
"There is a risk of underlying consumer inflation deviating upward from our 2% target," the BOJ said in June when it raised interest rates, language sources said is likely to feature again in next week's quarterly outlook report.
#risk
4 months ago
By Makiko Yamazaki, Tamiyuki Kihara and Leika Kihara
TOKYO, July 2 (Reuters) - ***** anese officials are abandoning their habit of telegraphing intervention risks, instead signalling a more targeted campaign to squeeze speculators and raise the cost of betting against the battered yen, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Departing from the calibrated jawboning that preceded previous bouts of intervention, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) could step in abruptly to wipe out speculative yen positions, the sources said. Officials are also avoiding any suggestion of a specific "line in the sand" exchange-rate level that would trigger action.
The shift reflects a more aggressive approach by the MOF, which is using silence as a policy tool to keep traders guessing. That raises the risk of a surprise intervention driven by an accumulation of speculative short-yen bets rather than by the currency crossing a publicly understood threshold, the sources said.
The MOF's approach and the Bank of ***** an's continued hawkish rhetoric signal a coordinated effort to keep yen bears at bay, two other sources said.
TOKYO, July 2 (Reuters) - ***** anese officials are abandoning their habit of telegraphing intervention risks, instead signalling a more targeted campaign to squeeze speculators and raise the cost of betting against the battered yen, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Departing from the calibrated jawboning that preceded previous bouts of intervention, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) could step in abruptly to wipe out speculative yen positions, the sources said. Officials are also avoiding any suggestion of a specific "line in the sand" exchange-rate level that would trigger action.
The shift reflects a more aggressive approach by the MOF, which is using silence as a policy tool to keep traders guessing. That raises the risk of a surprise intervention driven by an accumulation of speculative short-yen bets rather than by the currency crossing a publicly understood threshold, the sources said.
The MOF's approach and the Bank of ***** an's continued hawkish rhetoric signal a coordinated effort to keep yen bears at bay, two other sources said.
4 months ago
TOKYO (AP) — China has detained two ****** anese citizens suspected of smuggling items prohibited from import or export, a ****** anese official said Wednesday, in a case reportedly linked to rare earths, critical materials that are largely controlled by Beijing.
Japans's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo that ****** anese consular offices in Shenyang and Dalian were notified by the Chinese customs authorities that the two ****** anese nationals were detained, one on May 18 and another one a week later, "in the same alleged case."
Kihara said the two were in good health, but refused to give further details about them or the case, on grounds of their privacy and the ongoing investigation.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed the detention of two ****** anese citizens for violating Chinese laws, but did not give any details of the case.
"What we would like to emphasize is that the ****** anese side should educate and remind ****** anese citizens and enterprises in China to abide by Chinese laws and regulations," Guo told a daily briefing.
Japans's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo that ****** anese consular offices in Shenyang and Dalian were notified by the Chinese customs authorities that the two ****** anese nationals were detained, one on May 18 and another one a week later, "in the same alleged case."
Kihara said the two were in good health, but refused to give further details about them or the case, on grounds of their privacy and the ongoing investigation.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed the detention of two ****** anese citizens for violating Chinese laws, but did not give any details of the case.
"What we would like to emphasize is that the ****** anese side should educate and remind ****** anese citizens and enterprises in China to abide by Chinese laws and regulations," Guo told a daily briefing.
5 months ago
TOKYO, June 3 (Reuters) - Severe tropical storm Jangmi ripped across ****** an on Wednesday, with fierce winds and torrential rain disrupting transport and businesses, and knocking out power for tens of thousands of homes.
The storm's centre lay about 150 kilometres (93.2 miles) south of Tokyo as of early Wednesday afternoon, moving northeast with maximum sustained winds of up to 25 metres (82 feet) per second, ****** an's Meteorological Agency said. The storm is set to pass very close to the Pacific side of eastern ****** an and heightened vigilance is needed, the agency added.
At least 15 people have sustained minor injuries, according to authorities.
The storm, with a central pressure of 985 hPa, has cut power to nearly 60,000 households so far, and authorities have been receiving reports of flooding, fallen trees and debris, and landslides across a wide stretch of regions, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said during a regular press briefing.
"If you sense any danger, please do not hesitate to take early action to protect your lives," Kihara said.
The storm's centre lay about 150 kilometres (93.2 miles) south of Tokyo as of early Wednesday afternoon, moving northeast with maximum sustained winds of up to 25 metres (82 feet) per second, ****** an's Meteorological Agency said. The storm is set to pass very close to the Pacific side of eastern ****** an and heightened vigilance is needed, the agency added.
At least 15 people have sustained minor injuries, according to authorities.
The storm, with a central pressure of 985 hPa, has cut power to nearly 60,000 households so far, and authorities have been receiving reports of flooding, fallen trees and debris, and landslides across a wide stretch of regions, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said during a regular press briefing.
"If you sense any danger, please do not hesitate to take early action to protect your lives," Kihara said.
