2 months ago
By Makiko Yamazaki
TOKYO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - ***** an's imports hit a monthly record in July as elevated oil prices drove up energy costs and inflationary pressures, while exports also climbed to an all-time high on a weaker yen and robust semiconductor-related demand.
Total imports by value grew 27.8% from a year earlier to 12.1 trillion yen ($76.39 billion), data showed on Thursday, hitting a fresh record for the second straight month and exceeding market forecasts for a 26.5% increase.
Japan's crude oil import volumes have rebounded as alternative supplies, mainly from the United States, replace Middle Eastern shipments disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East.
The persistence of wholesale inflation, together with resilient exports, is likely to support the case for the Bank of ***** an to continue to normalise monetary policy, as the central bank is set to raise rates as soon as September.
#exports #tokyo
TOKYO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - ***** an's imports hit a monthly record in July as elevated oil prices drove up energy costs and inflationary pressures, while exports also climbed to an all-time high on a weaker yen and robust semiconductor-related demand.
Total imports by value grew 27.8% from a year earlier to 12.1 trillion yen ($76.39 billion), data showed on Thursday, hitting a fresh record for the second straight month and exceeding market forecasts for a 26.5% increase.
Japan's crude oil import volumes have rebounded as alternative supplies, mainly from the United States, replace Middle Eastern shipments disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East.
The persistence of wholesale inflation, together with resilient exports, is likely to support the case for the Bank of ***** an to continue to normalise monetary policy, as the central bank is set to raise rates as soon as September.
#exports #tokyo
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
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.
8 months ago
Japan's economy limps back to scant growth in Q4, raises test for Takaichi
By Makiko Yamazaki and Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - ***** an's economy limped back to meagre growth in the fourth quarter, significantly missing market expectations in a key test for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government as cost-of-living pressures drag on confidence and domestic demand.
Fresh off a sweeping election victory, Takaichi's administration is preparing to ramp up investment through targeted public spending in sectors seen as vital to economic security.
Monday's data bring sharp focus
By Makiko Yamazaki and Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - ***** an's economy limped back to meagre growth in the fourth quarter, significantly missing market expectations in a key test for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government as cost-of-living pressures drag on confidence and domestic demand.
Fresh off a sweeping election victory, Takaichi's administration is preparing to ramp up investment through targeted public spending in sectors seen as vital to economic security.
Monday's data bring sharp focus
