Page 23 - Japan

Why rice-loving Japan is forced to import it from South Korea after 25 yrs

In Japan, rice is more than just a grain; it is central to daily meals, festivals, spiritual offerings, and even language

Japan to stress 'fairness' in currency talks with US, says PM Ishiba

Ishiba said specific discussions on currency policy will be made between Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

S&P 500, Nasdaq gain as US-Japan tariff talks take centre stage

After steep losses on Wednesday, investors found some optimism from US President Donald Trump's comments on "big progress" in trade talks with Japan

Japan, US agree to more discussions over tariffs, reach deal soon

US President Donald Trump, who joined the negotiators in a session at the White House, described the meeting as big progress

Japan reports $63 bn trade surplus with US amid Trump tariffs talk

Japan recorded a trade deficit in its March-April fiscal year but racked up a surplus with the US, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday. Japan's global trade deficit totalled 5.2 trillion yen (USD 37 billion) for the fiscal year through March, for the fourth straight year of deficits, according to the provisional statistics. The surplus with the US ballooned to 9 trillion yen (USD 63 billion). Exports to the US are a contentious issue for US President Donald Trump and Japanese negotiators are in Washington to argue their case against higher US tariffs. Japan is a key longtime US ally and major investor in the US, employing hundreds of thousands of Americans. Trump said on April 2 that he planned to impose a 24 per cent tariff on imports from Japan as part of an announcement of higher tariffs on dozens of countries. After financial markets panicked, he put a partial 90-day hold on the import taxes, while increasing his already steep tariffs on Chinese goods to as much as 145 per .

Trump joins tariff talks with Japan as US seeks deals amid trade wars

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday inserted himself directly into trade talks with Japanese officials, a sign of the high stakes for the United States after its tariffs rattled the economy and caused the administration to assure the public that it would quickly reach deals. The Republican president attended the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, top economic advisers with a central role in his trade and tariff policies. Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA! Trump wrote in a social media post ahead of the meeting. Afterward, he posted: A Great Honor to have just met with the Japanese Delegation on Trade. Big Progress! The president's choice to get directly involved in negotiations points to his desire to quickly finalize a slew of trade deals as China is pursuing its own set of agreements. It's an open test of Trump's reputation as a dealmaker as countries around the world seek t

Trump to join top advisers for White House talks on trade with Japan

President Donald Trump said he's joining some of his top economic advisers on Wednesday for negotiations at the White House over tariffs and trade with a top Japanese official who is travelling to Washington for the talks. The Republican president said in a post on his social media platform that he'll attend the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, top economic advisers with a central role in his trade and tariff policies. Trump recently announced a round of global tariffs but then quickly put them on hold for 90 days after the markets tanked and fears of a recession mounted. He left steep tariffs in place against China. The move put Japan's 24 per cent across-the-board tariff on hold, but a 10 per cent baseline tariff and a 25 per cent tariff on cars, auto parts, steel and aluminum exports to the US remain in place. US economic rival China, meanwhile, is trying to capitalise on the turmoil around Trump's announcements, with its

Japan-US trade talks may heighten uncertainty, add to yen volatility

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have both already made it clear they want to discuss currency issues

Japan to gift Shinkansen E5, E3 series for India's bullet train project

E10 series, expected to be introduced in the early 2030s, is being considered for the same Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed line, but it will not be ready in time for the August 2027 partial opening

Japan orders Google to stop forcing phone makers to pre-install its apps

Anouncement comes just ahead of Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa's planned visit to the US this week to press for a reprieve from President Donald Trump's tariffs on Japanese products

India is the happiest nation in the world. So why is Japan near the bottom?

India leads the global happiness rankings, while Japan struggles with inflation, pension insecurity, and growing despair among youth and the elderly

Japan's population falls by half a million, marking 14th year of decline

Overall population dropped by 550,000 from the previous year to 123.8 million in 2024, extending the streak of declines, according to data as of October 2024 released by Internal Affairs Ministry

Japan presses US for swift tariff talks amid rising business losses

The talks come as Japan continues to push for exemptions from US tariffs, including a 25 per cent duty on global auto imports that began in early April

Japan must strengthen yen, but shouldn't sell treasuries over US tariffs

By blaming the weak yen for accelerating inflation, Onodera could be signalling that Japanese policymakers consider the yen's downtrend, rather than its recent rebound, as the bigger problem

India, Japan defy global deal slump in Q1 CY25: GlobalData report

India's booming startup ecosystem and robust consumption trends, along with Japan's steady corporate restructuring and innovation-led deals, are seen as key drivers of their outperformance

Hitachi elevates Managing Director Bharat Kaushal to executive chairman

Japanese conglomerate Hitachi on Thursday announced the elevation of its Indian Managing Director Bharat Kaushal to Executive Chairman. Kaushal is the first Indian Managing Director of Hitchi in India. He will also continue as acting Managing Director, Hitachi India, Corporate Officer, In charge of Regional Strategies (India), Hitachi Ltd. These changes are effective from April 1, 2025, Hitachi India said in a statement. This "strategic leadership transition to drive continued innovation and sustainable growth in India's digital transformation", the company said. Kaushal was appointed as the first Indian Managing Director in 2017 and since then he has been instrumental in demonstrating exemplary leadership and contributing significantly to the company's growth and success. His vision has propelled Hitachi India's expansion across various sectors, including energy, infrastructure, healthcare, e-education, financial inclusion and urban mobility, while fostering strong partnerships w

Japan is living in future; builds 3D printed train station in just 6 hours

According to a NYT report, the components of this station were 3D-printed somewhere else and were assembled on the site at Hatshushima in March 2025, making it the world's first

US plans to deploy long-range drones near Taiwan: Japan's defence minister

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said the security environment around the country was becoming increasingly severe

Japan interested in joining Nato command for supporting Ukraine's mission

Japan on Tuesday expressed interest in participating in the NATO command for its Ukrainian mission based in Germany in what would be a major boost in ties with the largely European alliance. Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani announced his country's interest during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Tokyo. After providing the war-torn country with defence equipment and support, Japan now wants to join NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, headquartered at a US base in the German town of Wiesbaden. Details of the mission, including the possibility of sending any Japan Self Defence Force members to Wiesbaden, were still to be discussed. But any Japanese cooperation was not expected to involve combat, in line with what has been Tokyo's post-World War II tradition of limiting its military's role. Nakatani said Japan wants to further deepen security cooperation with NATO and that participation in the NSATU mission would help Tokyo learn lessons fro

NSE launches 11 new passive funds tracking Nifty indices in Japan, Korea

A total of eleven new passive funds such as Exchange Traded Funds and Index Funds, which track Nifty Indices, were launched in Japan and Korea during FY 2024-25, the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) said on Tuesday. Of these, 9 funds track the Nifty 50 index, while one tracks the Nifty India Corporate Group Index, Tata Group 25 per cent, and another tracks the Nifty Midcap 50 Index. At present, there are 33 passive funds tracking Nifty Indices outside India with total assets under management (AUM) of USD 4.3 billion. These products have been launched by large global asset managers. "There is a growing demand from global asset managers for India-focused passive investment products. FY 2024-25 has been a landmark year for NSE Indices with the successful launch of eleven passive products based on Nifty indices outside of India," Aniruddha Chatterjee, MD of NSE Indices, said. "We anticipate this trend to continue with numerous India-focused passive products set to be introduced .