Pawn shops in Japan are seeing growing demand as rising living costs push more people to borrow against their valuables, with customers pledging everything from family jewelry to luxury watches and gold coins to cover everyday expenses, medical bills and business costs. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks head into September 28 with the Nikkei 225 sitting at 66,364 after a five-session winning streak, as investors weigh strong artificial intelligence and semiconductor momentum against dividend-related trading, a weak yen, high bond yields and lingering uncertainty over the Bank of Japan’s next move. (News On Japan)

A levee collapse at Lake Inbanuma in Chiba Prefecture following heavy rain from Typhoon No. 25 has devastated a koi breeding facility in Narita, leaving nearly 100,000 fish lost and causing an estimated 1 billion yen in damage to livestock and equipment. (News On Japan)

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate climbed to 3.115% during trading, reaching its highest level in nearly 30 years for the second consecutive day as persistent inflation concerns and expectations of further interest rate hikes fueled selling in government bonds. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose strongly on September 25, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,364, up 850 points, as buying in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares combined with demand for dividend-paying financial stocks ahead of the September 28 interim dividend deadline. (News On Japan)

SoftBank Group announced on September 24 that it will issue approximately 1.76 trillion yen worth of foreign currency-denominated bonds, the largest simultaneous bond offering in its history, to finance a further $10 billion investment in OpenAI as founder Masayoshi Son accelerates his strategy of building a global business spanning artificial intelligence, semiconductors and data centers. (News On Japan)

Prices of used condominiums in Tokyo fell for the first time in two years and four months in August, ending a 28-month streak of increases, while neighboring Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures recorded their fourth consecutive month of gains. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on September 24, with the Nikkei 225 climbing to 65,647, up 628 points, as investors returned from the Silver Week break with renewed appetite for artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares, while the broader TOPIX edged lower as value and financial stocks came under pressure. (News On Japan)

Japan's beer industry is preparing for a major transformation as a liquor tax revision takes effect on October 1, unifying tax rates across beer, happoshu and third-category beer for the first time, with conventional beer becoming cheaper while lower-priced alternatives face tax increases. (News On Japan)

Japan is stepping up efforts to revive its shipbuilding industry, aiming to double annual construction volume by 2035 through government-backed investment in next-generation vessels, ship repair facilities and liquefied natural gas carriers, while Japanese manufacturers accelerate the development of hydrogen-powered engines and other advanced maritime technologies. (News On Japan)

Japan's transition toward an economy with higher interest rates is creating sharply different outcomes for households, with younger generations facing rising mortgage repayments while older savers stand to benefit from increased deposit interest, following the Bank of Japan's decision to raise its policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25%. (News On Japan)

Bankruptcies among Japan's bento shops are surging, with 83 businesses failing in the first eight months of 2026, putting the industry on course to surpass last year's record of 89 as rising ingredient costs and intensifying competition from supermarkets, convenience stores and drugstores squeeze smaller operators. (News On Japan)

Tokyo’s stock market was closed on September 21 for Respect for the Aged Day, leaving the Nikkei 225 without a cash close after finishing the previous session at 65,019, while currency and futures markets focused on the yen, the Bank of Japan’s latest rate hike and intervention risks during Japan’s Silver Week holiday. (News On Japan)

Japan's first five-day Silver Week holiday in 11 years has put renewed attention on household finances, with persistently high food prices and a weakening yen threatening to erode the benefits of the government's planned consumption tax cut on food. (News On Japan)

A list of providers with identical promises turns selection into brute-force sorting. The differences do exist; they are just hidden somewhere other than the homepage. (News On Japan)

The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate from 1.0% to 1.25% on September 18, taking borrowing costs to their highest level in 31 years and accelerating the pace of monetary tightening as persistent inflation and concerns over fiscal expansion put upward pressure on interest rates. (News On Japan)

A market spread is generally the difference between two market prices. Most commonly, traders use the term to describe the bid-ask spread: the difference between the highest price a buyer is currently prepared to pay and the lowest price a seller is prepared to accept. (News On Japan)

The yen strengthened by more than 1 yen against the dollar in a short period late on September 18 after the Bank of Japan conducted a rate check, a step commonly taken in preparation for possible intervention in the foreign exchange market. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose sharply on September 18, with the Nikkei 225 climbing to around 65,350 in afternoon trading after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates to 1.25%, as the yen weakened and investors bought artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares. (News On Japan)

The Bank of Japan raised its policy interest rate from 1.0% to 1.25% on September 18, lifting borrowing costs to their highest level in 31 years as policymakers moved to contain growing inflation risks, but the yen weakened sharply after the decision as markets focused on two dissenting votes and uncertainty over the pace of further increases. (News On Japan)