Tokyo stocks lost modest early gains to finish down 0.29 percent on Thursday, but a slightly stronger yen helped prop up the Japanese market. (The Standard)

Japan registered a 7,598.4 billion yen deficit in goods trade for the six months through June, the biggest on record for any six-month period, due partly to slow growth in exports and a surge in imports amid the prolonged halt of nuclear power plants, the government said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo stocks closed down 0.10 percent on Wednesday as early buying following a positive lead from Wall Street ran out of steam. (thepeninsulaqatar.com)

The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, a key Japanese government panel, decided at its meeting Tuesday to introduce a special spending quota under the fiscal 2015 budget in order to help revive regional economies and promote measures related to the government's growth strategy. (Jiji Press)

Japan and Mongolia on Tuesday reached an economic partnership agreement in principle, including an eventual elimination of tariffs on used cars imported from Japan. (The Japan News)

Tokyo stocks rose 0.84 percent on Tuesday, boosted by a weaker yen as traders returned from a three-day holiday weekend. (brecorder.com)

The jury is still out on Abenomics. What has worked? Will it spur inflation or more deflation? Will Tokyo reform for sustainable growth? A panel of experts puts the economy on the spot. (bij.tv)

Japan's government plans to resume official development assistance to Vietnam after a brief suspension over a bribery scandal involving a Japan-funded project. (NHK)

With three months passed since the hike in the consumption tax rate in April, the drop in demand that followed the last-minute surge prior to the tax increase has eased, leading the government to make an upward revision to its economic assessment. (The Japan News)

Tokyo stocks have closed 1.01 per cent lower as the crash of a Malaysia Airlines plane in rebel-held eastern Ukraine sent jitters through the market, with shares of major Japanese carriers falling. (tradingroom.com.au)

The Japanese Bankers Association announced Thursday guidelines for banks to decide whether to pay compensation to companies for damage from online banking fraud. (Jiji Press)

Japan is poised to rejoin the world nuclear club -- barely. Yesterday's report vouching for the safety of Kyushu Electric Power Co. (9508)'s atomic station in southern Japan means the utility's two reactors in Sendai may begin operating as soon as October or November, according to Yoko Nobuoka, a Tokyo-based analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance. (Bloomberg)

According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, an astonishing 16.3% of Japanese children 18 and under lived in "economic hardship" in 2012. (Forbes)

Japanese stocks headed south in the afternoon and the Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 9.04 pts or 0.06%. (aastocks.com)

Japan's Nikkei share average edged down on Wednesday after staying nearly flat for most of the session as investors took profits from gains the previous day, while China's economic data received a muted reaction from the market. (brecorder.com)

The minimum wage is lower than welfare benefits in five of Japan's 47 prefectures, reflecting rising social insurance premiums, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda denied the possibility on Tuesday that year-on-year growth in consumer prices in Japan, excluding the effects of the April 1 consumption tax hike, will fall below one pct this summer. (Jiji Press)

Japan's Nikkei share average climbed to a 1-1/2-week high on Tuesday after Citigroup's strong earnings and a merger and acquisition deal in the U.S. healthcare industry lifted sentiment. (Economic Times)

When it comes to achieving gender equality, Japan still has a very long way to go, at least according to the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, which ranked the country 105th in the world by that measure. (The Diplomat)

When Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to power in late 2012, he hoped a weaker yen would give exporters a much-needed boost as well as spur the inflation needed to revive the world's third biggest economy. (cnbc.com)