The Bank of Japan is increasingly expected to raise its policy interest rate to 1.0% at next week's monetary policy meeting, responding to growing concerns that inflation could rise faster than previously anticipated due to soaring oil prices and other cost pressures. (News On Japan)

The number of restaurant bankruptcies in Japan reached a record high for the January–May period, highlighting mounting pressures from rising costs, labor shortages, and increasingly cautious consumer spending. (News On Japan)

Casio Computer, the company behind some of Japan’s most iconic consumer electronics including calculators, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and the G-SHOCK watch, is pursuing a new strategy aimed at reviving its tradition of product innovation. (News On Japan)

Nippon Steel plans to invest up to $2.5 billion, or approximately 400 billion yen, over the next three years in the Mon Valley Works steel complex in Pennsylvania, one of the key facilities operated by U.S. Steel, the American steelmaker it acquired in 2025. (News On Japan)

Japan's current account surplus expanded 64.9% from a year earlier to 3.9078 trillion yen in April, marking the 15th consecutive month of positive balance, according to balance of payments data released by the Finance Ministry on June 8th. (News On Japan)

Japan's economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.8% in the January–March quarter of 2026, according to revised gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the Cabinet Office, with the figure marked down from the preliminary estimate due largely to weaker-than-expected capital investment. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks tumbled sharply on June 8th, with the Nikkei Stock Average falling more than 3,100 points at one stage of morning trading as investors rushed to sell technology shares following a steep decline in U.S. markets at the end of last week. (News On Japan)

Rapid inflation and the weakening yen continue to squeeze household budgets across Japan, prompting renewed debate over the country's economic policies. Former Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who spearheaded the central bank's aggressive monetary easing campaign under Abenomics, argues that the overall economy remains on a positive trajectory and that wage growth is now exceeding inflation. (News On Japan)

A court is set to hand down its verdict on August 28th in the trial of former Momuri president Shinji Tanimoto and his wife Shiori, who are accused of violating Japan's Attorney Act by illegally referring clients of the retirement agency service to lawyers. (News On Japan)

Japan's real wages rose 1.9% in April from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth and the longest stretch of positive gains in about five years as this year's spring labor-management wage negotiations began feeding through into workers' paychecks. (News On Japan)

Japan's household spending fell for the fifth consecutive month in April, highlighting continued pressure on consumers as rising prices and growing concerns over instability in the Middle East weighed on household budgets. (News On Japan)

Japan's largest electronics retailer, Yamada Holdings, and Osaka-based Edion announced on June 5th that they have agreed to integrate their businesses, creating a group with annual sales of approximately 2.5 trillion yen as competition in the consumer electronics industry intensifies and companies seek new ways to boost growth in a shrinking domestic market. (News On Japan)

Nissan Motor has begun accepting orders in Japan for the Murano sport utility vehicle, which is produced in the United States, marking one of the first uses of a new vehicle certification framework established following a tariff agreement between Japan and the United States. (News On Japan)

Uber Japan unveiled its latest strategy for its mobility business, including its taxi-hailing app operations, as the company seeks to expand its presence in a market where ride-hailing app usage remains lower than in many other countries. (News On Japan)

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on June 2nd that it is considering imposing an additional 12.5% tariff on Japan, arguing that the country's measures to prevent the import of products made with forced labor are insufficient. (News On Japan)

As labor shortages deepen across Japan, more companies in Okinawa are turning to foreign workers not only to fill vacancies but also to build long-term careers, creating support systems that help employees settle into local communities and remain in the workforce. (News On Japan)

Quantum computing is attracting growing attention from investors as governments around the world increase support for the technology, raising expectations that it could become the next major investment theme after artificial intelligence. (News On Japan)

Toyota Motor will suspend production at 13 domestic factories on June 3rd as Typhoon No. 6 approaches Japan, with the company prioritizing the safety of employees and contractors as severe weather is expected to affect a wide area from western to eastern Japan. (News On Japan)

ENEOS Holdings, Japan's largest oil refiner, is accelerating its push overseas as it seeks to raise the share of revenue generated outside Japan from roughly 20% today to 50% in the future, according to President Tomohide Miyata, who outlined the company's growth strategy in an extended interview that was not fully aired on TV Tokyo's World Business Satellite (WBS). (News On Japan)

The Japan Housing Finance Agency announced on June 1st the interest rates that will apply in June for Flat 35, Japan’s long-term fixed-rate housing loan program. (News On Japan)