On the afternoon of May 14, Japan's 10-year government bond yield hit 2.625%, the highest since 1997. OIS markets now price a 74% probability of a rate hike at the June 16-17 BOJ meeting. BOJ board member Kazuyuki Masu, previously considered cautious, said in a Kagoshima speech that 'early rate hikes are desirable.' With US PPI surprise, USD/JPY near 158, and 'long rates at 3% in sight,' we map where Japan's FX, bond, and rate-hike expectations stand right now.
PM Sanae Takaichi pledges to effectively double research funding and build a 'new technological nation,' targeting AI, semiconductors, and quantum to compete with the US, China, and Korea. We examine the reality behind the plan—Japan's 3.44% R&D-to-GDP ratio, declining PhD numbers—and whether the strategy can work.
Japan's ruling LDP is pushing to build a dedicated rare earth mining vessel for ~100 billion yen ($640M) at Minamitorishima. Here's why JAMSTEC's Chikyu isn't enough, the 2028 commercialization roadmap, and how Japan's strategy compares with US and EU efforts.
Calbee is switching 14 of its flagship snacks — including Potato Chips Lightly Salted, Consomme Punch, and Kappa Ebisen shrimp chips — to monochrome 'petroleum-saving packages' from May 25. The cause: ink shortages triggered by the Hormuz Strait crisis. A symbolic case of geopolitical risk reaching Japan's shelves, compared with parallel moves at Lindt, Lamb Weston and Smithfield Foods.
About 283,000 barrels of Azerbaijani crude procured by ENEOS arrive at Negishi Refinery in Yokohama on May 12 — the first Central Asian crude ever to reach Japan. We unpack the type of oil, Azerbaijan's production capacity, and the wider patchwork now stitched together from the US, Mexico, Russia (Sakhalin-2), and beyond — plus the paint-thinner shortage that won't go away.
Terra Drone has unveiled flight footage of its fixed-wing interceptor drone Terra A2 — 75km range, 312km/h top speed, 40-minute endurance. CEO Toru Tokushige outlined the layered air defense vision in a United24 Media interview. Inside the modern methods of stopping Shahed-type kamikaze drones and the new air defense economics being shaped by a Japanese startup.
MAGES. has officially announced no streaming or let's plays will be permitted for STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT, launching August 20, 2026. Console share features are restricted to private use only. What Western streamers and visual novel fans need to know — including the 2023 case where Japan's first arrest over a game stream was for a Steins;Gate game.
On May 8, 2026, the US Department of War launched war.gov/UFO and released 162 UAP files in one go—including a football-shaped object filmed near Japan by Indo-Pacific Command in January 2023, Apollo 12 and 17 lunar surface photos, and orange orbs agents compared to the 'Eye of Sauron'. We break down what is actually in the release and how Japan is reacting, from yakisoba puns to distraction-theory skepticism.
On April 13, 2029, the 450m asteroid Apophis will pass just 32,000 km above Earth. Japan and Europe are joining forces on RAMSES, the next planetary defense mission after NASA's DART. JAXA provides the infrared imager, solar panels, and H3 rocket launch as a rideshare with DESTINY+, stepping up as US budget cuts threaten its own Apophis mission.
Reuters reports Japan conducted multiple yen-buying interventions during the May Golden Week, exploiting thin holiday liquidity. Combined with the April 30 operation of about 5 trillion yen, the total reaches roughly 10 trillion yen. Vice Finance Minister Mimura stated IMF rules do not constrain intervention frequency, while a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Bessent looms. How would your central bank respond in this position?
The BOJ released its March 18-19 meeting minutes on May 7. The deliberation sections are anonymous, but votes and dissenting opinions are published with names attached. The 8-1 split? Hajime Takata alone dissented. We trace the 9 members behind the March meeting, the shift to a 6-3 split in April, and the rebalancing coming when Nakagawa's term ends in late June.
