The Bank of Japan has officially begun selling its massive ETF holdings worth ¥37 trillion ($240B) at book value. With annual sales of just ¥330 billion, this unprecedented unwinding could take over 112 years. Here's what it means for global markets and Japan's financial future.
Both the US and Japan are undergoing historic shifts in digital asset regulation in 2026. From Trump's GENIUS Act and Bitcoin Strategic Reserve to Takaichi's 20% flat tax and financial instruments law reform, explore how the world's two largest crypto-friendly economies are reshaping the future of digital finance.
Fujitsu successfully piloted its LLM "Takane" with a Japanese central government agency, automatically classifying and summarizing approximately 120,000 characters of public comment data in about 10 minutes. The company aims to launch a comprehensive generative AI service for policy formulation and legislation by FY2026.
Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambles over 700 times annually at $38,000 per hour. With China's drones increasing and F-15s aging, can the UK-Italy-Japan GCAP sixth-gen fighter solve the crisis? An in-depth look at Japan's air defense challenges.
In January 2026, the yen surged to the 155 level after reports that Japanese and US authorities conducted coordinated "rate checks," signaling potential currency intervention. We explain what this means for the Japanese economy amid election-driven fiscal policy debates.
Japan's 2025 trade deficit halved to ¥2.65 trillion, down 52.9% year-on-year. Record exports of ¥110.4 trillion were driven by electronic components and semiconductors shipped to Asia and the EU. Trump tariffs caused US-bound exports to fall for the first time in five years.
Japan's Cabinet Office now projects a ¥800 billion primary balance deficit for FY2026, reversing an earlier ¥3.6 trillion surplus forecast. What the Takaichi administration's ¥18 trillion supplementary budget did to the fiscal-consolidation target, and to interest-rate risk.
Japan has committed more than ¥10 trillion (about $65 billion) in semiconductor support through fiscal 2030, aiming to draw ¥50 trillion in combined public and private investment. A look at the "crisis management investment" doctrine, Rapidus and 2nm, the equipment and materials sector, and the race with the US, China and Europe. An additional ¥631.5 billion for Rapidus was approved in April 2026.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% at the January 22-23, 2026 meeting, on an 8-1 vote. Despite December's hike to a 30-year high, the yen kept weakening, and the BOJ went to 1.0% in June. We look at the impact on mortgage rates, what would take the pressure off the yen, and the carry trade.
Prime Minister Takaichi asked Keidanren to diversify supply sources for critical materials. With China tightening export controls on Japan, Tokyo is pushing seabed rare earth mining trials at Minamitorishima alongside international partnerships. In July 2026 the recovered mud was reported to be about 54% medium and heavy rare earths.
On 16 January 2026, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Tetsuo Hara, the artist behind Fist of the North Star, in Tokyo during her official visit to Japan. She had turned 49 the day before, and Hara gave her a print of Kenshiro and Raoh. A look at Hara's Uffizi commission, the manga's role in Weekly Shonen Jump's rise, and why Italy never let go of Ken il Guerriero.