Japan's ALL JAPAN Natural Cheese Contest saw a record 284 entries from 121 workshops nationwide. As the weak yen drives up imported cheese prices, Japanese artisan cheesemakers are winning international acclaim with uniquely Japanese creations, from raclette aged alongside fermented sushi rice bacteria to cheese washed with ancient peat hot spring water. Discover the surprising depth of Japan's domestic cheese revolution.
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.
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.
In 2025, Japanese agricultural corporation bankruptcies hit a record 103 cases. Learn about the structural challenges facing Japan's farming industry: weak yen, soaring material costs, labor shortages, and succession crisis, all while food self-sufficiency remains at just 38%.
In January 2026, Japan's top currency official warned that 'all options' were on the table as the yen hit 159 per dollar. We break down what's driving the slide, Japan's 2022 and 2024 intervention record, the 160 line, and the January BOJ meeting.
In January 2026 the yen slid past 159 to the dollar for the first time in about 18 months, and Vice Finance Minister Jun Mimura said Japan would rule out no measures, a clear hint at intervention. Here is what drove the slide after reports of a snap election, and how Japan has intervened before. Update: a record 11.7 trillion yen of intervention followed in April and May.
In December 2025, Japan's Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama signaled a clear willingness to intervene in currency markets as the yen kept sliding past 157 per dollar despite the Bank of Japan's rate hike. The authorities went on to buy roughly ¥11 trillion worth of yen between late April and late May 2026. Inside the US-Japan joint statement that underpinned the move, and why the yen stayed weak anyway.
In December 2024, Finance Minister Kato warned over the yen at 157 per dollar, pledging an "appropriate response to excessive movements" and hinting at intervention. Japan's ¥15 trillion of 2024 operations, the US-Japan rate gap, and what followed: the 2026 interventions and the first coordinated yen-buying with the U.S. in 28 years.
