Japan's Children and Families Agency, launched in 2023 with great fanfare, faces growing calls for abolition just three years in. With a $50 billion annual budget under fire as 'wasteful spending' and births hitting a record low of 671,236 in 2025, we examine why Japan's 'unprecedented' measures against the declining birthrate have failed, and how other countries are tackling the same crisis.
Japan's FSA is raising penalties for unregistered crypto sales from 3 to 10 years imprisonment and fines from ¥3M to ¥10M, while moving crypto under securities law. The bill cleared the lower house in June 2026 and is now before the upper house. With a flat 20% tax rate, insider trading rules, and the SANAE TOKEN affair as backdrop, we compare Japan's approach with the US, EU MiCA, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama warns the forex market has become 'highly speculative' as the yen falls to 160 per dollar. We analyze the structural forces behind yen weakness, carry trade risks, and G7 emergency coordination.
The BOJ published a landmark review on March 30, 2026, analyzing trend inflation through three approaches. We explain the new CPI core indicators stripping out special factors, compare methods with the Fed's PCE and ECB's HICP, and assess whether this signals more rate hikes ahead.
The BOJ released its 'Summary of Opinions' from the March meeting on March 30. Despite surging oil prices from the Iran crisis, multiple board members called for continued rate hikes. We analyze the path from the current 0.75% rate, accelerated hiking scenarios, comparisons with the Fed and ECB, and yen carry trade risks.
The BOJ eyes an April rate hike as Iran's oil shock pushes inflation risks higher. With 10-year yields at 27-year highs, strong wage growth, and diverging policies from the Fed and ECB, we break down what this means for the yen, carry trades, and global markets.
Japan's Justice Ministry doubles the residency requirement for naturalization from 5 to 10 years starting April 1, 2026. Tax verification expands from 1 to 5 years. We explain the operational change, legal debates, and how Japan compares to the US, Germany, Canada, and other countries.
The Bank of Japan overhauled its output gap and potential growth rate estimation on March 26, 2026, while launching labor market indicators and new Core CPI data. Learn how these changes lay the groundwork for further rate hikes.
Japan's LDP launches the 'Next-Generation AI & On-Chain Finance Vision PT' to reshape the country's financial system using blockchain and AI. From stablecoin pilots by mega-banks to international comparisons with the US SEC, EU MiCA, and Asian finance hubs.
As the yen approaches 160 to the dollar, the Hormuz Strait blockade has triggered an oil price surge, delivering a devastating double blow to Japan's energy-import-dependent economy. Analysis of record gasoline prices, structural vulnerabilities, and comparisons with South Korea and Germany.
Japan's gasoline hits a record ¥190.8/L ($1.27/L) as the Hormuz Strait blockade chokes off 90%+ of crude imports. With the last Middle East tanker arriving March 22, government subsidies restarting, and Alaska crude on the table at the US-Japan summit, Japan faces its gravest energy crisis in decades.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% on March 19, 2026, as the Middle East conflict and surging oil prices cloud the economic outlook. Governor Ueda maintained a rate-hike bias but warned that rising energy costs could push underlying inflation either way. With spring wage negotiations delivering 5%+ raises for a third straight year and the yen hovering near 160, Japan faces a complex policy dilemma.
PM Takaichi declared no further consumption tax increases in parliament. We break down Japan's fiscal strategy, its 10% rate vs Europe's 20%+ VAT, and how markets are responding to the world's highest debt-to-GDP ratio.
Japan's Cabinet Office reports Q4 2024 output gap turned positive at +0.2%, marking approximately $6.7 billion in annual excess demand. This key indicator suggests a historic shift away from decades of deflation and demand shortfall. Analysis covers BOJ rate decisions, wage growth, CPI trends, and comparisons with the US and eurozone.
Japan's FSA will raise penalties for unregistered crypto sales from 3 years to 10 years imprisonment. Triggered by the SANAE Token scandal and FIEA transition, this crackdown gives regulators raid and seizure powers. Comparison with US SEC and EU MiCA included.
Japan's FSA has officially decided to shift crypto regulation from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. With a flat 20% tax rate replacing the current max 55%, insider trading rules, and ETF approval on the horizon, Japan's crypto market is undergoing a historic transformation. Includes Nomura's market entry, Bybit's exit, and JPX's response.
Market consensus points to April for the BOJ's next rate hike. From the current 0.75% policy rate toward a 1.5% terminal rate, we analyze the tightening path, the Iran crisis oil shock creating a stagflation dilemma, and key points for the March 18-19 policy meeting.
With the Strait of Hormuz shut in all but name, the IEA's 32 members unanimously approved a record 400-million-barrel coordinated release on March 11, 2026. Japan carried 80 million of it and began draining national reserves on March 26. Where those 254 days went, and what July's re-escalation means.
Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi and Finance Minister Katayama opened FIN/SUM 2026 with messages on AI, blockchain innovation, and stablecoin regulation. With three mega-banks testing joint stablecoins and new yen-backed digital currencies emerging, Japan's fintech strategy is compared with Trump's pro-crypto agenda and EU's MiCA framework.
Japan's government has asked Japan Display Inc. (JDI) to run a $13 billion advanced display factory in the US — part of a $550 billion investment deal to ease Trump tariffs. We break down the defense angle, China dependency risks, and what it means for a company that's been on life support for years.