U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other nations that would go into effect on Aug. 1, the Associated Press reported. Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs.
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The Bank of Japan should resume interest rate hikes following a temporary pause to evaluate the impact of U.S. tariffs, board member Hajime Takata said, signalling optimism the country was on track to durably achieve the central bank's price goal, Reuters reported. Takata said that Japan was close to achieving the BOJ's 2% inflation target with robust corporate profits and labour shortages driving up wages and building price pressures. While the BOJ must take its time scrutinising the fallout from U.S.
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After failing to cut a trade deal with Japan following weeks of talks, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer decided to turn up the pressure. When Japanese officials arrived in Washington in late May, Lutnick and Greer warned them that if the two sides couldn’t work out an agreement soon, the conversations might start shifting from easing the tariffs President Trump had recently imposed toward additional punitive measures, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Japan’s industrial production increased modestly in May, but the rebound is likely to be temporary due to the impact of U.S. tariffs and concerns over a global slowdown, the Wall Street Journal reported. Industrial production rose 0.5% in May from the previous month, after declining 1.1% in April, data released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed on Monday. The May reading was much weaker than the 3.5% increase expected in a poll of economists by data provider Quick.
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Consumer inflation in the Tokyo metropolitan area eased in June but remained firmly above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target, leaving the central bank balancing on a policy tightrope, the Wall Street Journal reported. Core consumer prices in Tokyo—excluding fresh food—climbed 3.1% in June from a year earlier, compared with May’s 3.6% increase, government data showed Friday. That was lower than the 3.3% rise expected in a poll of economists by data provider Quick. Tokyo figures are considered an early indicator of nationwide trends.
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Japan is driving Asia's M&A rebound in 2025 with a record $232 billion worth of deals in the first half, and bankers expect the trend to sustain fuelled by multi-billion dollar take-private arrangements, outbound investments and private equity activity, Reuters reported. Management reforms to tackle chronic low valuations among Japanese firms are spurring a flurry of foreign and activist investor interest, while Japan's low interest rates - which support deals - mean the appetite for more deals remains strong, bankers say.
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Japan’s chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said the country can’t accept the U.S.’ 25% tariffs on cars, adding that the Asian nation’s automakers produce far more cars in the U.S. than they export to America, the Japan Times reported. Japanese automakers make roughly 3.3 million cars in the U.S. a year, a number that’s far larger than the 1.37 million that they ship there, Akazawa told reporters on Thursday before he left for Washington, D.C. to hold his seventh round of trade negotiations with U.S. counterparts. The companies have invested more than $60 billion in the U.S.
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The Bank of Japan should consider additional interest-rate hikes without delay, board member Naoki Tamura said, as it could hit its inflation target sooner than expected, the Wall Street Journal reported. “My basic thinking is that the bank will analyze the data and various information without preconceptions, and will accordingly raise the policy interest rate and adjust the degree of monetary accommodation in a timely and appropriate manner in line with improvements in economic activity and prices, without haste or delay,” he said Wednesday.
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Bento shops have been hit hard by inflation and a weak economy as stagflation takes hold in Japan and makes business difficult for even the most humble of establishments, the Japan Times reported. According to Teikoku Databank, 22 bento shops went bankrupt from January to May, compared to 21 in the same period last year. Bentos — set lunches normally served in box-like containers — are popular in Japan with students, workers and businesspeople on the go and others looking for a quick and cheap meal. They are available at supermarkets, convenience stores and dedicated bento shops.
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Japan's government plans to cut sales of super-long bonds by about 10% from its original plan in a rare revision to its bond programme for the current fiscal year, trimming overall bond issuance as a result, a draft document seen by Reuters showed, Reuters reported. The move aims to soothe market oversupply concerns, after weak demand at recent auctions and a surge in super-long yields to record highs last month rattled the bond market.