Japan’s trade minister has failed to win an immediate exemption from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign even as he doubled down on the request in his first in-person discussions with U.S. counterparts, Bloomberg News reported. "We have requested that Japan should not be subject to the tariff measures that the U.S. government has announced so far,” trade minister Yoji Muto said.

The Japanese economy grew at a slower pace than initially estimated in the October-December period, sending an unwelcome sign of fragility as the trade outlook darkens, the Wall Street Journal reported. Japan’s real gross domestic product expanded 2.2% on an annualized basis in the final quarter of 2024, compared with the 2.8% growth seen in preliminary estimates released in February, government data showed Tuesday. The economy grew 0.6% from the previous quarter.

Investors in Japanese corporate bonds are increasingly seeking protection against possible credit deterioration when an issuer becomes a takeover target, Bloomberg News reported. Change of Control covenants — which give bondholders certain rights to redeem the debt before maturity if the borrower has a significant change in ownership structure — have until now been very rarely seen in the ¥100 trillion ($680 billion) Japanese credit market.

Japan may see corporate bankruptcy cases hit an 11-year high in the fiscal year to March as some firms go under due to a lack of workers, a think tank survey showed, a sign of the strain intensifying job shortages are inflicting on the economy, Reuters reported. The survey highlights the cost felt by some firms from the Bank of Japan’s past efforts to reflate growth with easy monetary policy enough to tighten the job market and lift wages.

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has introduced a proposal aimed at significantly lowering the tax rate on crypto gains from the current maximum of 55% to 20%, CoinMarketCap.com reported. This proposal seeks to classify cryptocurrencies as a new asset class under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, thereby aligning the tax treatment of crypto with that of traditional securities. Currently, Japan categorizes crypto gains as miscellaneous income, subjecting investors to a steep tax burden.

Core consumer prices in Japan's capital rose 2.2% in February from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, slowing for the first time in four months due to revived energy subsidies but remaining well above the central bank's 2% target, Reuters reported. The persistently high inflation will likely support the case for the central bank to continue its monetary policy tightening campaign.

A Japanese labour union group representing major manufacturers said on Thursday its members are demanding a record increase in their base pay for this year, building on last year's momentum amid rising living costs, Reuters reported. The Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions (JCM) is considered a pace-setter for annual wage negotiations and represents about 2 million workers for blue chip companies including Toyota Motor, Panasonic and Nippon Steel.

Japan's automobile industry association urged the government on Tuesday to try to shield Japanese automakers from tariffs that the United States may impose on imports of autos and parts, the Japan Times reported. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association is worried about damage to the economies of both countries if U.S. President Donald Trump's administration proceeds with hefty tariffs on auto imports from Japan, Mexico and Canada, JAMA Chairman Masanori Katayama said. Trump said last week that he wants to impose 25% tariffs on imports of autos as soon as April 2.

Japan's core consumer inflation hit 3.2% in January for its fastest pace in 19 months, data showed on Friday, reinforcing expectations that the central bank will keep raising interest rates from levels still seen as low, Reuters reported. Bond yields rose on the data, as markets factor in the chance that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could hike interest rates more aggressively than initially thought as inflationary pressure mounts.

Japan's exports rose for a fourth consecutive month in January led by auto shipments to the United States, but if U.S. President Donald Trump goes through with a plan to impose hefty car tariffs, a sharp drop-off is likely, Reuters reported. The solid trade report came after Japan's GDP data released on Monday showed the economy grew faster than expected in the October-December quarter, strengthening the case for the central bank to continue raising interest rates.