The Bank of Japan could raise key interest rates again as early as March and deliver up to three hikes this year in light of persistent inflation and yen weakness, Mizuho Financial Group's markets chief told Reuters on Thursday. With the yen having weakened and inflation continuing to run above the BOJ's target, "we can expect as many as three rate hikes this year, and it's entirely possible that the next one could come as early as March or April," Kenya Koshimizu, co-head of the lender's global markets division, said.
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Japan's bankruptcy cases rose in January as companies struggled with rising labour costs in a tight job market, a private survey showed on Monday, a sign of how increasing pay was hitting smaller firms, Reuters reported. Separate data showed real wages fell 0.1% in December from a year earlier, much slower than a 1.6% drop in November, as inflation eased and workers saw a steady gain in bonuses. Bankruptcy cases rose 5.6% in January to 887 from a year earlier, the highest level for the month in 13 years, a survey by private think tank Tokyo Shoko Research shows.
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Japanese companies are not obliged to accept unsolicited takeover bids even when offered large premiums, an industry ministry official told Reuters, amid growing concern about the targeting of leading firms by activist investors and foreign acquirers. Corporate Japan has seen a wave of unsolicited takeover offers since the country's powerful industry ministry introduced a code of conduct for mergers and acquisitions three years ago to crack down on excessive defensive tactics and encourage healthy industry consolidation.
A Bank of Japan board member highlighted the need for further increases to the benchmark interest rate in order to complete the process of normalizing policy settings, in a signal that’s likely to sustain emerging speculation over an early rate hike, Bloomberg News reported. "I am convinced that continuing with further policy interest rate hikes will be needed to complete the normalization of monetary policy in Japan,” Kazuyuki Masu said Friday in a speech to local business leaders in Ehime Prefecture.
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Prudential Life Insurance announced Wednesday that it would suspend sales of new insurance policies for 90 days, following the discovery of widespread financial misconduct involving current and former employees, the Japan Times reported. According to the company’s news release, the suspension period, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, was determined based on the time required to swiftly implement priority reforms, including strengthening governance, conducting internal reviews and enhancing compliance training.
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Japan's manufacturing activity grew at the fastest pace in about three and a half years in January, a private-sector survey showed, as strong customer demand drove an increase in output and new orders, Reuters reported. The S&P Global Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 51.5 in January from 50.0 in December, the strongest level since August 2022. The 50.0 threshold separates expansion from contraction.
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Inflation in Tokyo slowed to 2% year-on-year in January from 2.3% in the previous month, hitting the lowest level since October 2024, mainly due to a smaller rise in food prices excluding perishables, Japanese government data showed on Friday, the Japan Times reported. The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, in the capital's 23 wards came to 110.9 in January against the 2020 base of 100, rising for the 53rd consecutive month, the internal affairs ministry said.
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The crypto-focused subsidiary of Japan’s largest investment bank has joined the growing list of digital asset firms seeking a coveted banking charter from the U.S. Treasury Department, Decrypt.com reported. The subsidiary, Laser Digital, is based in Switzerland and owned by the Nomura Group, the Tokyo investment banking and brokerage giant. On Tuesday evening, Laser announced it had filed an application with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form a national trust bank.
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A Tokyo Shōkō Research report found that the number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan involving a total liability of ¥10 million or more rose by 2.9% year on year in 2025 to 10,300, Nippon.com reported. This was the second successive year for the total to exceed 10,000. The bankrupt firms included the listed company Alt, an artificial intelligence developer, after accounting irregularities came to light. However, overall liabilities fell by 32% to ¥1.6 trillion, as many of the bankruptcies involved microenterprises with liabilities of less than ¥100 million.
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