Japan

A Tokushima-based startup that produced edible crickets has suspended operations and filed for bankruptcy after facing criticism over the use of its product in school lunches, it has been learned, the Japan News reported. Gryllus Inc. filed for bankruptcy at the Tokushima District Court on Nov. 7 with debts of about ¥153 million. The company had suffered poor performance after receiving criticism online due to the public’s resistance to the idea of eating insects.

Japan’s biggest bank apologized Monday for the alleged theft by an employee of more than 1 billion yen ($6.6 million) from customers’ safe deposit boxes, the Associated Press reported. The bank, formally known as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., said Monday that it was investigating and that verified thefts from about 20 of the 60 clients thought to have been affected amounted to 300 million yen (nearly $2 million). Compensation was being worked out, it said.

Japan's bankruptcy filings this year are set to surpass 10,000 and hit the highest since 2013, private-sector data by Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) showed on Monday, ahead of a closely watched central bank meeting next week, Reuters reported. In November, 841 Japanese companies went bankrupt, bringing the January-November tally to 9,164, already exceeding last year's total, data from the credit research agency showed. The 2024 bankruptcy figure will likely exceed 10,000 for the first time since 2013, when 10,855 firms went bankrupt. The Bank of Japan holds a rate review on Dec.

The Japanese economy grew more quickly than initially estimated in the July-September quarter, fueling expectations that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates soon and lending further strength to the yen, the Wall Street Journal reported. Real gross domestic product expanded 1.2% on an annualized basis in the quarter, compared with 0.9% growth in the preliminary estimates released in mid-November. The Japanese economy grew 0.3% from the previous quarter, revised government data showed on Monday.

Japan could use a wake-up call over its mountain of debt through credit rating firms warning of the potential for cuts to sovereign bond ratings, according to a government advisor, Bloomberg News reported. “Recent fiscal policy has turned into a popularity contest,” said Mana Nakazora, a credit analyst on an economic panel advising Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. “I’d rather that credit rating firms say that they’ll cut ratings” to warn authorities of risk, she said in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday.

Japan’s cabinet on Friday approved an economic stimulus package worth more than $140 billion, in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s latest push to tackle inflation and boost growth after his coalition suffered a bruising electoral defeat last month, the Wall Street Journal reported. The package totaling 21.9 trillion yen, equivalent to $141.71 billion, is aimed at easing rising living costs and promoting business innovation and investment.

Japan's wholesale inflation accelerated in October as renewed yen falls pushed up import costs for some goods, data showed on Wednesday, complicating the central bank's decision on how soon to raise interest rates, the Japan Times reported. The corporate goods price index (CGPI), which measures the price that companies charge each other for goods and services, rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed, above market forecasts for a 3.0% gain. It followed a 3.1% increase in September.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government is planning ¥30,000 ($192) cash handouts to help low-income households cope with higher prices as it fleshes out the details of an upcoming economic package, according to the latest draft of the plans seen by Bloomberg. In addition to the ¥30,000 handouts, the government plans to give low-income households an extra ¥20,000 per child, according to the updated proposals seen Thursday. The government also plans to reinstate subsidies for electricity and gas bills from January through March.

Japan's service-sector sentiment worsened and bankruptcy cases rose in October, data showed on Monday, casting doubt on the central bank's view the country was on track to meet its 2% inflation target driven by robust domestic demand, Reuters reported. The findings align with concerns voiced by some Bank of Japan (BOJ) board members at last month's policy meeting that intensifying labour shortages could constrain growth, rather than lead to higher wages.