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Bank of Japan

The latest news and top stories on the Bank of Japan. A prominent Tokyo-based governmental body, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) serves as Japan’s central bank, established in 1882. Its primary mission is to maintain price stability and ensure financial system stability, aiming for a 2 per cent inflation target. Key activities include issuing banknotes, implementing monetary policy, providing settlement services and conducting economic research. The BOJ is notable for pioneering ultra-loose monetary policies, including Zero and Negative Interest Rate Policies, significantly influencing the global financial landscape as the central bank of the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors is being driven by the insatiable computing needs of artificial intelligence as the components are crucial to power tech innovations from smartphones to electric vehicles. Photo: Shutterstock

Semiconductors

How massive AI-driven demand for MLCCs triggered a supply bottleneck

Power-hungry data centres fuel demand for MLCCs, which are crucial components for modern innovations including smartphones and electric cars.

2 hours agovideocam

United States

Macroscope | Investors expecting a US interest rate rise could be in for a surprise

11 Jun 2026 - 4:30PM

China consumption

Gold slump: China’s sales plunge as precious metal’s price dips

7 Jun 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

South Korea

Macroscope | How the AI chip boom made South Korea a victim of its own success

While tech giants are driving South Korea’s stock market higher, the country’s currency is struggling and foreign investors are pulling out.

4 Jun 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

South Korea

‘Transitory euphoria’: South Korea’s strong economic outlook masks key hurdles

The surge in demand for semiconductors is cyclical, while other sectors in the country are lagging, analysts say.

29 May 2026 - 8:21PM

South Korea

Reality deficit: how South Korea lost the plot on AI

A viral ‘baseball goddess’, a wolf that never was and a deepfake epidemic. Generative AI is rewriting South Korea’s reality.

17 May 2026 - 11:00AM

South Korea

Samsung union’s strike threat fuels fears of South Korea’s economic slowdown

The AI boom and SK Hynix’s profit-sharing arrangement with its workers have reportedly galvanised Samsung’s biggest union to take action.

14 May 2026 - 5:00PM

Union members from Samsung Electronics stage a protest in front of the company’s plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi province last month. Photo: The Korea Times

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Australia’s interest rate rise signals growing hawkish stance in Asia

Reserve Bank of Australia is less an outlier than a harbinger of global monetary trends in the wake of war-induced supply shocks.

7 May 2026 - 4:30PM

Japan

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

23 Apr 2026 - 5:20PMvideocam

Japan

Macroscope | Will Japan’s corporate bond initiative signal a shift in Asia financing?

Japanese authorities are promoting the domestic corporate bond market as an alternative for firms seeking funding without losing control.

18 Apr 2026 - 5:33PMvideocam

A man stands in front of an electronic board displaying the closing numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, in Tokyo, on April 2. Photo: AFP

South Korea

No oil for BBQ: South Korean restaurants gasp for help amid fuel crisis

Prices for ingredients and packaging have risen by as much as 30 per cent since the start of the Iran war.

1 Apr 2026 - 2:44PMvideocam

A Korean barbecue restaurant. Small business owners in South Korea are feeling the pinch from rising fuel prices. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong stock market

Markets brace for rate hikes as prolonged Iran war stokes tightening fears

The European Central Bank has become more hawkish, reverting to wording that analysts say often precedes interest-rate increases.

23 Mar 2026 - 9:46PM

South Korea

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

Any deal with Iran could undermine South Korea’s alliance with the US and their US$350 billion trade deal.

20 Mar 2026 - 8:10AMvideocam

China's population

Can AI help China cushion economic fallout from its rapidly ageing population?

As fertility rates fall, Asian economies face a daunting challenge – sustaining growth with fewer workers.

13 Mar 2026 - 3:04PMvideocam

A robot serving food and drinks on the China Mobile stand, taken on March 3 in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest mobile technology showcase and fair. Photo: AFP

Japan

Macroscope | Why the IMF is right to press Japan on its fiscal risks

The fiscal and monetary policies of advanced economies have global repercussions, and Takaichi’s expansionary fiscal agenda risks market pushback.

21 Feb 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Japan

Macroscope | Japan will soon learn how far Takaichi can ride her luck

While Japan is unlikely to have its own Liz Truss moment, high debt levels and an empowered populist in charge are still reasons for concern.

12 Feb 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Japan

Japan’s wage squeeze undermines Takaichi’s ‘trickle down’ plans

Fresh labour ministry figures show the cost of living crisis is deepening, as inflation continues to outpace salary increases for workers.

11 Feb 2026 - 7:25PM

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Trump-Takaichi meddling in finance spells more turbulence ahead

The two leaders’ moves into economics despite their lack of knowledge threaten to further destabilise global finance and inflate debt levels.

7 Feb 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Japan

Macroscope | Could Japan stop being the ballast of the bond market?

A lower house election victory would give flight to Prime Minister Takaichi’s fiscal expansionism – and introduce upheaval far beyond Japan.

31 Jan 2026 - 5:41PM

Interest rates

Spiking yen fuels risk-averse mood as investors take defensive stance

Yen hits two-month high amid fears US and Japan will intervene to prop up the currency ahead of Japan’s election next month.

26 Jan 2026 - 7:00PM

Bonds

Japan bond volatility raises contagion alarm for Asia’s stocks and debt

Japan’s yield spike is testing safe-haven assumptions, with markets debating whether the movement is local or systemic.

21 Jan 2026 - 3:11PM

A monitor displays long-term interest rates in Tokyo, Japan, on January 19, 2026. Photo: EPA

International Property

Heightened tensions with China rattle Japan’s property market: analysts

Bilateral friction is expected to impact assets tied to tourism, including hotels and high-street retail shops, CBRE’s Chinatsu Hani says.

11 Jan 2026 - 9:30AM

Japan

Bank of Japan’s historic rate increase signals new era for economy

Bank of Japan lifts rates to 0.75 per cent – a 30-year high – ending zero-interest era, paving the way for further increases amid rising inflation.

19 Dec 2025 - 4:52PM

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Inflated asset prices show markets don’t always know best

With hyperinflated sectors across multiple asset markets, the next crash could be so severe that it prompts a restructuring of global finance.

6 Dec 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks edge higher as weak jobs data firms up rate-cut bets

Rates traders price in more than 90 per cent probability of a quarter-point reduction next week after private US labour market report.

4 Dec 2025 - 4:45PM

A view of Central on November 14, 2025, shows Exchange Square, the headquarters of Hong Kong’s bourse operator. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks stumble after 2 days of gains as investors await policy signals

Caution returns ahead of US Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan meetings, as well as China’s economic work conference.

3 Dec 2025 - 4:32PM

The Hang Seng Index fell 1.3 per cent on Wednesday. Photo: Jelly Tse

South Korea

Macroscope | South Korea’s challenges a taste of what’s to come for global economy

While South Korea has been a big beneficiary of the AI boom, the surge is also highlighting its domestic and geopolitical vulnerabilities.

20 Nov 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Japan

Japanese yen weakens to 9‑month low, hits 155 to US dollar amid uncertainties

Stocks and bond market slump as investors fret over expansionary fiscal plans, fading US rate-cut bets, and a China-Japan diplomatic row.

18 Nov 2025 - 5:43PM

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Bank of Japan

How massive AI-driven demand for MLCCs triggered a supply bottleneck

Power-hungry data centres fuel demand for MLCCs, which are crucial components for modern innovations including smartphones and electric cars.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Macroscope | Investors expecting a US interest rate rise could be in for a surprise

Gold slump: China’s sales plunge as precious metal’s price dips

Macroscope | How the AI chip boom made South Korea a victim of its own success

While tech giants are driving South Korea’s stock market higher, the country’s currency is struggling and foreign investors are pulling out.

‘Transitory euphoria’: South Korea’s strong economic outlook masks key hurdles

The surge in demand for semiconductors is cyclical, while other sectors in the country are lagging, analysts say.

Reality deficit: how South Korea lost the plot on AI

A viral ‘baseball goddess’, a wolf that never was and a deepfake epidemic. Generative AI is rewriting South Korea’s reality.

Samsung union’s strike threat fuels fears of South Korea’s economic slowdown

The AI boom and SK Hynix’s profit-sharing arrangement with its workers have reportedly galvanised Samsung’s biggest union to take action.

Macroscope | Australia’s interest rate rise signals growing hawkish stance in Asia

Reserve Bank of Australia is less an outlier than a harbinger of global monetary trends in the wake of war-induced supply shocks.

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

Macroscope | Will Japan’s corporate bond initiative signal a shift in Asia financing?

Japanese authorities are promoting the domestic corporate bond market as an alternative for firms seeking funding without losing control.

No oil for BBQ: South Korean restaurants gasp for help amid fuel crisis

Prices for ingredients and packaging have risen by as much as 30 per cent since the start of the Iran war.

Markets brace for rate hikes as prolonged Iran war stokes tightening fears

The European Central Bank has become more hawkish, reverting to wording that analysts say often precedes interest-rate increases.

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

Any deal with Iran could undermine South Korea’s alliance with the US and their US$350 billion trade deal.

Can AI help China cushion economic fallout from its rapidly ageing population?

As fertility rates fall, Asian economies face a daunting challenge – sustaining growth with fewer workers.

Macroscope | Why the IMF is right to press Japan on its fiscal risks

The fiscal and monetary policies of advanced economies have global repercussions, and Takaichi’s expansionary fiscal agenda risks market pushback.

Macroscope | Japan will soon learn how far Takaichi can ride her luck

While Japan is unlikely to have its own Liz Truss moment, high debt levels and an empowered populist in charge are still reasons for concern.

Japan’s wage squeeze undermines Takaichi’s ‘trickle down’ plans

Fresh labour ministry figures show the cost of living crisis is deepening, as inflation continues to outpace salary increases for workers.

Macroscope | Trump-Takaichi meddling in finance spells more turbulence ahead

The two leaders’ moves into economics despite their lack of knowledge threaten to further destabilise global finance and inflate debt levels.

Macroscope | Could Japan stop being the ballast of the bond market?

A lower house election victory would give flight to Prime Minister Takaichi’s fiscal expansionism – and introduce upheaval far beyond Japan.

Spiking yen fuels risk-averse mood as investors take defensive stance

Yen hits two-month high amid fears US and Japan will intervene to prop up the currency ahead of Japan’s election next month.

Japan bond volatility raises contagion alarm for Asia’s stocks and debt

Japan’s yield spike is testing safe-haven assumptions, with markets debating whether the movement is local or systemic.

Heightened tensions with China rattle Japan’s property market: analysts

Bilateral friction is expected to impact assets tied to tourism, including hotels and high-street retail shops, CBRE’s Chinatsu Hani says.

Bank of Japan’s historic rate increase signals new era for economy

Bank of Japan lifts rates to 0.75 per cent – a 30-year high – ending zero-interest era, paving the way for further increases amid rising inflation.

Macroscope | Inflated asset prices show markets don’t always know best

With hyperinflated sectors across multiple asset markets, the next crash could be so severe that it prompts a restructuring of global finance.

Hong Kong stocks edge higher as weak jobs data firms up rate-cut bets

Rates traders price in more than 90 per cent probability of a quarter-point reduction next week after private US labour market report.

Hong Kong stocks stumble after 2 days of gains as investors await policy signals

Caution returns ahead of US Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan meetings, as well as China’s economic work conference.

Macroscope | South Korea’s challenges a taste of what’s to come for global economy

While South Korea has been a big beneficiary of the AI boom, the surge is also highlighting its domestic and geopolitical vulnerabilities.

Japanese yen weakens to 9‑month low, hits 155 to US dollar amid uncertainties

Stocks and bond market slump as investors fret over expansionary fiscal plans, fading US rate-cut bets, and a China-Japan diplomatic row.

Macroscope | Investors expecting a US interest rate rise could be in for a surprise