Japan January Unemployment Edges Up To 2.8% Amid Covid Restrictions
— Job Cuts Y/Y Deeper in Wholesale, Retail, Education— Hospitality Jobs Up on January 2021, When Covid State of Emergency Imposed By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Job creation in Japan remained weak in January compared to a year earlier and the unemployment rate edged up from December as more people either lost their jobs or […]
Toyota To Suspend Japanese Domestic Factory Operations as Suspected Cyberattack Hits Supplier
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Toyota Motor said Monday that it will suspend all domestic factory operations on Tuesday after one of its parts suppliers was hit by a suspected cyberattack, adding to challenges for the auto industry that is already suffering from global chip shortages and pandemic-caused supply bottlenecks. It is unknown who staged […]
Japan January Industrial Output Dips As Covid Infections Hit Auto Factories
–METI Keeps View Output Shows Signs of Pickup As Firms See Rebound in Feb –METI To Watch Effects of Spread of Pandemic, Parts Shortages, Ukraine By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production posted the second straight drop in January, slipping after a surge in November, as a spike in Omicron-led coronavirus cases caused some […]
Japan January Retail Sales Up on Year But Dip on Month As Covid Cases Spike 
–METI Reverses View: Retail Sales Are Flat Vs. Showing Signs of Pickup –Y/Y Rise Led by Higher Fuel Prices, Less Strict Covid Rules Vs. January 2021 By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales posted the fourth straight year-on-year rise in January, led by higher fuel prices and solid department store sales, as resumed restrictions […]
Japan February Tokyo Core CPI Rise Picks Up From January on Utilities, Processed Food
–Hotel Fees Slower After 2021 Double-Digit Gains Over 2020 Subsidized Discounts–Utilities Leading Energy Higher; Durable Goods Down As Stay-at-Home Demand Wanes–Most of Base Effect in Mobile Phone User Fee Cuts To Last Through March By Mas Sato (MaceNews) – The year-on-year rise in consumer prices in Tokyo, the leading indicator of the national average, picked […]
Analysis: Japan Economy Faces Headwind in Light of Russian Invasion of Ukraine
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s wobbly economic recovery faces downside risks from high energy and commodities prices, which have surged on tensions over Ukraine between Russia and the West and could rise further on supply concerns now that Russia has invaded its neighbour. The direct impact of economic sanctions against Moscow on Japan’s trade […]
Japan January Core CPI Rise Shrinks as Hotel, Insurance Upward Base Effects Wane
— Both Core and Total CPI Measures Mark 5th Straight Y/Y Gains on Energy — Utilities Push Up Overall Energy Costs; Durable Goods Prices Slide By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Japan posted the fifth straight year-on-year rise in January but the pace of increase decelerated sharply as the 2021 base effects of […]
Japan Government Downgrades View: Some Weakness Seen in Pickup Hit by Covid
— Pickup in Consumption Pausing on Resumed Covid Restrictions — Business Investment Moving Upward as Seen in Q4 GDP Rebound By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Thursday downgraded its economic overview for the first time in five months, noting the recent spike in coronavirus cases sparked by the Omicron variant is hurting consumer spending, […]
Japan January Exports Post 11th Straight Rise on Reopening Demand but Pace Slows
–Import Gain Remains High on Energy, Leading to 6th Straight Trade Deficit –Exports to China Slip Leading to Lunar New Year Holidays –Auto Shipments Slide After Recent Pickup on Easing Supply Bottlenecks By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports rose from a year earlier for the 11th straight month in January but at a slower […]
Japan December, Q4 Machine Orders Continue Rising; Slight Setback Seen in Q1
–Japan Government Upgrades View for 2nd Month: Machine Orders Picking Up By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese machinery orders, the key leading indicator of business investment in equipment, unexpectedly posted a third straight monthly gain in December, boding well for capital investment, which marked a modest rebound in October-December to support Q4 GDP growth, data […]