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CNN —One rescued crew member has died and seven others are still missing after two Japanese military helicopters appeared to have crashed during a drill late Saturday, Japan’s Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said. “It is very unfortunate that this situation has come to this point,” Kihara told reporters on Sunday. Kihara said that “there is a high possibility of a collision,” and the flight recorders of the two helicopters were found and recovered from the area. “What is believed to be part of the aircraft has been confirmed at sea, and the two aircraft are thought to have crashed,” Kihara said. The SH-60K helicopters are mainly stationed on and operated from destroyers, and the two aircraft were conducting night-time training to search for submarines, according to the JMSDF.

Persons: Minoru Kihara, ” Kihara, Kihara, Rahm Emanuel, “, Fumio Kishida Organizations: CNN, Japan’s, Japan, Self, Defense Force Locations: Japan, Izu

TOKYO (AP) — Japan signed a deal with the United States on Thursday to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats. In November, the U.S. approved a $2.35 billion sale of two types of Tomahawks — 200 Block IV missiles and 200 upgraded Block V versions. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesJapan and the United States agreed to expedite the deployment “in response to the increasingly severe security environment,” Kihara said. The government quickly approved a shipment of Japanese-made Patriot missiles to the United States to complement the U.S. inventory. “There is a new Japan emerging, a more competent Japan,” he said.

Persons: Fumio, spender, Minoru Kihara, Japan Rahm Emanuel, ” Kihara, Emanuel, Japan's, ” Organizations: TOKYO, —, China . Defense, U.S, Kihara, United, Japan’s, “ Locations: — Japan, United States, Japan, China, North Korea, Australia, Britain, Tokyo, South Korea, U.S

The U.S. Air Force said on Monday that the bodies of five crew members had been found alongside the wreckage of a CV-22 Osprey that went down during a routine training exercise last week in southern Japan. Two crew members remain unaccounted for, and the remains of one had been discovered on Wednesday, the day of the crash. Over the weekend, the Air Force identified that airman as Staff Sgt. The body of Sergeant Galliher, a young father who went by the first name Jake, had been found by the Japan Coast Guard. The U.S. Air Force said that a breakthrough in the five-day search came on Monday, when a combined Japanese and American team found the Osprey’s fuselage.

Persons: Jacob M, Sergeant Galliher, Jake, Minoru Kihara, Ricky Rupp Organizations: U.S . Air Force, Air Force, Japan Coast Guard, United States Forces Japan Locations: Japan, Yakushima

MEXICO CITY (AP) — When music requires her to cry, Japanese traditional dancer Naoko Kihara barely alters her expression. “It is the dance that is speaking, interpreting, since we do not smile, shout or laugh.”Kihara won’t reveal her age, but she’s been practicing Japanese traditional dance for almost 24 years. For Latin American audiences, Kihara said, Japanese traditional dance might be hard to embrace. “It’s to be humble,” Kawasaki said, and because Japanese traditional dance maintains profound codes. “Through Japanese dance, we connect,” she said.

Persons: Naoko Kihara, ”, she’s, Kawabe, Kihara, Mexico —, “, Aimi Kawasaki, Kawasaki, ” Kawasaki, ” Kihara, Eiko, ” Moriya Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico City, “, Mount, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: MEXICO, Japanese, Mexico, Brazil, Tokyo, Japan, Ginreikai, Ginrekai

☆ BOJ's Noguchi: Japan yet to achieve wage-driven rise in inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese national flag is hoisted atop the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. "It's true the impact of elevated global inflation is reaching Japan's economy with consumer inflation exceeding the BOJ's 2% target since the spring of 2022," Noguchi said, according to the text of his speech posted on the BOJ's website. "But the rise (in inflation) is mostly due to cost-push factors amid higher import prices," contrary to the wage-driven price increases seen in the United States and Europe, he said. "To achieve our 2% inflation target, we must see price rises backed by sustained wage increases," Noguchi said. With inflation exceeding the BOJ's 2% target for more than a year, market expectations are heightening that the central bank will exit ultra-loose monetary policy next year.

Persons: Issei Kato, Asahi Noguchi, Noguchi, we've, Kazuo Ueda, Leika, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, Europe

☆ Asia factory activity weakens, uncertainty on China clouds outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An employee works on a production line manufacturing steel structures at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China May 17, 2020. The data shows that factories are producing less and hiring fewer people," Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, said of China's PMI readings, which have different samples. Export-reliant Japan, South Korea and Taiwan bore the brunt of sluggish global demand with their manufacturing activity remaining stagnant in November, surveys showed. Japan's final au Jibun Bank manufacturing PMI fell to 48.3 in November from 48.7 in October, shrinking at the fastest pace in nine months. Manufacturing activity also shrank in Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, but expanded in Indonesia and the Philippines, the surveys showed.

Persons: Dan Wang, Toru Nishihama, Leika Kihara, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, Korea Soft, P Global, Hang Seng Bank, Dai, Research, Jibun Bank, Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China, Japan, S, TOKYO, Europe, United States, Hang Seng Bank China, South Korea, Taiwan, Asia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Search operations widened Friday with additional U.S. military personnel joining the effort, while Japanese coast guard and military ships focused on an undersea search using sonar. Japanese officials say they asked the U.S. military to halt Osprey flights in Japan except for those involved in the search operations. A total of 44 Ospreys have been deployed at U.S. and Japanese military bases in Japan. Denny Tamaki called on Japan’s defense and foreign ministries to request the U.S. military to suspend all Osprey flights in Japan, including in search operations. “I have serious doubts about Osprey safety even for their search and rescue operations.”

Persons: —, Sabrina Singh, Hirokazu Matsuno, Minoru Kihara, Ricky Rupp, ” Kihara, Rupp, Yoko Kamikawa, Japan Rahm Emanuel, United States “, Denny Tamaki, Tamaki, “, ” Organizations: TOKYO, Pentagon, U.S, Ospreys, U.S ., Defense, U.S . Forces Japan, Osprey, United, U.S . Air Force Special, Command, Yokota Air Base, Fifth Air Force, 353rd, Operations, U.S . Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, Kadena Air Base, Gov Locations: Japan, U.S, Okinawa, United States, Yamaguchi prefecture

☆ Japan asks US military to ground Osprey aircraft after fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | Thomson Reuters | Kantaro Writes About Everything Japan'S Economic Indicators To North Korea'S Missiles To Global Regulation On Ai Companies. His Previous Stories Have Been Published In The Associated Press | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter conduct a search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. military aircraft V-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan November 30, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF), which also operates Ospreys, will suspend flights of the transport aircraft until the circumstances of the incident are clarified, another senior defence ministry official said in parliament. A spokesperson for U.S. military forces in Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deployment of the aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics of the U.S. military presence in the southwest islands saying it is prone to accidents. The last fatal U.S. military aircraft crash in Japan was 2018, when a mid-air collision during a training exercise killed six people, according to the defence ministry.

Persons: Minoru Kihara, Witnesses, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro Komiya, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S . Air Force, U.S, Ospreys, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Marines, Navy, U.S . Marine Corps, Osprey, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, U.S, Australia, Okinawa

Adachi said Japan has yet to see a positive wage-inflation cycle, in which wages and inflation rise together, kick off. The BOJ can start debating an exit strategy only when the chance of such a cycle emerging heightens, he added. But Adachi said the BOJ did not necessarily need to wait until inflation-adjusted wage growth turns positive for it to normalise monetary policy. Hawkish member Naoki Tamura in August signalled a chance of ending negative rates early next year, saying Japan's inflation was already "clearly in sight" of the BOJ's target. With inflation exceeding its 2% target for more than a year, many market players expect the BOJ to end negative rates and YCC next year, with some betting on a move as early as January.

Persons: Issei Kato, Seiji Adachi, Adachi, we're, Naoki Tamura, YCC, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Chang, Ran Kim, Jamie Freed Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, MATSUYAMA, Matsuyama

☆ Japan's price trend gauge hits record, heightens case for BOJ exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 2.2% year-on-year increase in the weighted median inflation rate, which is closely watched as an indicator on whether price rises are broadening, followed a 2.0% gain in September. It was the fastest rise since comparable data became available in 2001, Bank of Japan (BOJ) data showed. The data will be among the factors the BOJ will scrutinise at its next policy-setting meeting on Dec. 18-19. The weighted median is the inflation rate of items at the middle of the price changes, or around the 50th percentile point of the distribution. Unlike the consumer price index (CPI), which is swayed by fuel and energy costs, the weighted median inflation rate is useful to trace how widely prices are rising.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Leika Kihara, Kim Coghill Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bank

☆ Japan business lobby to discuss negative impact of weak yen -Yomiuri
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO:Coins and banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Japan's top business lobby Keidanren will discuss at next month's executive meeting the potential negative impact of the yen's weakness on the economy, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday. Keidanren, which is comprised of major companies including big automakers and electronics firms, traditionally favoured a weak yen and have called on the government to stave off sharp yen rises that make Japan's exports less competitive overseas. Any discussion on the demerits of a weak yen by Keidanren would highlight a shift in how Japan's business sector views the currency's movement and its impact on the economy. The shift in Keidanren's stance could heighten calls by the business sector for the Bank of Japan to end ultra-low interest rates that have been blamed for accelerating the yen's decline, the newspaper said.

Persons: Florence Lo, Keidanren, Leika Kihara, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Yomiuri, Bank of Japan, Reuters, Thomson

☆ BOJ's Ueda: Cannot say with conviction inflation will hit 2% target sustainably
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after their policy meeting at BOJ headquarters in Tokyo, Japan April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Monday the central bank cannot say yet with conviction that inflation will sustainably and stably achieve its 2% inflation target. "We're seeing some positive signs in wages and inflation. But there's high uncertainty on whether this cycle will strengthen," Ueda told parliament. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Issei Kato, Ueda, Leika Kihara, Tom Hogue Organizations: of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan's corporate service inflation climbs in sign of broadening price pressures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Japan's business-to-business service inflation accelerated in October as a tight job market lifted labour costs, underscoring a broadening of price pressures that could heighten the chance of a near-term end to ultra-loose monetary policy. The services producer price index, which measures the price companies charge each other for services, rose 2.3% in October from a year earlier, up from a revised 2.0% gain in September, Bank of Japan (BOJ) data showed on Monday. Information and communication, machinery repair and worker dispatching businesses saw fees increase from year-earlier levels due to higher labour costs. The data suggest Japan's economy is making progress towards achieving sustained rises in inflation accompanied by solid wage growth. His remarks have heightened market attention to developments in services prices, which most vividly reflect wages pressures companies face in their businesses.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Leika Kihara, Lisa Shumaker, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Bank of Japan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

"Given the fast-changing landscape, I believe those who move fast (with wage hikes) should become competitive." A demand made this year by Rengo, Japan's largest trade union confederation, for pay hikes of "around 5%" resulted in average wage hikes of 3.58% among major companies. Six out of 10 economists in a Reuters poll expect major firms' pay hikes in 2024 to exceed this year's. The key, however, would be whether wage hikes broaden to smaller firms and those in the regional areas. A report by the BOJ's regional branch managers in October warned wage hikes remained uneven among sectors with many firms undecided on next year's pay increments.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Takeshi Niinami, Fumio, Kazuo Ueda, Hisashi Yamada, Rengo, Atsushi Takeda, Kishida, Keita Kondo, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes, Leika Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Suntory Holdings Ltd, Reuters, Meiji, Life Insurance, Suntory Holdings, Bank, Japan, Hosei University, OECD, UA Zensen, Itochu Economic Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Ukraine, Saitama

☆ BOJ will debate easy-policy exit when inflation nears target -Gov Ueda
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after their policy meeting at BOJ headquarters in Tokyo, Japan April 28, 2023. The fate of the central bank's purchases and holdings of exchange-traded funds (ETF) will also be discussed as and when the BOJ considers an exit from ultra-loose policy, he added. "We will consider ending yield curve control and negative interest rates if we can expect inflation to stably and sustainably meet our 2% target," Ueda told a semi-annual testimony to parliament on Friday. "Trend inflation is likely to gradually accelerate toward our 2% inflation target through fiscal 2025. "If achievement of our price target approaches, we will discuss a strategy and guidelines for exiting ultra-loose policy," including the fate of its ETF holdings, Ueda said.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Issei Kato, Ueda, Leika, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: of Japan, REUTERS, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ BOJ's hawkish rhetoric signals chance negative rates may end soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Having watered down YCC at its last policy meeting, the BOJ's next goal is to pull short-term rates out of negative territory early next year, sources have told Reuters. That leaves open the chance of an policy change in January, when the BOJ next reviews its quarterly price forecasts. Most expect an end to both YCC and negative rates. "It's an awfully big upgrade and shows how the BOJ had made estimates that were way too low," said former BOJ top economist Hideo Hayakawa, who expects negative rates to end in April. Even if it ends negative rates, nominal short-term borrowing costs will remain well below levels that neither stimulate nor cool the economy - estimated by analysts to stand somewhere near 2%.

Persons: Issei Kato, Ueda, Kazuo Ueda's, Haruhiko Kuroda, Kuroda, Mari Iwashita, Hideo Hayakawa, Takahide, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Daiwa Securities, Japan Center for Economic Research, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, U.S

"Given the absence of a growth engine, it wouldn't surprise me if the Japanese economy contracted again in the current quarter. The risk of Japan falling into recession cannot be ruled out," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute. "The weak growth and the spectre of slowing inflation could delay the BOJ's exit from negative interest rates," he said. Japan’s economy contracts in the third quarterThe weak reading reflects lacklustre consumption and capital expenditure, dashing policymakers' hopes for a post-pandemic rebound in domestic activity to offset weaker external demand from China and elsewhere. He said better net exports, underpinned by car shipments and tourism, helped lift growth in the second quarter, belying the weakness in domestic demand.

Persons: Androniki, Takeshi Minami, Stefan Angrick, Angrick, Fumio Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Norinchukin Research, Gross, Moody's, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, China

☆ Japan's Oct wholesale inflation slows sharply, signals waning cost pressures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A woman looks at items at a shop in Tokyo, Japan, March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Japanese wholesale inflation slowed sharply October year-on-year, data showed on Monday, a sign that cost-push pressures that had been driving up prices for a wide range of goods were starting to fade. The slowdown was due to declines in prices for wood, chemical and steel products, the data showed, highlighting the impact of falling global commodity costs. The spike in wholesale inflation has prodded many Japanese firms to pass on higher costs to households, a trend that led the Bank of Japan to upgrade its inflation forecasts in quarterly projections released in October. But the BOJ has said the recent cost-push inflation must be replaced by price rises driven more by robust domestic demand, and accompanied by wage growth, in order for it to consider ending ultra-low interest rates.

Persons: Androniki, Leika, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea on Monday updated a bilateral security agreement with the aim of more effectively countering North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Seoul for annual security talks with South Korean military officials, including Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, which were focused on boosting nuclear deterrence against North Korea. They agreed to start as planned a real-time information sharing arrangement on North Korean missile launches in December. They also agreed to set up multiyear plans in coming weeks to enhance their trilateral military exercises, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of providing munitions and military equipment to Russia to help boost its war in Ukraine.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Shin Won, Austin, Shin, ” Austin, Yoon Suk, Minoru Kihara, Yoon, ”, Moon Jae, Kim Jong Un, Antony Blinken, Kim Organizations: Korean, U.S . Defense, South Korean, Defense, Austin, ROK, South, Japanese, Korea’s Defense Ministry, Shin, U.S, United Nations Command, Foreign Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Seoul, Japan, North Korea, Ukraine, Korean, Republic of Korea, U.S, South Korean, Washington, Hamas, Korea, Israel, Russia, South, Pyongyang, Moscow . U.S, Austin

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik in Seoul on Sunday with Japanese defence minister Minoru Kihara joining the meeting online. U.S. President Joe Biden agreed with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an Aug. 18 summit that by the end of this year the three countries would share North Korea missile warning data in real time. The ministers also condemned growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as a violation of U.N. resolutions, the South Korean defence ministry said in a statement, and also stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Sunday, the South Korean military said. In his first visit to South Korea since he took office in October, the top U.S. general discussed the "continuous provocations" of North Korea including missile launches, and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the defence of South Korea, the South Korean joint chiefs of staff said in a statement.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Lloyd Austin, Shin Won, Minoru Kihara, Kihara, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Charles Q, Brown, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Miral Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Korean, Sunday, . Defence, South Korean, Korea, U.S . Joint Chiefs of Staff, Thomson Locations: Rights TOKYO, SEOUL, South Korea, Japan, United States, South, Sunday ., Seoul, North Korea, Russia, Taiwan, TOKYO

☆ North Korea lashes out at U.N. Command over meeting in Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 13 (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday called for the United Nations Command to be dissolved calling it an "illegal war organization" over a meeting which is scheduled to take place between the member states in South Korea later this week, state media KCNA reported. The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea's criticism comes a day after U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik in Seoul on Sunday with Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara for a trilateral meeting. They agreed to start as planned a real-time data sharing scheme on North Korean missiles in December and condemned growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as a violation of U.N. resolutions during the meeting.

Persons: Kim Hong, Lloyd Austin, Shin Won, Minoru Kihara, Hyunsu Yim, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations Command, UNC, Command, Institute for Disarmament, Peace, DPRK Foreign Ministry, DPRK, North, Democratic People's, U.S . Defence, South Korean, Japanese, Korean, Thomson Locations: Gijungdong, North Korea, Panmunjom, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, U.S, Seoul, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Russia

The central bank could revise up its price forecasts again in January, which would allow policymakers to justify pulling short-term interest rates out of negative territory, he said. "There's a chance the BOJ could end negative rates as early as January next year, if it judges that inflationary pressure is heightening," Maeda told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. It also applies a charge to a pool of excess reserves to guide short-term rates at -0.1% under its negative-rate policy. Before adopting negative rates and YCC in 2016, the BOJ was pushing down long-term rates solely with a huge asset-buying programme called "quantitative and qualitative easing" (QQE). "After ending negative rates, the BOJ's policy would look quite similar to when it just had QQE," Maeda said.

Persons: Issei Kato, Eiji Maeda, Maeda, There's, BOJ, Leika Kihara, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of, Reuters, Chibagin Research, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan

☆ BOJ debated groundwork for future easy-policy exit at Oct meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Staff members of Bank of Japan walk between the BOJ headquarters buildings in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. The discussions highlight how the BOJ is looking to exit its decade-long accommodative regime, as prospects of sustained inflation and wage growth heighten. At the Oct. 30-31 meeting, the BOJ kept its ultra-low interest rate targets unchanged but tweaked the yield curve control (YCC) to loosen its grip on long-term interest rates. Another opinion showed how one board member saw prospects of sustainably achieving the BOJ's price target having heightened further since the previous meeting in July. The summary does not disclose the identity of the board member who made the comments.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Leika, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Bank, Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ BOJ Ueda signals chance of exit from easy policy before real wages rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after their policy meeting at BOJ headquarters in Tokyo, Japan April 28, 2023. "Real wages would likely have turned positive when a positive wage-inflation cycle kicks off," Ueda said. "But in terms of how long we maintain our massive monetary easing ... real wages don't necessarily have to turn positive before that decision is made," he said. "The decision (of ending ultra-loose policy) could be made if we can foresee with some certainty that real wages will turn positive ahead," Ueda told parliament. Ueda said the pass-through of rising import prices must dissipate and that wages and inflation needed to rise in tandem for the BOJ to consider exiting ultra-easy policy.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Issei Kato, BOJ Ueda, Ueda, YCC, Leika Kihara, Lincoln, Sam Holmes Organizations: of Japan, REUTERS, Bank of Japan, ., Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

[1/8] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands at the prime minister's official residence Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. "Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies," Japan's foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa told a press conference. The G7 is due to hold an online meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday. Since the war erupted, the G7 has issued just one joint statement on the conflict, amounting to a few sentences. G7 foreign ministers are preparing "some sort of statement" to be issued following the Tokyo talks, Kamikawa said declining to comment on its contents.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Antony Blinken, Eugene Hoshiko, Yoko Kamikawa, Kamikawa, Dmytro Kuleba, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Minoru Kihara, Blinken, Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Tom Hogue, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Japan's, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine, Kyiv, The, European Union, Russia, Ukraine's Foreign, Mitsui & Co, Health, Japanese, British, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Russia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, United States, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Moscow, Hiroshima, May, ISRAEL, GAZA, Iran

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