New York Times (June 30)
China now dominates “even clean energy industries the United States had once led. In 2008 the United States produced nearly half of the world’s polysilicon, a crucial material for solar panels. Today, China produces more than 90 percent. China’s auto industry is now widely seen as the most innovative in the world, besting the Japanese, the Germans and the Americans.”
Tags: Auto industry, China, Clean energy, Dominates, Germany, Innovative, Japan, Polysilicon, Solar panels, U.S.
New York Times (June 12)
“America’s closest allies are increasingly turning to each other to advance their interests, deepening their ties as the Trump administration challenges them with tariffs and other measures that are upending trade, diplomacy and defense.” Much of the proactive push involves Britain, France, Canada, Japan and other middle powers. Their efforts “to come closer together as the United States recalibrates its global role… will be on display over the next few days as the Group of 7 industrialized nations’ leaders meet in Alberta, Canada.”
Tags: Advance, Alberta, Allies, America, Britain, Canada, Challenges, Defense, Diplomacy, France, G7, Japan, Middle powers, Recalibrates, Tariffs, Ties, Trade, Trump, U.S., Upending
Wall Street Journal (June 8)
“Given persistent trade uncertainty and a sluggish recovery in domestic demand, economists say Japan may enter a technical recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction, in the April-June period.”
Tags: April-June, Contraction, Domestic demand, Economists, Japan, Persistent, Sluggish recovery, Technical recession, Trade uncertainty
Seeking Alpha (May 27)
“Japan has lost its status as the world’s top creditor nation for the first time in 34 years, even as the country has maintained a strong investment appetite abroad. While its overseas assets topped JPY 500T ($3.47T) for the first time ever in 2024, it still trailed Germany’s international investments,” which rose to JPY 569.65T ($3.96T).
Tags: 2024, 34 years, Germany, Investment appetite, Japan, JPY500T, JPY569.65T, Nation, Overseas assets, Status, Strong, Top creditor
Fortune (May 24)
“Predictions that the dollar’s dominance will come to an end soon have proliferated since President Donald Trump launched his trade war,” but it’s not so simple. “Assets in other top economies like China, Japan and Europe still aren’t as attractive as those in the U.S.” while potential rivals also “suffer from governance or political headwinds.” Until another currency surmounts these issues, “global investors are faced with the familiar reality that there is still no alternative to the greenback, which has been the currency of choice for international payments and reserves for decades.”
Tags: Alternative, Assets, Attractive, China, Dollar, Dominance, Europe, Governance, Greenback, Headwinds, International payments, Investors, Japan, Political, Predictions, Rivals, Top economies, Trade war, Trump, U.S.
Barron’s (May 23)
“It’s time to worry about Japan and the yen carry trade again.” Rising yields in Japan could spell potential trouble in the U.S. The latest sale of Japan Government Bonds (JGBs) “was met with much less interest than anticipated,” selling at lower-than-expected prices and higher yields. “Those higher yields are trouble for the yen carry trade, which is a bad sign for U.S. Treasuries. Money borrowed in Japan often goes to buy U.S. debt, leading to a potential domino effect.”
Tags: Carry trade, Domino effect, Japan, JGBs, Prices, Rising yields, Treasuries. Debt, Trouble, U.S., Yen
CNN (May 1)
“Another day, another piece of evidence that President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with friends and foes is hurting the global economy. Today: Japan’s central bank cut its economic growth forecast for the country in half.” The Bank of Japan “lowered its expectations for 2025 gross domestic product growth to an anemic 0.5%, down from the previous projection of +1.1%, made in January.”
Tags: 0.5%, 2025, Anemic, BOJ, Economic growth, Escalating, Evidence, Expectations, Foes, Forecast, Friends, GDP, Global economy, Hurting, Japan, Trade war, Trump
South China Morning Post (April 18)
Japan is viewed as “Southeast Asia’s most trusted partner.” Extending stability, “amid global uncertainty, Japan’s ‘diplomatic consistency’ and pacifist stance solidified its position as the most trusted major power.”
Tags: Diplomatic consistency, Global uncertainty, Japan, Major power, Most trusted partner, Pacifist stance, Southeast Asia, Stability
Financial Times (February 27)
Although “some demographic experts had been hopeful of a pent-up baby boom in Japan following the pandemic,” 2024 confirmed the worst. “The number of babies born in Japan last year fell to the lowest level since records began 125 years ago as the country’s demographic crisis deepens and government efforts to reverse the decline continue to fail.” For nine years straight, “the decline in births has continued unabated…. Combined with a record 1.6mn deaths last year, the figures mean Japan’s population shrank by almost 900,000 people, net of immigration.”
Tags: 2024, Babies, Baby boom, Births, Deaths, Decline, Demographic crisis, Experts, Fail, Government, Immigration, Japan, Pandemic, Pent-up, Population, Record
Reuters (February 4)
“Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products rose 3.7% to a record high in 2024, despite China’s ban on seafood imports following Tokyo Electric Power’s discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.” These exports reached 1.507 trillion yen ($9.7 billion) last year, up nearly from 1.5 trillion yen from 2023. “Exports to China plunged 29.1% to 168.1 billion yen in 2024, but exports to the United States rose 17.8% to 242.9 billion yen, making the U.S. Japan’s top export destination for the first time in 20 years.”
Tags: 2024, 3.7%, Agricultural, Ban, China, Exports, Fishery, Forestry, Fukushima, Imports, Japan, Record high, Seafood, Tepco, U.S.
