News On Japan

BOJ's paper loss on bond holdings spikes tenfold

Hit to Japan central bank's assets grows to $71bn as yield cap is raised

TOKYO, Mar 18 (Nikkei) - The Bank of Japan's paper loss on Japanese government bond holdings grew more than 10 times at the end of last year from three months earlier as rises in long-term rates undercut the value of the assets.

The market value of the central bank's JGB holdings stood at 554.6 trillion yen ($4.2 trillion) as of the end of December, according to preliminary flow of fund data released Friday. Given that the announced book value of the assets was 564.1 trillion yen, the unrealized loss came to 9.5 trillion yen ($71.4 billion), up from 874 billion yen at the end of September, based on a Nikkei calculation. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Japan's Meteorological Agency has changed its heavy rain emergency warning for parts of Ishikawa to a warning. But it is still urging people to stay alert for possible floods and landslides in the central prefecture. (NHK)

A test flight for flying cars was conducted in Wakayama Prefecture on Saturday, reaching an altitude of 40 meters, demonstrating stability in windy conditions.

Shohei Ohtani returned to Dodger Stadium in spectacular fashion, hitting a home run and stealing a base in his first game back, raising his season total to 52 home runs and 52 stolen bases.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says Japan and China have reached an agreement that will lead to the resumption of China's imports of Japanese seafood. (NHK)

The Tohoku Shinkansen came to a halt for five hours on Thursday due to an unexpected mid-journey separation of the linked Hayabusa and Komachi trains, 30 minutes after passing Furukawa Station with a total of 320 passengers on board.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

The Tokyo Stock Exchange announced on Friday that it has approved the initial public offering (IPO) of Tokyo Metro on the TSE Prime Market. The planned listing date is October 23.

Daihatsu Motor announced on Friday that it has filed a recall with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism for 1.71 million vehicles, including 15 models such as the Tanto, due to improper tightening of seat bolts.

The average price of a newly built condominium in Tokyo’s 23 wards has exceeded 100 million yen for the fourth consecutive month.

The village of Onna in Okinawa has recorded the highest land price increase in Japan, with prices for some areas rising by 29%. The average nationwide land price has increased by 1.4% for the third consecutive year, but the sharpest growth is seen in residential areas like Onna Village.

Land prices across Japan have been rising for four consecutive years, with North Kanto emerging as a key area of interest due to its favorable living conditions.

Sharp, a major home appliance manufacturer, has unveiled its first electric vehicle (EV) as part of its move into the electric vehicle market, with a five-seater 'extended livingroom' EV Sharp van.

Gold is gaining increasing attention as a stable asset. Among the most eye-catching items at a gold exhibition held in a Sapporo department store are statues of the genius surgeon Black Jack and his assistant Pinoko, both made of gold.

There are approximately 2 million visually impaired individuals in Japan and 300 million worldwide. Due to their impaired vision, going out often comes with the risk of accidents. In response to this issue, Honda's first startup Asirase, led by CEO Chino, developed a navigation device called 'Ashirase' to assist visually impaired individuals in walking safely.