News On Japan

Nikkei Rebounds Over 400 Yen to Regain 40,000 Mark After Upper House Election

TOKYO - The Nikkei Stock Average opened at 39,864 yen on July 22nd, up 45 yen from the previous session, marking the first trading day after the Upper House election. The index subsequently climbed more than 400 yen at one point, recovering the psychologically significant 40,000-yen level.

Although the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito suffered a major setback by losing their majority in the Upper House, the market reacted calmly. Analysts noted that the outcome had been largely anticipated based on prior media coverage, with investor sentiment viewing the result as "within expectations."

In the foreign exchange market, the yen, which had been sold off before the election, saw renewed buying. The currency strengthened to the lower 147-yen range against the U.S. dollar at one point, reflecting a partial reversal of pre-election trading positions.

Source: TBS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Heavy rain is expected across a wide area of Japan this weekend, with western Japan facing cloudy and rainy conditions on June 19 and Kyushu likely to see torrential rain and thunderstorms before rain clouds move eastward toward eastern Japan and Tohoku through June 21.

The eruption alert level for Mount Tokachidake in Hokkaido was raised to Level 2 on June 18 for the first time in 12 years, prompting authorities to restrict entry within 1.5 kilometers of the crater and close parts of hiking trails just days before the mountain’s official opening for the summer climbing season.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

JR Central and JR West on June 17 announced pricing and service details for the new private-room seating that will be introduced on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from October, creating a new top-tier class above the existing Green Car service.

A draft of the joint statement from the G7 summit in France has revealed that all proposals put forward by Prime Minister Takaichi on energy security and critical minerals have been incorporated into the agreement.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Japan's nationwide consumer price index rose 1.4% in May from a year earlier, staying below 2% for the fourth straight month as lower rice, gasoline, utility and school tuition costs helped curb the overall increase.

The Nikkei Stock Average surged past 71000 on Thursday, closing at a record high for the fourth straight session, as easing tensions in the Middle East lifted investor sentiment while the yen weakened to a nearly two-year low against the dollar.

Nissan Motor announced that it will launch the fully redesigned Kicks compact SUV on June 18, marking the model's first full overhaul in six years as the automaker seeks to strengthen its position in Japan's highly competitive small SUV market.

Japan's return to a world of higher interest rates is reshaping household finances, with a growing number of young homebuyers turning to 40- and 50-year mortgages to afford rapidly rising apartment prices, according to a discussion aired on BS-TBS's Report 1930 on June 17.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission has conducted on-site inspections of six major food manufacturers over suspicions they formed a cartel to coordinate ice cream prices, with authorities investigating whether the companies exchanged information and unfairly adjusted planned retail price increases in response to rising costs.

The Nikkei Stock Average briefly topped the 70,000 mark for the first time on June 16, rising as much as 700 points to an intraday high of 70,020 after the Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates matched market expectations, before retreating as investors locked in profits, though the benchmark still ended the day at a record high.

The Bank of Japan decided at its monetary policy meeting on June 16th to raise its policy interest rate for the first time in four meetings, lifting the benchmark rate from around 0.75% to around 1.0%, the highest level in 31 years.

Okinawa Coca-Cola Bottling has begun operating a large-scale solar power generation system at its Urasoe plant, aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 330 tons annually while expanding the use of renewable energy in the prefecture.