McDonald's Japan hikes prices in city centres as costs bite

Rapid inflation and the weakening yen continue to squeeze household budgets across Japan, prompting renewed debate over the country's economic policies. Former Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who spearheaded the central bank's aggressive monetary easing campaign under Abenomics, argues that the overall economy remains on a positive trajectory and that wage growth is now exceeding inflation.

A court is set to hand down its verdict on August 28th in the trial of former Momuri president Shinji Tanimoto and his wife Shiori, who are accused of violating Japan's Attorney Act by illegally referring clients of the retirement agency service to lawyers.

Japan's household spending fell for the fifth consecutive month in April, highlighting continued pressure on consumers as rising prices and growing concerns over instability in the Middle East weighed on household budgets.

Japan's largest electronics retailer, Yamada Holdings, and Osaka-based Edion announced on June 5th that they have agreed to integrate their businesses, creating a group with annual sales of approximately 2.5 trillion yen as competition in the consumer electronics industry intensifies and companies seek new ways to boost growth in a shrinking domestic market.

Japan's real wages rose 1.9% in April from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth and the longest stretch of positive gains in about five years as this year's spring labor-management wage negotiations began feeding through into workers' paychecks.

Nissan Motor has begun accepting orders in Japan for the Murano sport utility vehicle, which is produced in the United States, marking one of the first uses of a new vehicle certification framework established following a tariff agreement between Japan and the United States.

Uber Japan unveiled its latest strategy for its mobility business, including its taxi-hailing app operations, as the company seeks to expand its presence in a market where ride-hailing app usage remains lower than in many other countries.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on June 2nd that it is considering imposing an additional 12.5% tariff on Japan, arguing that the country's measures to prevent the import of products made with forced labor are insufficient.