Japan's major banks are intensifying competition for household money as rising interest rates revive the appeal of deposits, prompting lenders to launch new savings products, wealth-management services and point-based incentives.
Japan is facing growing pressure over its treatment and recruitment of foreign workers, with serious allegations of abuse emerging even as companies compete for a shrinking pool of overseas labor and some industries approach government-set limits on the number of workers they can accept.
Tokyo stocks fell sharply on September 11, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,442, down 2.8%, as oil prices above $108, renewed Middle East tensions, U.S. rate-hike fears and expectations for another Bank of Japan increase triggered a broad selloff led by artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares.
Japan's corporate goods prices rose 7.6% in August from a year earlier, remaining above 7% for a third consecutive month as escalating tensions in the Middle East pushed up prices for petroleum, coal and chemical products.
Business sentiment among Japan's large companies returned to positive territory in the July-September quarter for the first time in two quarters, supported by growing demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and AI data centers as well as improving conditions in hospitality, restaurants and finance.
Tokyo stocks fell sharply on September 11, with the Nikkei average at one point dropping more than 2,000 points as escalating attacks between the United States and Iran drove oil prices higher and intensified concerns about inflation and corporate earnings.
Tada Shrine in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, has filed for protection under Japan's Civil Rehabilitation Act, becoming the first shrine in the Kansai region and only the third nationwide to enter bankruptcy proceedings, according to Teikoku Databank.
Protein powder prices are rising sharply in Japan as booming overseas demand for whey, partly linked to the growing use of weight-loss drugs, combines with the weak yen to make the key ingredient increasingly expensive for Japanese buyers.