Economic news(2025/01/15)
U.S. Consumer Price Index rises 2.9% year-on-year in December
2025-01-15 23:18:00
The US Consumer Price Index for December was announced, showing a 2.9% increase compared to the same month last year. The increase rate was 0.2 percentage points higher than the previous month. In the US, inflation has been noted to be strong against the backdrop of robust employment and personal consumption. Attention is focused on how this statistic will affect the pace of future interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve Board.
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Government decides to change terminology from "subcontractor" to "small and medium-sized contractor"
2025-01-15 21:42:00
The government has decided to change the legal term "subcontractor" to "small and medium-sized contracted business operator," citing the fact that the term gives the impression of a hierarchical relationship between the client and the recipient. The aim is to encourage the creation of an equal relationship between the client and the recipient, leading to fair price negotiations.
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Cosmetics giant Kose partners with Indian cosmetics company to expand market
2025-01-15 21:09:00
Cosmetics giant Kose announced that it has invested in and formed a strategic partnership with an Indian cosmetics company, whose market continues to expand. With sales in China sluggish, the company wants to strengthen its business base in emerging markets. Meanwhile, cosmetics giant Shiseido, whose performance in China and elsewhere is deteriorating, has renovated its research and development center in Yokohama, where researchers will analyze consumers' skin conditions and provide direct advice in an effort to develop products that meet consumer needs.
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Tokyo venture company attempts second attempt at moon landing, launch successful
2025-01-15 20:09:00
A lunar lander developed by a Tokyo venture company aiming for a private lunar landing was launched from a launch site in Florida, USA, on the afternoon of the 15th (Japan time), and successfully placed into the planned orbit. The lunar landing is scheduled to take place around the end of May or early June this year.
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Japan Association of Corporate Executives: "More proactive efforts to achieve diversity, etc."
2025-01-15 19:23:00
Regarding the growing movement among American companies to review their efforts to achieve diversity, known as DEI, Niinami, Executive Director of the Japan Business Federation, pointed out that Japan is lagging behind the United States in its DEI efforts, and expressed the view that Japan should be more proactive in pursuing them.
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Tokyo venture company attempts second attempt at moon landing, launch successful
2025-01-15 19:13:00
A lunar lander developed by ispace, a Tokyo-based venture company aiming for a private lunar landing, was launched from a launch site in Florida, USA, at around 3:00 p.m. on the 15th, Japan time.
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Bank of Japan Governor: "Deciding whether to raise interest rates next week" Long-term interest rates and government bond yields rise
2025-01-15 18:36:00
On the 15th, Bank of Japan Governor Ueda said in a speech at a meeting of the Japan Regional Bankers Association that many companies are now positive about raising wages, and that "we would like to discuss and decide whether to raise interest rates at next week's monetary policy meeting." It is expected that the decision on whether to go ahead with an additional interest rate hike will be made while also assessing the policies of the upcoming Trump administration in the United States, which will be inaugurated shortly.
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Yen rises as Bank of Japan soon sees interest rate hike
2025-01-15 18:19:00
On the 15th, the Tokyo foreign exchange market saw the yen rise in value as yen was bought and dollars were sold due to the growing view that the Bank of Japan may soon raise interest rates.
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US fund requests investigation into Fuji Media Holdings over Nakai case
2025-01-15 17:56:00
American investment fund Dalton Investments has revealed that it has sent a letter to Fuji Media Holdings, the owner of Fuji Television, requesting the establishment of a third-party committee, citing flaws in the company's corporate governance in its response to the scandal surrounding comedian Masahiro Nakai, whose involvement with a woman was reported in a weekly magazine.
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[Details] Former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee arrested for attempting to avoid detection
2025-01-15 17:18:00
It has been revealed that a former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee who was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on the 14th for stealing gold bars from a customer's safe deposit box had tried to avoid detection by putting the spare key used to open the safe back into the envelope it was in and gluing it back in, and by disconnecting the system when safe deposit box users arrived to prevent them from entering the room.
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Tax incentives for increased education and training costs: Over 70% of cases are “excessive deductions” despite minimal effect on wage increases
2025-01-15 17:06:00
The Board of Audit investigated tax incentives for corporations that increased their employee training expenses, which were introduced as part of the "wage increase tax system," and found that while the effect of raising wages was very small, more than 70% of the targets received tax deductions that exceeded the additional expenses they incurred.
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Tokyo venture company attempts second attempt at moon landing, launch successful
2025-01-15 17:01:00
A lunar lander developed by ispace, a Tokyo-based venture company aiming to land on the moon privately, was launched from a launch site in Florida, USA, at around 3:00 pm on the 15th, Japan time. The lunar lander was separated from the rocket about an hour and a half after launch and was placed into the planned orbit, making the launch a success. The lunar lander is scheduled to attempt a lunar landing around the end of May to early June 2025. In 2024, an American space development company became the first private company to successfully land an unmanned lunar lander, and this launch will also carry a lunar lander from another American company along with ispace, and will attempt a lunar landing in March 2025. If ispace's lunar lander is successful, it will be the first lunar landing by a Japanese private company, following an American company.
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LDP Secretary-General Moriyama and others meet with Chinese Premier Li to confirm importance of deepening ties
2025-01-15 16:43:00
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Moriyama and others, who are visiting China, met with Premier Li Qiang and called for measures to resolve outstanding issues, including the early resumption of imports of Japanese seafood products, and confirmed the importance of deepening relations between the two countries.
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Stock price slightly down
2025-01-15 16:13:00
On the Tokyo stock market on the 15th, there was a move to buy back stocks that had recently fallen in price, but the Nikkei average fell slightly as the yen strengthened due to the view that the Bank of Japan may soon take further interest rate hikes and sell orders increased.
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Tokyo venture company attempts second moon landing from US launch site
2025-01-15 15:33:00
A lunar lander developed by a Tokyo venture company aiming for a private lunar landing was launched from a launch site in Florida, USA, at around 3:00 pm on the 15th, Japan time. The lunar lander is scheduled to be separated from the rocket about an hour and a half after launch and placed into the planned orbit.
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Former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee arrested on suspicion of theft - attempt to avoid detection?
2025-01-15 15:30:00
It has been revealed that a former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee who was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on the 14th for stealing gold bars from a customer's safe deposit box had tried to avoid detection by putting the spare key used to open the safe back into the envelope it was in and gluing it back in, and by disconnecting the system when safe deposit box users arrived to prevent them from entering the room.
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US fund requests investigation into Fuji Media Holdings over Nakai case
2025-01-15 13:05:00
American investment fund Dalton Investments has revealed that it has sent a letter to Fuji Media Holdings, the owner of Fuji Television, requesting the establishment of a third-party committee, citing flaws in the company's corporate governance in its response to the scandal surrounding comedian Masahiro Nakai, whose involvement with a woman was reported in a weekly magazine.
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LDP Secretary-General Moriyama and others meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to exchange views on pending issues between the two countries
2025-01-15 12:25:00
LDP Secretary-General Moriyama and his delegation, who are visiting China, met with Premier Li Qiang and are believed to have exchanged views on issues of concern to both countries, including the early resumption of imports of Japanese seafood products.
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China's struggling real estate giant "Country Garden" to post deficit of over 3.8 trillion yen in 2023
2025-01-15 12:23:00
China's struggling real estate giant Country Garden has revealed that its final deficit for 2023 was more than 3.8 trillion yen. The total amount of defaults is said to exceed 3 trillion yen, and the company continues to face tough management.
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LDP Secretary-General Moriyama and others meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to exchange views on pending issues between the two countries
2025-01-15 12:13:00
LDP Secretary-General Moriyama and his team, who are visiting China, are expected to meet with Premier Li Qiang and exchange views on issues of concern to both countries, including the early resumption of imports of Japanese seafood products.
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Former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee arrested on suspicion of theft - attempt to avoid detection?
2025-01-15 12:05:00
It has been revealed that a former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee who was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on the 14th for stealing gold bars from a customer's safe deposit box had tried to avoid detection by putting the spare key used to open the safe back into the envelope it was in and gluing it back in, and by disconnecting the system when safe deposit box users arrived to prevent them from entering the room.
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Former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee arrested on suspicion of stealing gold bars from a safe deposit box
2025-01-15 10:15:00
In a case where over 1 billion yen worth of customer money and valuables were stolen from a Mitsubishi UFJ Bank safe deposit box, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 46-year-old former assistant branch manager on suspicion of stealing approximately 20 kilograms of gold bars, worth 260 million yen. The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating the details of the incident, as the suspect had suffered large losses in FX trading and horse racing, and owed money to a consumer finance company.
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Mitsubishi Corporation to invest in US synthetic fuels production startup
2025-01-15 07:24:00
As efforts toward decarbonization spread among companies, it has been revealed that major trading company Mitsubishi Corporation will be making a new investment in an American startup that produces "synthetic fuels" that are considered environmentally friendly.
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Bank of Japan's policy interest rate hikes could lead to a deficit of up to 2 trillion yen
2025-01-15 06:36:00
The Bank of Japan has calculated that if it were to raise interest rates rapidly, from the current policy interest rate of around 0.25% to 2% in a few years, the Bank of Japan itself would incur a deficit of up to 2 trillion yen. If the central bank's finances deteriorate, there is a risk that trust in the policy itself will be lost, so financial soundness is also an issue for the Bank of Japan, which is considering raising interest rates.
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94 companies delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange last year, the highest number since 2014
2025-01-15 06:30:00
Last year, 94 companies were delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the highest number since comparable data became available in 2014. This was due to an increase in companies taking their shares private to gain greater management freedom.
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Data center construction to accelerate this year as energy conservation and decentralization become issues
2025-01-15 06:05:00
With the advancement of digitalization and the spread of generative AI, the demand for data centers that process data is increasing. The construction of data centers is expected to accelerate in Japan this year as well, but because they consume large amounts of electricity, the challenge is how to promote energy conservation and decentralization of facilities.
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Mitsubishi UFJ Bank to immediately consider disciplinary measures against President Hanzawa and other executives and employees
2025-01-15 05:55:00
Following the arrest of a former deputy branch manager for stealing gold bars from a safe deposit box, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank has decided to quickly consider disciplinary action against President Junichi Hanzawa and other executives and employees in order to clarify responsibility.
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The government plans to show that the primary balance will remain in deficit, a departure from its previous surplus
2025-01-15 05:36:00
It has become clear that the government will compile estimates showing a continuing deficit in the primary balance, an indicator of fiscal soundness, instead of the previous projection of a surplus for the new fiscal year of 2025. Due to the large scale of this year's supplementary budget, the government's stance on fiscal soundness is likely to be questioned once again.
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Former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee arrested on suspicion of stealing gold bars from a safe deposit box
2025-01-15 05:16:00
In a case where over 1 billion yen worth of customer money and valuables were stolen from a Mitsubishi UFJ Bank safe deposit box, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 46-year-old former assistant branch manager on suspicion of stealing approximately 20 kilograms of gold bars, worth 260 million yen. The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating the details of the incident, as the suspect had suffered large losses in FX trading and horse racing, and owed money to a consumer finance company.
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