2025-03-19 23:18:00
Makino Milling Machine, a machine tool manufacturer that has received a takeover proposal from major electronics component manufacturer Nidek, has announced that it will take countermeasures against the proposal. If the takeover procedure goes ahead, it will reduce its shareholding ratio, and the focus will be on Nidek's response.
2025-03-19 22:15:00
In a lawsuit filed by Toshiba, a major electronics manufacturer, seeking compensation from its former management following its accounting fraud scandal, the Tokyo High Court, on the second instance, overturned the first instance ruling that had ordered three individuals to pay compensation, and dismissed the company's lawsuit.
2025-03-19 21:36:00
In its monthly economic report for this month, the government maintained its basic assessment of the current economic situation, saying that "the economy is recovering slowly, although some areas remain sluggish."
2025-03-19 20:35:00
A new type of seat will be introduced on the Tokaido Shinkansen. The seat is wider than normal and has a partition separating the seat from the aisle, creating a semi-private compartment.
2025-03-19 19:15:00
As the outlook for the global economy has become increasingly uncertain due to the worsening situation in the Middle East and the impact of U.S. tariff policies, investors have been buying gold, seen as a safe asset, and both retail and futures prices have hit new highs.
2025-03-19 18:44:00
At the Monetary Policy Meeting held until the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain the current monetary policy. The Bank of Japan is prepared to consider further interest rate hikes if the economic and price situation is as expected, but with the Trump administration in the United States proposing one tariff policy after another, Governor Ueda stated at a press conference that "it is not an easy situation to make a decision in," emphasizing his intention to carefully assess the US's movements.
2025-03-19 18:37:00
In the Tokyo foreign exchange market on the 19th, a press conference by Bank of Japan Governor Ueda indicated that the next interest rate hike may come sooner than expected, leading to a trend of buying yen and selling dollars, causing the yen to rise in value.
2025-03-19 18:27:00
With regard to mackerel catches, which have been declining, a policy has been finalized to reduce the current catch quota on the Pacific coast for the next season, which begins in July of this year, by 60%. The aim is to prevent overfishing and stabilize the catch.
2025-03-19 17:47:00
As rice prices continue to soar, the average price of all varieties traded between dealers in February rose 73% from the same month last year, hitting a record high for the sixth consecutive month. In the midst of this, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that it will hold a second auction for 70,000 tons of government stockpiled rice from the 26th of this month. Stockpiled rice that was sold in the first auction has already begun to be handed over to dealers, and the focus is on whether this series of releases will lead to the stabilization of rice prices.
2025-03-19 17:29:00
The number of foreign tourists who visited Japan last month was over 3.25 million, the highest ever for a single month in February. This was due in part to an increase in tourists from China during the Lunar New Year.
2025-03-19 17:19:00
In response to the issue of Japan Post fraudulently compiling a list of the personal information of a total of 10 million Japan Post Bank customers for use in soliciting financial products, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the 19th issued a legal request for a report to parent company Japan Post Holdings and Japan Post, requesting them to investigate the cause and prevent recurrence.
2025-03-19 17:07:00
The Ministry of Finance presented a list of documents it plans to disclose soon to the board of directors of the House of Councilors' Budget Committee regarding the disclosure of documents related to Moritomo Gakuen. The list includes over 400 documents, including emails between the Kinki Finance Bureau and the Ministry of Finance headquarters detailing the process of land transactions with the school, and is said to be over 2,000 pages in length.
2025-03-19 17:02:00
At its monetary policy meeting held until the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain its monetary policy and keep its policy interest rate unchanged. The Bank of Japan is prepared to consider further interest rate hikes if the economic and price situation is as expected, but the future is becoming increasingly uncertain as the Trump administration in the United States launches a series of tariff policies.
2025-03-19 16:15:00
As the afternoon approached on the 19th, ahead of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and a press conference by Bank of Japan Governor Ueda, investors adopted a wait-and-see attitude, and the Nikkei Stock Average fluctuated little.
2025-03-19 16:08:00
At its monetary policy meeting held until the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain its monetary policy and keep the policy interest rate unchanged. The Bank of Japan is prepared to consider further interest rate hikes if the economic and price situation is as expected, but with the Trump administration in the United States introducing one tariff policy after another, the future is becoming increasingly uncertain. Governor Ueda's press conference will be held at 3:30 pm. What thoughts will he have on the impact of the Trump administration's tariff policy and future interest rate hikes? We will provide a quick update on Governor Ueda's remarks at the press conference on this timeline.
2025-03-19 15:52:00
As U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to impose tariffs on imported cars as early as next month, Masanori Katayama, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, has indicated his intention to work with the public and private sectors to seek exemptions from the tariffs.
2025-03-19 15:23:00
The Ministry of Finance presented a list of documents it plans to disclose soon to the board of directors of the House of Councilors' Budget Committee regarding the disclosure of documents related to Moritomo Gakuen. The list includes over 400 documents, including emails between the Kinki Finance Bureau and the Ministry of Finance headquarters detailing the process of land transactions with the school, and is said to be over 2,000 pages in length.
2025-03-19 15:05:00
At its monetary policy meeting held until the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain its monetary policy and keep the policy interest rate unchanged. The Bank of Japan is prepared to consider further interest rate hikes if the economic and price situation is as expected, but with the Trump administration in the United States introducing one tariff policy after another, the future is becoming increasingly uncertain. Governor Ueda's press conference will be held at 3:30 pm. What thoughts will he have on the impact of the Trump administration's tariff policy and future interest rate hikes? We will provide a quick update on Governor Ueda's remarks at the press conference on this timeline.
2025-03-19 15:00:00
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that it will hold a second bidding for the government's 70,000 tons of rice stockpiled on the 26th of this month. The rice that was sold in the first bidding has already begun to be handed over to businesses, and the focus is on whether this series of releases will lead to the stabilization of rice prices.
2025-03-19 13:49:00
At the Monetary Policy Meeting held until the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain the current monetary policy and keep the policy interest rate at around 0.5%. It is believed that the decision was made based on the fact that the Trump administration in the United States has been implementing a series of tariff policies, increasing uncertainty about the future, and that it is necessary to carefully assess the state of the economy and prices.
2025-03-19 13:43:00
JX Metals, a metals manufacturer that produces semiconductor materials, was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime Market on the 19th. Based on the initial price, its market capitalization was over 780 billion yen, making it the second largest IPO this year.
2025-03-19 12:18:00
On the 19th, the Tokyo stock market and foreign exchange market saw the yen's recent rise against the dollar stabilise, with the exchange rate trading at around 149 yen to the dollar. This led to buy orders for export-related stocks and other stocks, causing the Nikkei average to rise.
2025-03-19 12:12:00
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that it will hold a second bidding for the government's 70,000 tons of rice stockpiled on the 26th of this month. The rice that was sold in the first bidding has already begun to be handed over to businesses, and the focus is on whether this series of releases will lead to the stabilization of rice prices.
2025-03-19 11:39:00
At the Monetary Policy Meeting held until the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain the current monetary policy and keep the policy interest rate at around 0.5%. It is believed that the decision was made based on the fact that the Trump administration in the United States has been implementing a series of tariff policies, increasing uncertainty about the future, and that it is necessary to carefully assess the state of the economy and prices.
2025-03-19 11:11:00
The trade balance for February was a surplus of over 580 billion yen, due to an increase in the value of automobile exports to the United States. This is the first trade surplus in two months.
2025-03-19 10:14:00
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that the second round of bidding for stockpiled rice, which is aimed at facilitating rice distribution, will begin on the 26th of this month. The amount to be sold will cover 70,000 tons of rice, including rice that was not sold in the first round of bidding. The Ministry said that depending on future trends in rice prices, it will consider further releases of stockpiled rice.
2025-03-19 09:01:00
According to the trade statistics for February released by the Ministry of Finance, the trade balance, which is exports minus imports, was a surplus of 584.5 billion yen. This is the first time in two months that the trade balance has been in the black.
2025-03-19 05:26:00
The Bank of Japan will hold its second day of monetary policy meetings on the 19th, where it will decide and announce its immediate policy. The majority of the opinions within the Bank of Japan are that it should wait and see how the additional interest rate hike in January and the tariff policy of the Trump administration in the United States will affect the economy and prices, and the meeting is expected to discuss leaving the policy interest rate unchanged.
2025-03-19 05:14:00
In response to the issue of Japan Post fraudulently compiling a list of 10 million customers of Japan Post Bank to be used in soliciting financial products, the Japan Post Group announced on the 18th that it would reduce the salaries of the presidents of each company. The group has been hit by a series of scandals, including the failure to conduct roll calls to check whether post office delivery workers had been drinking as required by law, and restructuring governance will be an issue.
2025-03-19 05:08:00
Regarding the problem of slander and false information on the Internet, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has published guidelines that give examples of posts that it requests social media operators to delete. These include posts that contain language that violates privacy and posts that violate laws, such as recruitment for illegal part-time work.
