Economic news(2025/05/21)
Long-term interest rates continue to rise, 30-year bond yield hits record high
2025-05-21 20:37:00
On the 21st, the bond market saw a surge in selling of government bonds due to the perception that demand was weak at the Ministry of Finance's auction of Japanese government bonds held on the 20th. The trend of rising long-term interest rates continues, with the 10-year government bond, which is a representative indicator of long-term interest rates, rising to 1.530%, and the yield on the 30-year government bond reaching an all-time high.
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Mie Prefecture, Kuwana Prefecture, the first city in Japan to hold consultation session on "customer harassment" ordinance to "disclose names"
2025-05-21 19:30:00
Kuwana City in Mie Prefecture, which was the first city in the country to enact an ordinance that includes provisions for the publication of names of customers engaging in nuisance behavior, or so-called "customer harassment," held its first city committee meeting on the 21st to deliberate whether a consultation it had received constituted customer harassment.
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Panasonic recalls electric shaver cables due to risk of overheating
2025-05-21 19:26:00
Panasonic has filed a recall with the government due to the risk of overheating at the connection between the electric shaver and the charging cable. It has said it will replace the cables attached to the affected 370,000 or so shavers free of charge.
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Yen rises as dollar selling grows ahead of G7 summit
2025-05-21 19:13:00
On the 21st, the Tokyo foreign exchange market saw a widespread sell-off of dollars, due to expectations that the United States would seek to correct the strong dollar at the G7 (Group of Seven) finance ministers and central bank governors meeting, which begins in the early hours of the 22nd Japan time, and the yen rose against the dollar.
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Estimated number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in April exceeds 3.9 million, the highest ever for a single month
2025-05-21 18:31:00
The number of foreign tourists who visited Japan in April was over 3.9 million, the highest ever for a single month, surpassing the previous record set in January of this year. This was due in part to strong travel demand during the cherry blossom season.
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Agriculture Minister Eto submits his resignation Rice retailers, farmers and local Miyazaki residents
2025-05-21 17:17:00
Reactions from around the country to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto's resignation following his remarks regarding rice.
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Fuji's parent company's management structure: no progress in negotiations with investment funds
2025-05-21 16:37:00
On the 21st, the chief investment officer of a major shareholder investment fund met with Fuji Television's president, Kenji Shimizu, regarding the management structure of the parent company of Fuji Television. The company and the fund each put forward candidates for the next directors, but no progress was made during the meeting on the 21st, and it seems likely that both proposals will be put forward at the company's general shareholders meeting scheduled for next month.
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Mercari begins using AI to restrict usage of users suspected of fraud
2025-05-21 16:22:00
As troubles surrounding flea market apps continue to occur, major app store operator Mercari has decided to strengthen its countermeasures, including using AI to identify accounts of users suspected of fraud and restricting their use.
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Stock prices fall as yen strengthens and dollar weakens, export-related stocks see increased sell orders
2025-05-21 16:09:00
On the 21st, the Tokyo Stock Exchange saw a rise in sell orders for export-related stocks such as automobiles due to the strengthening of the yen against the dollar in the foreign exchange market, causing stock prices to fall.
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Toyota announces new vehicle with continuously improved safety features through software updates
2025-05-21 15:30:00
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced a new model of car that can continuously improve safety features by updating the software installed in the car. In this field, overseas manufacturers are leading the way and competition is intensifying, so Toyota also wants to accelerate the launch of mass-produced cars on the market.
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Agriculture Minister Eto submits his resignation Rice retailers, farmers and local Miyazaki residents
2025-05-21 15:30:00
Reactions from around the country to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto's resignation following his remarks regarding rice.
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G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting to Start on 22nd to Exchange Opinions on Impact of Tariffs
2025-05-21 14:13:00
The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting will begin in the early hours of the 22nd Japan time. Opinions are expected to be exchanged on the impact of US tariffs on the global economy, and the focus will be on the extent to which the G7, which has promoted free trade up until now, can deliver a unified message.
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Revised NTT law etc. passed; Nationwide uniform telephone service; Changes in conditions for carriers
2025-05-21 13:27:00
The revised NTT Act, which includes changes to the conditions that NTT is required to meet in order to provide uniform nationwide telephone services, was passed and enacted at the House of Councilors plenary session on the 21st.
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Agriculture Minister Eto resigns Rice retailers and local citizens
2025-05-21 13:11:00
Reactions from around the country to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto's resignation following his remarks regarding rice.
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Chairman of the Japan Foreign Trade Council: "It is important to consider Japan's contribution to the return of US manufacturing"
2025-05-21 12:48:00
With ministerial negotiations between the Japanese and U.S. governments scheduled for the 24th of this month Japan time regarding U.S. tariff measures, Tatsuo Yasunaga, chairman of the Japan Foreign Trade Council, an organization made up of major trading companies, said it is important for the public and private sectors to consider how Japan can contribute to the return of manufacturing to the United States, as desired by the Trump administration.
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Fuji parent company's management structure Investment fund visits headquarters to explain unique proposal
2025-05-21 12:12:00
Regarding the next management structure of Fuji Television's parent company, the chief investment officer of a major shareholder investment fund visited the company's headquarters in Minato Ward, Tokyo on the 21st to explain his own list of director candidates. The company is opposed to the fund's proposal, and the focus is on whether the two sides can reach a compromise through direct discussions.
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Stock prices: Small price movements, sell orders mainly for semiconductor-related stocks
2025-05-21 12:01:00
On the 21st, immediately after trading began on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, buy orders were dominant, but thereafter sell orders came in, mainly for semiconductor-related stocks, and stock prices fluctuated slightly.
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April trade balance: 115.8 billion yen deficit, first deficit in three months
2025-05-21 11:30:00
The trade balance for April was in the red for the first time in three months, amounting to a deficit of 115.8 billion yen. Of this, the amount of automobile exports to the United States turned to a decline for the first time in four months, due to the trend of the yen strengthening in the foreign exchange market, and the Ministry of Finance has stated that it will continue to closely monitor the impact of the Trump administration's tariff policy.
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April trade balance: 115.8 billion yen deficit, first deficit in three months
2025-05-21 08:58:00
According to the April trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, the trade balance, which is exports minus imports, was in the red by 115.8 billion yen. This is the first time in three months that the trade balance has been in the red.
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ANA to introduce new fare system with greater price fluctuations depending on demand
2025-05-21 06:31:00
All Nippon Airways has announced that from May next year it will introduce a new fare system that will allow prices to change more dramatically in response to demand.
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Countermeasures against AI spoofing on the Internet: Iris identification proves human identity - Introducing new technology
2025-05-21 04:36:00
As generative AI becomes more widespread, AI spoofing on the Internet has become a problem, and a company led by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, is working on a new countermeasure. They have developed a system that uses the pattern of the eye, known as the iris, to authenticate and prove that the person is human, and the technology has recently been introduced in Japan.
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