ECONOMY

The Japanese government on Thursday upgraded its assessment of the economy in its monthly report for the first time since December. (marketwatch.com)

China's bond market will double in size from the current $9 trillion over the next five years, overtaking Japan's to become the world's second largest behind the United States', UBS Asset Management said in a report. (cnbc.com)

As the Nikkei 225 Stock Average rises toward its highest level in more than two decades, one group of investors has surprisingly missed out. (Bloomberg)

Japan logged a customs-cleared trade deficit of 203.4 billion yen in May, against the year-before deficit of 47.3 billion yen, the Ministry of Finance said Monday. (Jiji)

Officials at the Bank of Japan have wrapped up a 2-day policy meeting. They have decided to press on with their easing program as they pursue their 2-percent inflation target. (NHK)

Japanese farmers have urged lawmakers to stop officials from making too many concessions in an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. (NHK)

A Cabinet Office panel of experts on Thursday effectively confirmed that Japan's current economic expansion continued for the 53rd consecutive month in April, making it the third longest in the postwar period. (Jiji)

If and when the Bank of Japan should reveal its plans to exit its ultra-loose monetary policy has split economists polled by Reuters, with the economy showing signs of recovery even though inflation remains far below the central bank's target. (Japan Today)

Japan's government has set out its policy goals for managing the economy. This year's blueprint focuses on boosting productivity by investing in human resources. (NHK)

Japan's female labor force participation rate rose to 66.0 pct in 2016, the highest level since the country began taking the data in 1968, a government annual report said Friday. (Jiji)