ECONOMY

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda defended the BOJ's yield curve control on Thursday, the first anniversary of the key item in the bank's ultraeasy monetary policy regime. (Jiji)

Japan logged a customs-cleared trade surplus of 113.6 billion yen in August, compared with 34.6 billion yen in deficit a year before, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Wednesday. (Jiji)

The average land price in commercial districts in Japan as of July 1 inched up 0.5 pct from a year earlier, mainly reflecting higher demand for hotel and store sites on the back of an increasing number of inbound visitors, a land ministry survey report showed Tuesday. (Jiji)

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Abenomics economic policy mix on Saturday for failing to allow people to feel the benefits of economic growth. (Jiji)

The total amount of money paid to medical institutions in Japan to cover treatment of injuries and diseases fell 0.4 pct from the previous year to 41,286.5 billion yen in fiscal 2016, the health ministry said in a preliminary report Friday. (Jiji)

Further consolidation among Japan's regional banks is inevitable given the rapidly aging population and ultralow interest rates, according to an adviser to the Financial Services Agency. (Japan Times)

Japan's agriculture ministry said Friday it has set an ambitious goal of increasing annual rice exports to 100,000 tons by 2019. (Jiji)

The price-adjusted real wage index in Japan in July fell 0.8 pct from a year earlier, posting the steepest drop since June 2015, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said in a preliminary report on Wednesday. (Jiji)

Japan's factory output turned downward in July as manufacturers cut back on inventory stockpiles, government data showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japanese government and business leaders urged Britain on Thursday to minimize the negative impact of the country's exist from the European Union, or Brexit. (Jiji)