ECONOMY – 7

Private-sector analysts in Japan predict the country's GDP growth for this year's January to March period will be flat or lower than the previous quarter. (NHK)

Corporate Japan is at a crossroads over domestic production as exchange rates, labor costs, automation and consumer tastes pull companies in opposing directions. (Nikkei)

Thailand wants to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership "as soon as possible," Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told visiting Japanese Economic and Fiscal Policy and Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi who is in charge of negotiations for the pact on Tuesday. (Nikkei)

Policymakers at the Bank of Japan have decided to continue their massive easing program. (NHK)

Japanese government officials have released their leading gauge of inflation. The Consumer Price Index rose for the 15th straight month in March. (NHK)

Japanese workers appear headed for their biggest wage increase in two decades as companies led by the logistics and retail sectors compete for a slice of the country's ever-shrinking workforce. (Nikkei)

Japanese and Chinese ministers in charge of economic affairs have agreed to work together to develop infrastructure in third countries, based on an agreement reached by their leaders last year in a summit. (NHK)

Japan's population fell for the seventh straight year in 2017, with the native population dropping at a record pace, while the influx of foreign residents forestalled an even steeper decline. (Nikkei)

Japanese government officials have released data that measures the country's trade and investment with the rest of the world. They say the current account balance in February stayed in the black for the 44th straight month. (NHK)

The Japanese yen is the sweetheart of global speculators. Speculators loath uncertainty but thrive on calculated risk, and the yen offers unparalleled favorable odds for fast-paced global money managers. (Japan Times)