The average land price in Japan as of July 1 increased 0.1 pct from a year before, the first rise since 1991, when the country's asset bubble era was ending, the land ministry said Tuesday.
Land prices continued rising in the greater Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya areas and four large cities--Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. Other cities also saw land prices recovering.
The average land price in commercial districts across Japan increased 1.1 pct because office vacancy rates declined in major cities and real estate demand for hotel and shop use rose thanks to an increasing number of visitors to Japan. In 2017, the price advanced 0.5 pct.
In residential districts, the average price fell 0.3 pct, down for the 27th consecutive year. But the pace of decline slowed from 0.6 pct.
Land demand remained generally firm thanks chiefly to low interest rates, informed sources said.
The average winter bonus for workers at major Japanese businesses rose 1.77 percent from a year earlier to a record ¥951,411 this year, a survey showed Wednesday. (Japan Times)
Finance ministers and central bank governors of the ASEAN states, along with Japan, China, and South Korea say they will discuss a plan to incorporate Japanese and Chinese currencies in a swap program to ensure financial stability in the region.
(NHK)
Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei Average saw its biggest fall of 2019. The drop followed a plunge on Friday on Wall Street that came amid new worries of an economic slowdown.
(NHK)
As trade talks between Japan and the US look likely to start soon, and the price of oil drops in Japan, the value of the Yen is increasingly under threat of deflation.
(newsonjapan.com)
The average price of all types of land in urban areas rose last year for the first time since 1992 as the growing influx of foreign tourists rejuvenated real estate investment, the government said Tuesday.
(Japan Times)
The Japanese economy will likely once again be assessed as "recovering at a moderate pace" in the government's monthly report due out Wednesday, which also will note potential risks from overseas economies. (Nikkei)
Japan will tighten oversight of pay for foreign employees through ordinances issued Friday, aiming to address major concerns over working conditions as the country prepares to accept more labor from abroad starting next month. (Nikkei)
Since the 2008 global financial crisis, expansionary monetary policy has been the order of the day in most of the major advanced economies. (Japan Times)
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denied a media report Thursday that the government is considering introducing a minimum wage for specific industrial sectors that would apply to workers nationwide, regardless of where they live. (Japan Times)