Japan asset managers zero in on India-stock investment trusts

TOKYO -- Japanese asset management companies are developing investment trusts targeting Indian stocks, seeing new opportunities in relatively undiscovered small- and midcap stocks despite the market's recent downturn.


Japan demand topping capacity since 2022, revised BOJ data shows

TOKYO -- Demand has exceeded supply capacity in the Japanese economy since the first quarter of 2022, according to revised output gap data released Thursday by the Bank of Japan, a reversal of previous calculations that showed five and a half years of excess supply.


In a fractured trading order, power lies in having options

Zahid Hussain is a former economist at the World Bank. Tom Felix Joehnk is a former correspondent for The Economist.


Thai conglomerates open international schools, targeting expat demand

BANGKOK -- Conglomerates in Thailand are bolstering their education businesses with a focus on international schools, aiming to capture demand among foreigners and affluent families and to generate synergies with real estate and other operations.


Foreign economists counsel Takaichi on primary balance, public investment

TOKYO -- Two economists from American universities joined a Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy meeting here Thursday to offer views, and in some cases warnings, about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's pursuit of responsible expansionary fiscal policy.


Japan destroyer boosts deterrence with Tomahawk launch capability

TOKYO -- A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship has been modified at a U.S. Navy shipyard to add the ability to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Defense Ministry announced Friday.


Vietnam, Philippines seek oil aid from Japan amid Mideast war

TOKYO -- Grappling with oil shortages caused by the Iran war, Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines and Vietnam are asking Japan for support, including sharing some of its reserves and helping them reduce consumption.


Japan's strategic oil reserve faces biggest stress test in years

TOKYO -- Japan's strategic petroleum reserve, one of the largest in the world, will be tested for resilience by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East conflict even as the government stokes demand through a recently revived gasoline price subsidy.


Strait of Hormuz shutdown raises risks to Japan's aluminum supply

TOKYO -- The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is raising concerns about aluminum supplies for countries including Japan, which relies on the Middle East for a fifth of its supply of the metal used in products from drink cans to bullet trains.


South Korea to buy back $3bn in government bonds to stabilize market

SEOUL -- South Korea will conduct an emergency buyback of 5 trillion won ($3.3 billion) in sovereign bonds, the government said Thursday, in a move that aims to curb yields that have surged during the Iran war.