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July 12, 2026
 

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CURRENCIES

Beijing on May 13. Even as the yuan strengthened, exports from China hit another record in April, with about half of export growth coming from semiconductors and computers, while traditional categories such as clothing and furniture were flat or shrinking.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 28, 2026
World’s appetite for AI makes China less afraid of stronger yuan
Even as the yuan climbed to its strongest level since 2023 and the economy looked more fragile, policymakers have shown little urgency to step in.
India has appealed to citizens to drop overseas trips and avoid gold purchases to protect a rupee that is among the world's ​biggest losers since war in the Middle East reduced crude supplies.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
May 22, 2026
Asia’s currencies are flashing the oil shock alarm
Asia buys about 80% of oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, and stress in foreign exchange markets is one of the clearest signs of rising fuel prices starting to hurt growth.
The war in Iran is fueling currency crises in energy-importing countries, underscoring the need to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy to shield economies from fossil-fuel shocks.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
The energy crisis is becoming a currency crisis
The biggest losers include the Egyptian pound, the Philippine peso, the South Korean won and the Thai baht.
An electronic screen displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, euro and other foreign currencies in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 16, 2026
Curious yen spikes have traders gaming Japan ‘warning shots’
Investors and strategists are debating whether Japanese authorities are trying to stem further weakness in the yen through smaller operations.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama speaks during a news conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 6, 2026
Yen rallies to build on gains spurred by recent intervention
Japan’s currency rose as much as 1.8% to ¥155.04 per dollar in Asia trading, its strongest level since Feb. 24, before paring the move to trade around ¥156.37.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama declined to comment on potential FX intervention on Monday, saying instead on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting in Uzbekistan that markets had seen speculative trading.
JAPAN
May 4, 2026
Yen briefly jumps in Asia trade, putting investors on high alert
The whipsaw trading came after Japan likely spent around ¥5.4 trillion ($34.5 billion) last week to support the yen.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama
BUSINESS / Markets
May 3, 2026
Finance minister declines to comment on yen intervention for now
“As finance minister, at this stage I’m not in a position to comment,” Katayama told reporters in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
While yields on euro-denominated bonds tend to be lower than those in dollars, investors are currently able to generate extra yield pickup by using swaps.
BUSINESS
Apr 30, 2026
Japan’s record sales of euro bonds show historic funding shift
Japan’s largest trading firm, Mitsubishi, raised €1 billion from its inaugural euro-denominated bond offering in February.
New ¥1,000 Showa Era commemorative coins will be priced at ¥34,800 apiece.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2026
Japan to issue coins marking 100th anniversary of Showa Era
Made of pure silver, the Showa coin has a diameter of 40 millimeters and weighs 31.1 grams.
Scott Bessent, U.S. treasury secretary, during a news conference in Washington on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2026
Katayama hints at yen intervention after talks with U.S. counterpart
Japan’s authorities have been ramping up their warning language as the yen continues to hover around ¥160 to the dollar, a key psychological threshold for markets.
An oil tanker is docked unloading crude oil at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on April 7.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2026
Xi’s petroyuan dream gets new life from Trump’s war in Iran
The conflict is spurring a fresh wave of enthusiasm over prospects for China’s currency to more effectively rival the U.S. dollar.
The yen traded above ¥160 to the dollar over the weekend — a threshold that some investors and traders see triggering government intervention. 
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 30, 2026
Tokyo stocks decline to a 2026 low after yen breaks ¥160 to the dollar
Brent crude is up and trading above $115 per barrel on supply concerns related to the war in the Middle East.
China is quietly laying the financial plumbing to weaken the dollar’s dominance by expanding the interest-bearing e-CNY at home and pushing blockchain-based cross-border payment systems abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2026
China tests new payment rails in challenge to ‘King Dollar’
With little fanfare, China’s e-CNY, the official digital currency, has gone from being interest-free cash to a yield-bearing product of commercial banks.
A British Union Jack flag flies on the Bank of England building in London's financial district on Nov. 7, 2025. The central bank says the next generation of pound notes will feature wildlife native to the U.K.
WORLD
Mar 11, 2026
Churchill to be removed from U.K. banknotes as cash gets new look
The next generation of pound notes will feature wildlife native to the U.K., according to the Bank of England.
A woman checks Bitcoin’s price chart on a smartphone.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
Takaichi clarifies she is not affiliated with ‘sanae token’ cryptocurrency
The cryptocurrency is a meme coin that NoBorder — a YouTube channel featuring political content run by Japanese entrepreneur Yuji Mizoguchi — announced last month.
Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Jan. 20
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 17, 2026
Trump’s new world order is pushing Sweden to warm up to the euro
Sweden adopting the euro would tighten political ties with Europe and give Swedes a seat at the table when it comes to pan-European monetary matters.
Tatsuo Yamasaki, former vice finance minister for international affairs
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 13, 2026
Japan’s ex-FX chief sees yen firming as Takaichi’s stance clears
Tatsuo Yamasaki also largely ruled out the likelihood of the United States helping Japan with joint currency intervention.
The rate of the yen against various currencies displayed outside a securities firm in Tokyo on Monday
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 11, 2026
Yen carry trade is a ‘ticking time bomb,’ warns BCA research
The Asian currency rose Tuesday for a second day versus the dollar, gaining 1% following disappointing U.S. retail sales data.
An electronic board displays the Korea Composite Stock Price Index, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and South Korean won, and the Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations at the dealing room of a bank in Seoul on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 5, 2026
South Korea’s fight for FX stability undermined by its Wall Street mania
The record appetite of Korean retail investors for U.S. stocks is fueling dollar demand as the won languishes at 17-year lows.
Japan's foreign exchange fund special account, established to conduct currency market interventions, has often been referred to as an untapped resource.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 4, 2026
Japan’s forex fund special account eyed for tax cut funding
The foreign exchange fund special account is attracting attention as a possible source of funding for consumption tax reduction or elimination proposed by many parties.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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