Japan Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Almost everywhere, government-bond yields are rising fast. Those on ten-year American Treasury bonds are almost 5%.

Japan and Indonesia have pledged to deepen economic and defense ties during a visit by the Japanese prime minister

MAGA star Donald Trump wants to Make America Greater Again. In sq kms, that is. We all know of the US annexing nearly 13 lakh sq km of Mexican territory after winning the war with Mexico in 1848; buying 76,800 sq km in present day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico — the area known as Gadsden Purchase — from Mexico in 1854; buying Alaska from Russia in 1867; annexing independent Hawaii in 1898; procuring 117 sq km of Guantanamo Bay to set up a US detention camp in 1903, which the Cuban communist government has considered illegal since it came to power in 1959. There's, of course, the United States of America itself, carved out of lands not 'owned' by anyone when it was occupied by Native Americans, then turned into a British colony, and ultimately an independent nation state in 1776 according to Westphalian sovereignty norms invented in 17th century Europe. But less well known is America's territorial losses. The Panama Canal Zone, which it acquired in 1904 from private and public Panamanian owners, was returned to Panama in 1979, formally ceding its control in 1999. In Oceania, Japan-occupied Marshall Islands, which the US occupied after WW2, got its independence in 1979. The same 'transition' model was followed with Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, both of which officially gained independence from US 'trusteeship' in 1990 and 1994, respectively.

Former US President Donald Trump's legal battles could soon affect his ability to travel internationally, as many countries have strict entry requirements that bar individuals with felony convictions. With Trump facing 34 felony charges related to his involvement in a hush money scheme during the 2016 election, his criminal record could complicate travel to several nations that enforce such policies. According to Newsweek, G7 countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, along with others such as Israel and China, have policies preventing convicted felons from entering their borders. These restrictions could hinder Trump’s ability to travel abroad if his convictions stand, raising questions about how this might impact his international dealings, especially if he pursues a second term in office. These entry bans vary across countries. Some, like Canada and Japan, will deny entry to anyone with a felony conviction, while others, such as Brazil and Cambodia, may not check criminal records at the border but could deny entry if a conviction is discovered later.

That has officially given it the edge over Egypt, the previous tourism leader on the continent, and who also shattered its own arrival record, welcoming 15.7 million visitors in 2024. While no governing body tracks arrival numbers for every African nation, both UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council confirm that North African nations outpace sub-Saharan ones in terms of tourism volume. Morocco’s new tourism benchmark marks an astounding 20% jump from 2023 and more than a 33% increase over 2019 pre-pandemic levels when the Arabian destination received 13 million visitors. It has also put the Kingdom of Light two years ahead of its tourism projections.

Barack Obama, turned to Kimberly Clausing, a former member of the Biden administration and author of a book extolling the virtues of free trade. «Everyone in this room agrees with your book,» Furman said. «No one outside of this room agrees with your book.» The academics and policy wonks gathered in the hotel conference room laughed, but the comment captured something real: After decades of helping shape policy on weighty matters such as taxes and health insurance, economists find that their influence is at a low ebb.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Barbells; chalk; the clang of iron plates. Strength training is having a moment.

Apollo Global Management Inc. is considering taking a substantial stake in a bid by Seven & i's founding Ito family to take the Japanese convenience store operator private, people familiar with the matter said. The US private equity giant is discussing a commitment of as much as ¥1.5 trillion ($9.5 billion) for an equity stake in the plan, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isn't public. Under the current proposal, which is subject to change, Apollo would join the Ito family and Itochu Corp., the operator of FamilyMarts in Japan, as key investors. The Ito family is weighing a commitment of around ¥500 billion and Itochu more than ¥1 trillion. Other partners are still negotiating stakes.

Japan has imposed several previous rounds of sanctions, and the latest step comes a month after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed the country's policy at an online G7 summit in mid-December. «It is Japan's contribution as part of the international effort toward achieving global peace and resolving the problems surrounding Ukraine because of Russian invasion,» Hayashi said.

Henley Passport Index of the year 2025 has crowned Singapore as the most powerful passport of the world while granting its citizens visa free access to 195 out of 227 global destinations, reported CNBC Travel. This achievement actually marks a pretty significant milestone in global mobility while demonstrating the diplomatic and international standing of Singapore. According to CNBC Travel, Japan actually closely follows in second place with 193 visa free destinations while Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain share third place together whereas each country is offering access to 192 destinations. The rankings actually highlight the continued dominance of Asian and European nations in international travel freedom. The United Arab Emirates emerged as a notable climber while rising 32 places to enter the top 10 with access to 185 destinations, asserted CNBC Travel. At the same time, on the other hand, the US eventually experienced a significant decline while dropping seven places to ninth position.

Donald Trump is scheduled to take charge as the President of United States of America on January 22 and will announce a slew of policy-related decisions. However, the US is likely to witness a slow GDP growth in 2025. The world economy resisted battering by conflicts and inflation last year and is expected to grow a subdued 2.8 per cent in 2025, the United Nations said Thursday. In «World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025,» UN economists wrote that their positive prediction was driven by the strong although slowing growth forecast for China and the United States and by the robust performances anticipated for India and Indonesia. The European Union, Japan, and United Kingdom are expected to experience modest recovery, the report says. The report says the US economy outperformed expectations last year thanks to consumer and public-sector spending, but growth is expected to slow from 2.8% to 1.9 per cent this year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Los Angeles wildfires are set to be the costliest blaze in U.S. history, analysts said Thursday, as the first initial estimates of damage from the infernos soared with their unchecked spread.

The United Nations says the world economy resisted battering by conflicts and inflation last year and is expected to grow a subdued 2.8% in 2025

Accor SA.

Federal Reserve interest rates. Shares in Australia and Japan fell, while those in South Korea were little changed. Contracts for the S&P 500 dropped for a second day after US trading was closed on Thursday to observe a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter.

Bombay High Court has said. The court in its order passed on Wednesday, a copy of which was made available on Thursday, directed the Pune Regional Passport Office (RPO) to issue a passport to the 17-year-old girl within two weeks, observing that the right to travel abroad was a facet of the fundamental right guaranteed in the Constitution.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has begun a tour of Malaysia and Indonesia as part of his effort to further strengthen defense and economic ties with Southeast Asia as threats from China rise in the region

Electric vehicle fleet management firm Zypp Electric is in advanced discussions to raise an additional $25-30 million from investors with led by asset management firm Nuvama Wealth, as a part of an ongoing funding round, people in the know said.