https://www.scmp.com/rss/500989/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The rapid spread of coronavirus infections is posing a major threat to Japan’s already weakened economy, which contracted in the final quarter of 2019 after a sales tax increase dampened consumer spending. It is too early to say for sure whether Japan will slip into recession, but there are increasing concerns that economic growth may post a second consecutive decline in the first quarter of 2020, hit by slower production and consumption. The government has already drafted a record 102.7... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3052810/japan-must-fix-leaking-coronavirus-faucet-addressing-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3052810/japan-must-fix-leaking-coronavirus-faucet-addressing-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2020 08:00:14 +0000 A Japanese sales tax increase that will take effect on Tuesday is expected to have only a limited negative impact on consumer spending compared with a larger increase five years ago, but data suggests households are tightening their purse-strings amid weak consumer confidence and concerns about the sustainability of government social security programmes. Retailers have been cautious about offering aggressive discounts before the consumption tax is lifted from 8 per cent to 10 per cent on October... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3030952/japan-consumers-cautious-spending-despite-expected-limited?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3030952/japan-consumers-cautious-spending-despite-expected-limited?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 09:00:21 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump aim to sign a bilateral trade deal by the end of the month, but critics have said Tokyo is not gaining enough from the limited pact, which they charge violates World Trade Organisation rules. Officials are still working on the specific details of the “broad” agreement reached last month between Abe and Trump, with the key for Japan a reassurance that the United States will not impose punitive import tariffs on Japanese cars which... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3030110/us-japan-working-towards-signing-trade-deal-critics-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3030110/us-japan-working-towards-signing-trade-deal-critics-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2019 10:30:11 +0000 Fearing further backlash from Korean consumers, Japanese companies are tiptoeing around the tit-for-tat dispute between their conservative government and South Korea over Japan’s wartime past as the US-China trade war hits global growth. Sales of Japanese beer, cars and clothing in South Korea have declined since the dispute erupted in early July, due in part to a consumer boycott of Japanese products unleashed by the trade dispute, but also against the backdrop of wobbly growth patterns in... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3022432/japanese-firms-fear-escalation-south-korean-trade-spat-beer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3022432/japanese-firms-fear-escalation-south-korean-trade-spat-beer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2019 22:30:11 +0000 The US-China trade war has so far only had a limited impact on Japan’s lukewarm economic growth, but the affect is likely to grow if Washington imposes further sanctions on Chinese imports, Japanese analysts said. The downward pressure on Japanese growth over the last year, in fact, has been less to do with the trade war and more to do with declining global demand for smartphones, which has hit Japanese exports. The lingering effects of China’s deleveraging campaign to reduce debt and risky... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3012288/us-china-trade-war-impact-japan-limited-risks-high-if-united?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3012288/us-china-trade-war-impact-japan-limited-risks-high-if-united?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2019 22:30:08 +0000