Japan
Banks suspend dual-currency deposits in Japan
Returns on dual-currency and structured deposits will not be covered by state insurance scheme, Japanese FSA decides
BoJ mirrors BoE’s FLS and steps up easing
Bank of Japan launches scheme with similarities to Bank of England’s funding for lending and steps up the size of its asset purchase programme by $138 billion
Japan should encourage female labour participation, says IMF paper
Working paper says higher female labour market participation could deflect demographic pressures in Japan; challenges remain, but good policy can go some way to addressing them
Shirakawa proposes tackling financial stability as a ‘public good problem’
Bank of Japan governor, Masaaki Shirakawa, says an optimal solution to create the conditions needed for financial stability could be achieved by reviewing the challenge as a ‘public good problem’
Top policy-makers debate Japan’s challenging road to recovery
Policy-makers gathered in Tokyo this week warn that the eurozone crisis, domestic demographic changes and high levels of government debt may thwart Japan’s efforts to bolster economic growth
IMF meeting set to reinforce global pessimism
Governments need to take urgent policy action to capitalise on the ‘breathing space’ created by central banks. But few attending the IMF meeting in Tokyo believe law-makers are fit for the task
BoJ deputy champions regional regulation
Kiyohiko Nishimura questions how to best spread a regulatory framework across the globe; says regional heterogeneity is an important consideration
Adaptability key to stability, says Shirakawa
Bank of Japan governor reviews the main roles of central banks and says adaptability is now crucial to achieving other goals
BoJ Tankan documents fall in business confidence
Tankan short-term economic survey reports drop in business confidence across all business sizes but fall not as severe as expected in small and medium-sized enterprises
European Commission criticises Basel Committee findings
Assessment report finds EU and US ‘materially non-compliant’ with some areas of Basel framework; European Commission questions report’s methodology and use of evidence
ECB communicates ‘intensively’ on fiscal policy, says paper
Research report compares central banks' communication on fiscal policy; ECB the most active commentator
BoJ’s Yamaguchi fears asset purchase backlash
Bank of Japan deputy governor says asset purchases may be misinterpreted as fiscal monetisation; could impact market’s confidence and interest rate levels
BoJ expands asset purchase programme
Japanese policy board votes to increase purchases of government bonds and treasury bills; Bank of Mauritius governor highlights risk to central bank reserves from further asset purchases
Bundesbank starts foreign reserve operations in Tokyo
German central bank upgrades Tokyo representative office on 25th anniversary to full trading office; starts trading in Asian timezone to lower costs and gain information edge
Shirakawa calls for increase in Japan’s potential for growth
Bank of Japan governor says monetary easing has created accommodative financial conditions; calls for private sector to take advantage
BoJ officials took pay cuts in wake of natural disaster
Annual review shows officers at Bank of Japan took pay cuts to support rebuilding efforts following 2011 earthquake; central bank sees increase in profits
BoJ’s Morimoto outlines ways to combat deflation
Yoshihisa Morimoto emphasises importance of ‘capturing’ demand to overcome deflation; says CPI is currently at 0% but is expected to rise towards 1% target in fiscal 2013
Japan’s Nishimura says UK Funding for Lending scheme needs time to work
Kiyohiko Nishimura discusses unorthodox policies central banks have been turning to; believes the BoE’s Funding for Lending scheme will take a long time to have “concrete benefits”
Can Japan afford to grow?
Japan has managed to maintain living standards during its two ‘lost decades’, but its efforts to do so now represent obstacles to achieving sustainable growth. By Ryo Watabe.
BoJ’s Shirakawa calls for 'drastic deregulation' to promote growth
Masaaki Shirakawa sets out possibilities for encouraging increased investment to promote growth and inflation expectations; firms reluctant to borrow despite monetary easing
Japan seeks changes to Dodd-Frank extraterritoriality on swaps
The Japanese authorities have asked their US counterpart to reconsider extraterritorial rules on swaps and defer regulation of cross-border over-the-counter derivatives regulation for at least a year
BoJ unveils international investment position in 2011
Japanese central bank research paper shows a rise in country’s net assets; both external financial assets and external liabilities increase
BoJ minutes reveal cautious positivity about global risks
Minutes of Bank of Japan’s July monetary policy meeting shows some optimism over global risks; members vote unanimously to hold rates and adjust asset purchases
Japan holds rates and delays disbursement of fund provision
Bank of Japan maintains benchmark rate at near zero; puts off first issuance of fund provision due to reform plans for Libor