Japan
Japan leaves rates unchanged
JAPAN - As expected, the Bank of Japan made no change to its monetary policy today, following its two-day meeting.
Bank of Japan under pressure
JAPAN - The Bank of Japan was again under pressure from politicians as its two-day policy meeting began today. Worsening economic figures, despite cuts in the lending rate and injections of liquidity by the bank, have led to calls for inflation targeting.
Euro level does not reflect"inner strength"
JAPAN - ECB Vice President Christian Noyer speaking at a financial symposium in Tokyo for the introduction of euro notes and coins, said that there was room for the euro to appreciate.
Hayami: Econ ministers didn't discuss BOJ policy
JAPAN - Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami said Wednesday economic ministers didn't discuss monetary policy at a regular meeting earlier in the day.
Japan's economy set for biggest decline in 20 year
JAPAN - The Japanese economy is set for its most dramatic decline in at least 20 years, the government has admitted.
Hayami: No talk of monetary policy at econ council
JAPAN - Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami said after a meeting of the government's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy on Friday that the council did not discuss monetary policy.
Japanese politicians lock swords over bank reforms
ARTICLE - The outcome of a tussle within the LDP on changes to the insurance system will be a key test for Tokyo.
Consumer spending falls in Japan
JAPAN - Japanese households spent less in September in spite of falling prices and government attempts to boost consumer spending, official figures show.
BOJ Suda - Weak yen is remedy to stop price falls
JAPAN - Bank of Japan board member Miyako Suda said Monday she believes a weak yen is an appropriate remedy to stop Japan's price declines.
Bank of Japan is pressured to take action
JAPAN - Japanese lawmakers tightened the screws on the Bank of Japan by advancing legislation that would force it to take more aggressive action to stimulate the world's second-largest economy.
Japan's fading economy
ARTICLE - Two years ago, at the height of the dot.com bubble, when there were already worries that the US boom would end in tears, it was argued that the world needed Japan to start growing again before the US stopped doing so. It didn't quite turn out…
Japan Shiokawa/ Hayami: Reiterate need to reflate
JAPAN - Japanese Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa told Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami on Friday he wants the BOJ to boost consumer prices back to levels seen before Japan was gripped by deflation.
Japan's puzzle - Rock bottom rates, few borrowers
ARTICLE - HIROSHIMA, JAPAN - Why does Japan's economy, despite phenomenally low interest rates, keep wasting away? The answer begins in a vegetable garden near here.
Japan toughens stance on Pakistan debt
JAPAN - Japan has said it is unlikely to ease Pakistan's debt burden any further unless the Islamabad government agrees to ban nuclear weapons tests.
Bank of Japan Minutes
MINUTES - Bank of Japan, Minutes of the Monetary Policy Meeting on 18 September.
BOJ: Don't plan to weaken Yen by intervention
JAPAN - The Bank of Japan has no plan to intervene in currency markets to weaken the yen as a way to ease Japan's debilitating deflationary conditions, a senior BOJ official said Wednesday.
Shock rise in Japanese jobless
JAPAN - Unemployment in Japan rose to 5.3% in September, another record high.
Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting
REPORT - Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting, 29 October. Outlook and Risk Assessment of the Economy and Prices (October 2001).
Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting
REPORT - Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting, 29 October. Announcement of the Monetary Policy Meeting decisions (unchanged).
Bank of Japan warns of recession
JAPAN - The Bank of Japan has acknowledged the world's second largest economy will shrink this year by cutting a growth forecast for 2001 that many economists have long viewed as unrealistic.
Japanese output slumps
JAPANESE - Industrial production in the world's second largest economy slumped by a worse-than-expected 2.9% in September following last month's attacks on the US.
Japan in new territory after two years deflation
JAPAN - The Japanese government admitted Friday that the country had notched up two entire years of deflation - a phenomenon not seen since the second world war in an industrialised country and only rarely experienced in history.
Bank of Japan - Annual Report 2001
ANNUAL REPORT - The Bank of Japan has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2001.
NIESR report - UK to avoid slide into recession
UK - The UK will weather a sharp global slowdown and there is no reason to cut interest rates further, according to a leading think-tank.