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Japan’s economy is showing renewed signs of life after decades of stagnation, but the recovery remains fragile. Real wages fell again in 2025, even as the Nikkei reached record highs and nominal wages began to rise. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic agenda, often called “Sanaenomics,” combines fiscal spending, stimulus, and reform to support growth. But a weak yen, higher import costs, soft household spending, geopolitical risks, and Japan’s heavy debt burden could sti

Japan’s real estate market produces a steady flow of useful consumer information, but much of it appears first in Japanese. For international buyers, overseas investors, foreign residents and globally minded property owners, that creates a real information gap. Important updates on condominium price and rental trends, housing supply, mortgage conditions, redevelopment, resort markets and regulation can be difficult to follow without Japanese-language ability. Japan Real Estat

On May 7th, Tokyo Kantei released their 2025 Condominium Price-Earnings Ratio (PER) report, showing that Greater Tokyo Area (GTA) condominium prices are rising faster than rents and further stretching the link between purchase prices and rental income. The clearest signal is in the resale market. The average PER for 10-year-old existing condominiums reached 31.78, surpassing the 30.46 recorded for newly built units. Photo by Maria Krasnova on Unsplash That means existing con

Nearly three decades after founding Rakuten, Mickey Mikitani remains one of Japan’s most closely watched business leaders, particularly as the country debates how to remain competitive in an increasingly global and AI-driven economy. In the CNBC Managing Asia interview below aired May 4th, Mikitani reflects on the key decisions that shaped Rakuten’s rise, including the controversial move to make English the company’s common language, the long and difficult path toward buildin

On April 28th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), alongside the Financial Services Agency, National Police Agency, and Ministry of Finance, issued a joint request to major industry associations and crypto-related bodies, calling for stricter compliance measures across the sector. Authorities warned that real estate transactions in Japan - given their high asset value - are particularly vulnerable to misuse for money laundering. Domestic and in