Bank of Japan policymakers meet next week for that most delicate of monetary missions - raising inflationary expectations without scaring households into cutting back consumption.
Japan
Abe hopes BOJ keeps stimulus to meet inflation goal, upbeat on economy
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he hopes the central bank continues with its bold monetary easing campaign to achieve its 2 percent inflation target.
Japan's old flip-phones soldier on while smartphones shrink
Japanese shipments of traditional flip-phones rose in 2014 for the first time in seven years while smartphone shipments fell, highlighting Japanese consumers' tenacious attachment to the familiar and typically less expensive older models.
Tokyo shares at eight-year top, Greek talks loom
Japanese shares touched an eight-year high on Monday following a record close on Wall Street, with investors cautiously optimistic the European Union would make progress this week on a debt deal with Greece.
GDP data to show Japan's economy out of recession
Japan's economy likely rebounded from recession in the final quarter of last year, data on Monday is set to show, giving a much needed boost to premier Shinzo Abe's efforts to steer the country out of decades of stagnation.
Latest News
Asian shares gained on Friday on news of a ceasefire accord in Ukraine, while Sweden's surprise move to cut its main rate into negative territory and hopes of a resolution between debt-strapped Greece and its creditors burnished risk appetite.
Asian stocks and the euro fell on Thursday as markets erred on the side of caution over the ongoing Greek debt negotiations amid conflicting headlines on progress in the talks.
The recent slide in global oil prices is a benefit for the world economy and could lead to some upgrades of economic forecasts, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Monday.
Japan's Canon Inc said it plans to buy security camera maker Axis AB for about 23.6 billion Swedish crowns ($2.83 billion) to expand into the surveillance products market amid weak sales of its cameras.
Asian equities slipped on Tuesday as nervousness over Greece potentially withdrawing from the euro and escalating conflict in Ukraine sapped risk appetite, while the dollar lost steam after its payrolls-inspired rally.
European stocks dipped and low-rated bond yields rose on Monday after dismal Chinese trade data and signs of increasingly fraught relations between Greece and its international creditors kept investors cautious.
Asian shares wobbled on Monday after dismal Chinese trade figures fueled concern over a slowdown in the world's second largest economy, while solid U.S. jobs data were a mixed blessing as they raised chances of a U.S. interest rates hike mid-year.
Japanese automakers are being forced to ship some car parts to U.S. plants by expensive air cargo and tweak production processes as a protracted labor dispute at U.S. West Coast ports shows no signs of letting up.
Asian shares edged higher in early trade on Friday and oil prices continued to rebound, even as investors remained wary ahead of the key U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for January later in the session.
