Japan Wholesale Prices in Oct. Updated Nov. 13, 2026.

Japan's wholesale prices rise 7.1% in Oct.

Ideas

It seems like the weak Japanese yen and Japan being a resource-poor country are seeing prices import or wholesale prices continue to increase, which of course means wholesalers and importers are going to continue to pass-on their increased costs to the next in the supply chain including the final retail customer.

And of course supply chains in Japan are seeing companies pass-on their increased costs to other companies and again eventually the final retail customer.

Yes, of course the impract of higher crude oil prices has had a major affect on prices in Japan but thats not entire story as global supply chains, related to all products and commodities have seen price increases and have seen maybe even higher price increases than crude oil.

And because of this and the weak Japanese yen, again, has caused havoc on the overall Japanese economy and consumers and households have been living with the weak yen and higher global prices almost since the pandemic started.

And yes, import prices seem to be like out of control sometiemes in Japan and, again, Japan is a resource-poor country and has to import much of what it needs and as it has relative few free trade agreements its subject to shifts in global prices or even shifts in supply chain prices these days.

And then lets not forget about the weak Japanese yen which affects everything that is imported into Japan as nothing is spared as again Japan just doesn't have enough free trade aggreements to offset global or supply chain price increases.

Of course chemical product prices are going to increase but here might be the time to say companies sometimes will increase prices even though there is enough supply and even though supply chains might be somewhat normal but they are looking for ways to protect their profit margins and if they see a potential risk, no matter how small, some or many will increase their prices.

And its interesting that back in the summer of 2024 there was a supposed rice shortage which  skyrocketed through the Japan rice market and the price of rice was increased to the point there was rice shortage and again the price of rice went through the roof.

And then add in there was supposed false information that went public about a potential earthquake in Japan that sent worried consumers to rush to the supermarkets and try to horde rice which caused prices to increase even more in the summer of 2024, and the price of rice is just now getting back to some kind of normalcy.

Of course the increase in prices of many products or commodities have increased in Japan and of course companies are passing-on their increased costs to the next in the supply chain including of course the final retail customer.

And once again, Japan has relatively few free trade aggreemants that it can use to protect import prices and of increases in global prices as the Japanease economy these days is not well protected from global price increases overall. 

Have a nice day!

Article source:    https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261112/p2g/00m/0bu/014000c

Japan Oct. Bankruptcies: Update Nov. 13, 2026

Japan logs 934 bankruptcies in Oct., year's 3rd-highest tally

Ideas

Unfortunately, in a market economy, there are going to be some who do better and some who have to leave the market. It's unfortunate that lives and families are going to suffer because of the bankruptcies.

Even though there is a supposed labor shortage, some small companies can't pay the needed wages or salaries that workers want or need to due a companies very thin profits margins and because of the increase in raw materials prices now in Japan.

And again, yes due to increased energy and raw material price increases in Japan some small companies just can't keep up and unfortunately have to leave the market.

And then as mentioned before due to small companies lazor thin profit margins they just can't handle any increase in material prices and then add in if they did hire new workers at a hire wage rate that made it even worse for them unfortunately.

Most likely Toys R Us just wasn't a good fit for the Japanese market in the long run. It might have been good in the beginning but consumer tastes change and then add in inflation in Japan maybe parents decided that buying childrens today might be in the budget anymore.

But again, in a market economy, companies, unfortunately, come and go and maybe Toys R Us had its day in Japan and now maybe their time has run its course and time to move on.

Yes its very unfortunate, and again, most likely these are small companies and in order to try and survive they went ahead and increased wages hoping to turn things around but it just didn't work out for them and again lives and families have to suffer.

Here is where, if possible, the Japanese government should stepin and help these small companies if they can be saved, but unforunatley there might be many small companies that are just existing on borrowed time and again its very sad just how many small companies in Japan are just existing and might be considered zombie companies now.

Yes the service sector, especially restaurants, and again espeicaly small company restaurants,  have been hit hard since the pandemic with increased material costs and their profit margins have been so slim if they don't have the needed customers or sales that can't keep up with the increase in raw material costs and they have no choice but to leave the market.

And then there is the transportation companies as they can't find enough workers and while not to be too negative here, but some, towns, or provinces are now hiring foreign workers as drivers but again not to be too negative here, Japan imigration seems not be doing enough to help alleviate the problem by finding ways to to help those sectors that need workers.

Have a nice day!

Article source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261110/p2g/00m/0bu/037000c

Japan Sept. Current Account: Ideas Later.

Japan logs current account surplus of 2.37 trillion yen in Sept.

Article to be deleted after ideas.

Article:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan posted a current account surplus of 2.37 trillion yen ($15 billion) in September, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

The surplus in September decreased by 2 trillion yen on year, reflecting a decline in dividend receipts from overseas subsidiaries, which contributed to a narrower surplus in the primary income balance.

In the first half of fiscal 2026, covering April through September, the current account surplus amounted to 17.15 trillion yen, down 0.4 percent from the same period last year, according to the ministry's preliminary report.

Primary income, which reflects earnings from overseas investments, fell 27.1 percent to 3.55 trillion yen in September, the report showed.

The goods trade balance posted a deficit of 187.5 billion yen, compared with a surplus of 247 billion yen a year earlier.

Exports rose 12.8 percent to 10.73 trillion yen, while imports increased 17.8 percent to 10.92 trillion yen, driven by higher crude oil prices amid tensions in the Middle East.

The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade.

Article source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261110/p2g/00m/0bu/029000c

Japan Sept. Household Spending: Updated Nov. 12, 2026.

Japan's household spending in Sept. falls 6.8% on year

Ideas

Consumer spending in Japan has always been less than what is should be to help the economy grow and the latest stats show that perfectly even though inflation at only around 2 to 2.5 percent is still causing housesholds in Japan to limit their spending.

And of course, for some adverse weather can be a contraining factor, as for example, as Japan has a large senior level population, which many might be on fixed incomes, and getting out in adverse wether to go to supermarket on a daily basis, most of them do, might have been a lmiting factor and then add to it the idea that many in the fixed income group might not shop on amazon much too, as they still prefer to use cash at the daily supermarets or shops.

Lets be clear, or quite possible, the 289,536 yen, monthly probably doesn't represent everyone in Japan and maybe just the middle class or the near-upper middle class in Japan, as for example up to 36 percent of the workforce in Japan are either irregular or contract workers who don't make anything near what the name-brand large companies workers make which means their disposiable incomes are much less and have less available to spend in the economy.

Energy and water bills in Japan can somtimes be very large and any chance a household can get to reduct those costs they will do and the lower temperatures were a good reason to decrease the AC and open the windows as reduce their overall eneergy bills.

And yes, as inflaton contiunes on in Japan even again at only 2 to 2.5 percent it might be too much for some and it should be remembered even with inflaton at let's say 2.5 percent companies are not going to reduce their costs just because the BOJ or whomever says inflation is controlled as their company's costs might still be high so they will continue to pass-on their materials costs to the customer.

And yes again the heavy rains and typhoones, can be a limiting factor to get out for the fixed income groups Japan to go to supermarket each day, which they do, or their local shopping center, which they might do, almost weekly.

And again, as the cooler weather or less humid weather might have kicked in Japanese households to take advantage of the better weather and turned off their AC's to reduce costs.

Yes there was a 5-day holiday period in Japan in September which gave families and consumers a chance to get out and go to their favorite restaurants and spend a little of their disposable incomes.

But again, as the eastern side of Japan had a significant amount of rain since 1946, again, it might have meant, the lower-middle classeas and especialy the fixed income groups in Japan might not have been able go to their local supermarket as much.

And as the article above suggests, as rice is a major staple in the Japanese diet, buying rice is important for Japanese households and ever since the summer of 2024 the price of rice, for maybe most of the Japanese population was out of control, so yes, they looked for cheaper rice where-ever they could find it.

Regardless of the impact of adverse weather, consumer spending in Japan has been less than good for a very long time and the adverse weather was just another reason for many not to spend their limited disposable incomes and sit out the bad wheather until it got better.

Even though the BOJ or whomever suggests that consumer spending is half the country's GDP, and not to say anything negative but that is just a textbook idea of where consumer spending should be in an economy, as maybe spending in Japan have never been a major economic driver to grow the economy.

And here we go again, suggesting that the average monthly income of salaired households increasesed 0.9 perecent to 528,074, which might sound good for some but again it must be remembered that only about 30 percent of the workforce in Japan work for the large-name brand companies which means its very possible that 528,704 income doesn't represent all the workers in Japan as there is up to 70 percent of the workforce who work for small and mid-size companies which can get close to paying the wages or salaries that large companies do.

And as mentioned, above, up to 36 percent of the workforce in Japan are contract or irregular workers which make much less than the large company workers make which means they have limited incomes and limited disposable incomes to spend in the economy.

And having lived and worked in South Korea for 25 yeas and traveling to Japan as many years I've seen first hand how the numbers talked about sometimes don't show the real story of what's going on in both countries.

Have a nice day!

Article source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261110/p2g/00m/0bu/027000c

Korean Economy? Update Nov. 10, 2026.

Korea's economy is booming. Why isn't President Lee's popularity?

Ideas

Of course this sounds good for the South Korean economy but it doesn't tell the real story of what is happening in the everyday lives of middle class South Koean families.

The economy might grow 4 percent, if being positive, but again its not trickling down to the rest of soceity as maybe only the Chaeblol, or large company workers, are seeing the benefits of the strong economic growth.

Yes, again, being positive per capital gross national income might surpass $40,000 for the first time but only about 40 percent of households will each this level and the other 60 percent might be much lower and they are in no way seeing any of the benefits from the boom that is taking place with Samsung or SK Hynx these days.

But again the South Korean economy, as it is now, doesn't seem to represent the bulk of Korean society as just a minority are really benefitting from the booming economy now. But unfortunately that's the way it's been in South Korea for a very long time.

President Lee or any other world leader doesn't control what is always going on in an economy, and not to say he doesn't share some blame but an economy, for the most part, is sometimes out of the control of the President or even a Prime Minister.

And of course society or normal everyday middle class citizens feel they need to have someone to blame so it's easy to blame the President instead of for example the CEO of Samsung.

What is hardly ever reported in the news, in every country, or many countries, South Korea now has a two-tiered society and even maybe a three-tiered society of the haves, being the Chaebol families and the professonal class, the have-nots being the middle class families of some mid-size companies and maybe government workers, and then there is unfortunately, those working for the small companies and even the fixed income groups who are at the very bottom of society as some have to scrape by everyday just to survive.

Some might say how can this be when Seoul looks like world-class high-tech society where it seems everything looks new and all the energy going on there but in reality that is only at the surface as you have to look deeper to see what is really going on in South Korea.

Yes the semiconducor boom has lifted exports like the car industry did for a very long time, but in reality, South Korea only has a handfull of economic driver exports that it can rely on and if, for example the AI boom or semiconductor boom or demand were to turn south it potentially could have devastating affects for the South Korean economy.

And yes, it seems there is always demand of jobs in the large Chaebol companies but recently those jobs are slowing or hiring is slowing down as for example, again, everyone wants to work for the Samsungs, the Hyudais or other large Chaebol companies that pay huge salaries compared what midsize companier or small companies pay.

Yes inflation has been a major concern for many households as their budget might be constrained by huge housing costs, huge credit card debt, huge month spending on Hagwowns, or after school education if they have children and the list goes on and on and unforuately many households are heavily in debt in South Korea which means they have little to spend in the economy overall. 

And yes of course income growth has been strong but when you add in all of the expense constraints that many families have to deal with consumer spending is not nearly where it could or should be in South Korea.

And to be fair, just as the past US midterm elections might have shown, whether true or not, it seems Presidents are held accountable for the economic circumstances going on in a country these days.

So it seems the affordability situation, which was a major issue in the US midterm elections is a major factor in how citizens in South Korea feel these days.

But to be fair, for the most part, the stock market in most countries is not a major part of the real lives of most families in a society as its not a major part of most lives in South Korea even though 14.42 million retail investors seems like a lot how many of them might be foreign investors compared to those in South Korea.

And the government, whomever is it or where it is not responsible for who invests and who doesn't and and or falling share prices and that is part of what a market economy is and there are going to those who feel good and those who not feel good and that is not part of what a government does or manages.

Again, its not the South Korean governments fault when a stock market increases or decreases especially related to world or global events as they, again, have no control over who buys or sells in the stock market and again they should not be held accountable for it even though the media seesms to likes the fan the flames and turn into a crisis situation which often happens in South Korea.

And in conclusion, yes South Korea is a booming economy right now and has risen from the ashes to being a major high-tech soceity or it seems to be but if you look deeper you see it really is a two-tiered society of haves and have-nots being the Chaebol, or large company and professional workers at the top and then there is everyone else in socitey being the have-nots who are struggling with all of the constraints that were mentioed above and it doesn't seem like its going to change anytime soon.

And having lived and worked in South Korea for 25 years, I've seen it all.

Have a nice day!

Article source:   https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20261110/koreas-economy-is-booming-why-isnt-president-lees-popularity

Japan Sept. Real Wages: Updated Nov. 7, 2026.

Japan's real wages rise 2.2% in Sept., up for 9th consecutive month

Ideas

Real wages are far more important than nominal wages as real wages show how much purchasing power a consume has compared to nominal wages which include inflation and doesn't give a true measure of a consumers' earnings.

For Japanese households real wages and wage growth is very important as inflation has been a little too high for many households and their disposable income have been less than normal to spend in the economy.

Nominal wages when seen, as is, looks good but when you strip away the inflation part they aren't that good for a household or consumer.

And lets be very clear, most of these reports tend to focus on the upper middle class that work for the large name-brand companies with good wages and usually don't feel the affects of inflation that much compared to the middle or lower middle class, that work for small and mid-size companiea as there is a 20 percent wage difference between the large and small companies in Japan.

Up until maybe 2023, Japanese companies were really not giving wage increases, or very little wage increases but since that time, as they just kept profits to themselves and or for shareholders only, but due to the Japanese government urging to help improve the economy companies have been increasing wages the last few years.

At the same time, consumer spending is still less than it should be as consumers and households, for the most part, are still reluctant spend like they should or could due to inflation and other factors in the economy.

Yes, consumer prices were at 3.4 percent a year earlier but are beginning to trend down but it's taken a while for consumers and households in Japan to really feel the affects of less inflation and at 2.4 percent it might still be too high for many in the middle class, and especially the lower middle class, and for those on fixed incomes in Japan.

And finally wage growth has outpaced inflation but again some or many consumers are not feeling it just yet and maybe their disposable income is still lagging too much and hasn't got up what the less inflation effect yet.

Yes, wage increases in 2025, while better than nothing, we're still less than inflation and again cosumers and households just didn't feel good just yet and wage needed to increase more and or inflation needed to come down even more for consumers to feel good about spending in the economy again.

Wages in Japan are much lower than in the US and maybe the EU too but Japanese companies make up for it with two bonuses every year one in the spring around the May Golden Week period and the other in December or in Japan the end of year holiday period, which can usually lasts a week or more.

The bonuses are used as a flexibilty tool for many companies as they can keep salaries or wages low and then depending on how the company does, the rest of the year and give higher than normal bonuses, if the company does good or reduce the bonuses if they company has a not to good year and that way salaries remain the same year round.

Have a nice day!

Article source:   https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261106/p2g/00m/0bu/029000c

Editorial BOJ and inflation: Ideas Later.

Editorial: Japan's 2% inflation calls expansionary fiscal policy into question

Article to be deleted after ideas.

Article:

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) has announced that the nation's underlying inflation rate, which excludes temporary fluctuations, has reached its 2% target. It took 13 years to achieve the target after it was set in 2013. This can be seen as a milestone marking the Japanese economy's shift into an inflationary phase after a prolonged struggle with deflation.

The target was set at the urging of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second administration, which pledged an early exit from deflation. The BOJ pursued unprecedented monetary easing centered on massive purchases of government bonds and a negative interest rate policy, but for years it remained unable to reach the target.

Still, many people may find the declaration of an achievement at this moment bewildering. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a surge in resource prices, and soaring prices have continued to squeeze household budgets.

It was not until the spring of 2024 that the BOJ ended its unprecedented easing. Its pace of interest rate hikes after that was also gradual. That was because the central bank was wary of cooling the economy too much and sending it back into deflation.

However, since this summer, global inflationary pressures have intensified as crude oil prices have remained high due to turmoil in the Middle East. Depreciation of the yen has compounded the problem, and price increases in Japan have become pronounced as well. The challenge now is whether inflation can be kept stable at around 2%. To that end, the BOJ needs to continue raising interest rates to curb price increases.

As Japan looks ahead to a sustainable recovery of its economy, the Japanese government's response will also be tested. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration, after being criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump over the weak yen, has been less inclined to intervene in the BOJ's monetary policy. But restraint alone is not enough.

The administration must reconsider its expansionary fiscal policy as a whole, including consumption tax cuts and gasoline subsidies. Even though the economy has shifted from deflation to inflation, clinging to measures to stimulate demand as if Japan were still in the deflationary era will only fuel higher prices. Such measures could cancel out the effect of the BOJ's rate hikes, undermining efforts both to curb inflation and to reverse the yen's depreciation.

Now that the 2% inflation target has been reached, the proper course would be for the government to declare an exit from deflation. The Takaichi administration has presumably refrained from doing so because it fears that such a declaration would weaken the rationale for the expansionary fiscal policy that it has made a centerpiece of its agenda.

But unless the government and the BOJ move in step, they will not be able to break the cycle of inflation and depreciation of the yen that is burdening the public. They should align their understanding of prices and pursue an appropriate combination of fiscal and monetary policies.

Article source:   https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261102/p2a/00m/0op/016000c