Financial Times – May 16, 2016 – Yen intervention remains an option for Japan because currency volatility can damage and destabilise the economy, the country’s top currency official has said.

The Daily Reckoning – May 14, 2016 – My piece yesterday was called How to Build a Robot’s Brain.

Reuters – May 13, 2016 – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Friday the central bank will act “decisively” to achieve its 2 percent inflation target, stressing that it still has “ample” policy options available if it were to expand stimulus again.

The Japan Times – May 12, 2016 – The nation’s current account surplus doubled in fiscal 2015 from the previous year to ¥17.98 trillion, buoyed by lower crude oil prices and a surge in travel surplus on the back of a growing number of foreign tourists, the government said Thursday.

NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW – May 11, 2016 – TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is turning “irregular workers” such as part-timers and temps into a hot-button issue as Abenomics, the package of economic measures aimed at getting Japan’s economy out of protracted deflation, appears to hit a snag.

digitaljournal.com – May 10, 2016 – Amid the declining popularity of skiing, the Japanese government plans to ease the visa requirement for overseas ski instructors wanting to work in Japan.

chinatopix.com – May 9, 2016 – In a brochure called The Traveler’s Etiquette Guide to Hokkaido, Japan advises tourists against openly farting and belching in public. The guide targets Chinese visitors.

Times Media – May 6, 2016 – TOKYO/SINGAPORE — Asian shares wallowed at one-month lows on Friday as investors braced for the US April payrolls report after jobless claims data out earlier raised doubts over the seemingly rosy employment picture.

Variety – April 26, 2016 – TOKYO — “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare,” the 20th feature episode in the animated series about a teenage genius detective trapped in a boy’s body, won its second straight weekend at the Japanese box office during the peak Golden Week holiday period.

Irish Independent – April 22, 2016 – Most Japan companies expect to maintain or see a small increase in operating profits this financial year, a Reuters poll showed, shrugging off a sharp rise in the yen due to an expected pick-up in consumer spending and business investment.