What it is
An advanced manufacturing and exporting economy with an ageing population, few natural resources of its own and large investments abroad. It lived for decades with very low inflation and very low interest rates.
What the economy is known for
- Manufacturing for export: vehicles, electronics, machinery and industrial robots
- It imports nearly all of its energy and much of its food and raw materials
- An ageing and shrinking population
- A large holder of assets abroad, whose income flows back to Japan
A description of structure, in words. No size, share or ranking is given: those are figures, and they are read at the statistical offices named below.
Its central bank and mandate
The Bank of Japan’s task is price stability and the stability of the financial system. Policy is set by its Policy Board. Decisions about intervening in the currency market belong to the Ministry of Finance.
Bank of Japan on Central Bank Watch
The policy rate, the last decision and the next meeting are not shown on this site: they are read at the bank’s own publication.
The releases that matter, and who publishes them
- Tankan survey of business conditionsPublished by Bank of Japan
- Consumer Price Index, national and for TokyoPublished by Statistics Bureau of JapanExplainer: CPI
- Gross Domestic ProductPublished by Cabinet OfficeExplainer: GDP
- Labour Force SurveyPublished by Statistics Bureau of JapanExplainer: Jobless rate
- Trade statisticsPublished by Ministry of Finance
- Industrial productionPublished by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
No dates or figures are shown here: each publisher’s own calendar is the authority. The explainers are in Economic Events; a release without a link has no explainer on this site yet.
Its main stock index
Nikkei 225. A price-weighted index of 225 companies listed in Tokyo. The broader TOPIX is also widely quoted and is not a GIO4X instrument.
GIO4X lists this index as an index CFD. The contract and its published conditions are on the instrument page, labelled as indicative.
Its currency
The currency of Japan is the Japanese yen (JPY), issued by the Bank of Japan. GIO4X lists 3 currency pairs that contain it; they are set out on the currency’s profile.
Words worth knowing
A reference page. Educational information, not investment advice or a recommendation to trade. It gives no figure, no ranking and no forecast.