News

Tokyo's core inflation slowed for the second month in April, falling below the Bank of Japan's 2% target, complicating the central bank's decision on when to raise interest rates. The slowdown raises questions about whether consumption and wage pressure will strengthen enough to sustain price growth around that level.

Tiny robots were deployed during a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) moon landing mission, capturing images of the historic SLIM probe landing on the moon. The robots, LEV-1 and LEV-2, successfully explored the lunar surface, with LEV-1 making multiple impressive leaps across the moon's terrain.

In a landmark move, Japan has enacted a law to tackle the pervasive issue of loneliness and isolation, affecting an estimated 39% of its population. This groundbreaking legislation, effective April 1, 2023, recognizes loneliness as a societal problem and outlines a comprehensive strategy to address it.

The US dollar's relentless ascent reached a 34-year peak against the Japanese yen, propelled by the Federal Reserve's unwavering commitment to higher interest rates for an extended period. This surge has ignited investor caution, as they anticipate potential intervention from Japan to defend its weakening currency.

A groundbreaking study by a Japanese research team has uncovered a potential link between a common virus and the development of depression later in life. The team, from the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, discovered that infection with the human herpes virus type 6 (HHV6) during infancy may be a trigger for depression, challenging the long-held belief that the disorder is primarily caused by inherited genes.