Japan spent record 6.28 tril. yen in forex intervention on April 30

Japan spent record 6.28 tril. yen in forex intervention on April 30

A currency trading chart on a financial data monitor in Tokyo pictured on May 1, 2026, shows the dollar plunging against the Japanese yen after Japanese authorities' dollar-selling, yen-buying intervention on April 30. Japan spent a single-day record of 6.28 trillion yen in the intervention to strengthen the yen.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's nephew, accompanied by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, lays flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's nephew, lays flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's nephew, lays flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's nephew, lays flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's nephew, bows after laying flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito, Emperor Naruhito's nephew, lays flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito (L), Emperor Naruhito's nephew, gets a briefing from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui after laying flowers at the cenotaph in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito (L), Emperor Naruhito's nephew, gets a briefing from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui after laying flowers at the cenotaph in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito lays flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito bows after laying flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito bows after laying flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japan Prince Hisahito visits Hiroshima

Japanese Prince Hisahito bows after laying flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 7, 2026, a day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Colorful streamers decorate a shopping arcade in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 6, 2026, as the annual Sendai Tanabata Festival begins for a three-day run.

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Colorful streamers decorate a shopping arcade in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 6, 2026, as the annual Sendai Tanabata Festival begins for a three-day run.

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Colorful streamers decorate a shopping arcade in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 6, 2026, as the annual Sendai Tanabata Festival begins for a three-day run.

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Colorful streamers decorate a shopping arcade in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 6, 2026, as the annual Sendai Tanabata Festival begins for a three-day run.

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Colorful streamers decorate a shopping arcade in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 6, 2026, as the annual Sendai Tanabata Festival begins for a three-day run.

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Tanabata festival in Sendai

Colorful streamers decorate a shopping arcade in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 6, 2026, as the annual Sendai Tanabata Festival begins for a three-day run.

Iranian ambassador to Japan in Hiroshima

Iranian ambassador to Japan in Hiroshima

Iranian ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat speaks to the media after visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima on Aug. 5, 2026, a day before the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

OSAKA, Japan, Aug. 4 Kyodo - A polar bear swims in her new home at Osaka Tennoji Zoo on Aug. 4, 2026, the first day of public display in the enclosure in the western Japan city of Osaka. (Kyodo)

Japan: Nagaoka Fireworks Festival Lights Up Sky With 20,000 Shells 5

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, one of Japan's three major fireworks displays, was held on Sunday and Monday, August 2 and 3, along the Shinano River in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. The two-day event featured about 20,000 fireworks, including large traditional shells that bloomed into flowers roughly 650 meters wide.

Japan: Nagaoka Fireworks Festival Lights Up Sky With 20,000 Shells 4

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, one of Japan's three major fireworks displays, was held on Sunday and Monday, August 2 and 3, along the Shinano River in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. The two-day event featured about 20,000 fireworks, including large traditional shells that bloomed into flowers roughly 650 meters wide.

Japan: Nagaoka Fireworks Festival Lights Up Sky With 20,000 Shells

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, one of Japan's three major fireworks displays, was held on Sunday and Monday, August 2 and 3, along the Shinano River in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. The two-day event featured about 20,000 fireworks, including large traditional shells that bloomed into flowers roughly 650 meters wide.

Japan: Nagaoka Fireworks Festival Lights Up Sky With 20,000 Shells 3

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, one of Japan's three major fireworks displays, was held on Sunday and Monday, August 2 and 3, along the Shinano River in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. The two-day event featured about 20,000 fireworks, including large traditional shells that bloomed into flowers roughly 650 meters wide.

Japan: Nagaoka Fireworks Festival Lights Up Sky With 20,000 Shells 2

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, one of Japan's three major fireworks displays, was held on Sunday and Monday, August 2 and 3, along the Shinano River in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. The two-day event featured about 20,000 fireworks, including large traditional shells that bloomed into flowers roughly 650 meters wide.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Kumamoto

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Kumamoto

Photo taken on July 29, 2026, shows a collapsed building of the Shohinken tea house, designated as a national scenic spot, in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, after a powerful earthquake struck the southwestern Japan prefecture the previous day.

U.S. treasury secretary comments on Japan's credit policy

U.S. treasury secretary comments on Japan's credit policy

Japan Business Federation head Yoshinobu Tsutsui meets the press at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Aug. 5, 2026, following U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments taken as seeking credit tightening by Japanese monetary authorities. Bessent said in a CNBC interview the previous day he believes Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda "will do what is needed" when asked whether the BOJ's next move should be a rate hike.

U.S. Treasury Secretary comments on Japan monetary policy

U.S. Treasury Secretary comments on Japan monetary policy

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 5, 2026, following U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments taken as seeking credit tightening by Japanese monetary authorities. Kihara declined to comment after Bessent said in a CNBC interview the previous day he believes Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda "will do what is needed" when asked whether the BOJ's next move should be a rate hike.

U.S. Treasury Secretary comments on Japan monetary policy

U.S. Treasury Secretary comments on Japan monetary policy

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 5, 2026, following U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments taken as seeking credit tightening by Japanese monetary authorities. Kihara declined to comment after Bessent said in a CNBC interview the previous day he believes Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda "will do what is needed" when asked whether the BOJ's next move should be a rate hike.

U.S. treasury secretary comments on Japan's credit policy

U.S. treasury secretary comments on Japan's credit policy

Japan Business Federation head Yoshinobu Tsutsui meets the press at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Aug. 5, 2026, following U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments taken as seeking credit tightening by Japanese monetary authorities. Bessent said in a CNBC interview the previous day he believes Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda "will do what is needed" when asked whether the BOJ's next move should be a rate hike.

U.S. Treasury Secretary comments on Japan monetary policy

U.S. Treasury Secretary comments on Japan monetary policy

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 5, 2026, following U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments taken as seeking credit tightening by Japanese monetary authorities. Kihara declined to comment after Bessent said in a CNBC interview the previous day he believes Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda "will do what is needed" when asked whether the BOJ's next move should be a rate hike.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lanterns each more than 20 meters tall are paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

A doll-like lantern more than 20 meters tall is paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lanterns each more than 20 meters tall are paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lanterns each more than 20 meters tall are paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lanterns each more than 20 meters tall are paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

A doll-like lantern more than 20 meters tall is paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

Doll-like lantern parade in northeastern Japan

A doll-like lantern more than 20 meters tall is paraded on the opening day of the five-day Goshogawara Tachi Neputa festival in the northeastern Japan city of Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, on Aug. 4, 2026.

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2026, shows a plaque to be given to 10-time Olympic speed skating medalist Miho Takagi at a ceremony to confer the People's Honor Award at the prime minister's office in Tokyo later in the day. Each of the knives is engraved with her name and the award title. The four-time Olympian, 32, won two gold, four silver and four bronze medals before announcing her retirement in April.

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

Ten-time Olympic speed skating medalist Miho Takagi (R) receives a bouquet from Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto in Tokyo on Aug. 4, 2026, after attending a ceremony at which she was conferred the People's Honor Award at the prime minister's office earlier in the day.

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

Ten-time Olympic speed skating medalist Miho Takagi (R) receives a bouquet from Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto in Tokyo on Aug. 4, 2026, after attending a ceremony at which she was conferred the People's Honor Award at the prime minister's office earlier in the day.

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2026, shows a commemorative set of 10 cooking knives to be given to 10-time Olympic speed skating medalist Miho Takagi during a ceremony to confer the People's Honor Award at the prime minister's office in Tokyo later in the day. Each of the knives is engraved with her name and the award title, as the 32-year old won two gold, four silver and four bronze medals before announcing her retirement in April.

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2026, shows a commemorative set of 10 cooking knives to be given to 10-time Olympic speed skating medalist Miho Takagi during a ceremony to confer the People's Honor Award at the prime minister's office in Tokyo later in the day. Each of the knives is engraved with her name and the award title, as the 32-year old won two gold, four silver and four bronze medals before announcing her retirement in April.

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

10-time Olympic skating medalist Takagi given People's Honor Award

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2026, shows a commemorative set of 10 cooking knives to be given to 10-time Olympic speed skating medalist Miho Takagi during a ceremony to confer the People's Honor Award at the prime minister's office in Tokyo later in the day. Each of the knives is engraved with her name and the award title, as the 32-year old won two gold, four silver and four bronze medals before announcing her retirement in April.

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

A polar bear swims in her new home at Osaka Tennoji Zoo on Aug. 4, 2026, the first day of public display in the enclosure in the western Japan city of Osaka.

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

A polar bear is pictured in her new home at Osaka Tennoji Zoo on Aug. 4, 2026, the first day of public display in the enclosure in the western Japan city of Osaka.

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

A polar bear swims in her new home at Osaka Tennoji Zoo on Aug. 4, 2026, the first day of public display in the enclosure in the western Japan city of Osaka.

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

Polar bear at Osaka zoo

A polar bear is pictured in her new home at Osaka Tennoji Zoo on Aug. 4, 2026, the first day of public display in the enclosure in the western Japan city of Osaka.

Kanto Festival in northeastern Japan

Kanto Festival in northeastern Japan

Participants hold bamboo poles adorned with paper lanterns, resembling ears of rice, in the northeastern Japan city of Akita on Aug. 3, 2026, the opening day of the four-day Kanto Festival.