The Bank Of Japan
Dancers perform during the closing ceremony for the 2020 Paralympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Paralympic closing marks end of Tokyo's 8-year Olympic saga

By Stephen Wade Sep. 05, 2021 08:31 AM EDT

A currency trader passes by screens showing foreign exchange rates at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 18, 2021. Asian shares mostly rose Friday, as investors digested the latest message from the U.S. Federal Reserve on raising short-term interest rates by late 2023. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Stocks open lower, pushing the S&P 500 toward a weekly loss

The Associated Press Jun. 18, 2021 02:34 AM EDT

A man wearing a protective mask looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Tokyo. Asian shares were mixed Thursday on cautious optimism about upcoming company earnings reports showing some recovery from the damage of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Asian stocks mixed, echoing Wall St sentiments on pandemic

By Yuri Kageyama May. 05, 2021 02:29 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 26, 2021, file photo, people wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus wait at pedestrian crossings in Tokyo. Business sentiment is growing optimistic, a closely watched economic survey by the Bank of Japan showed Thursday, April 1, 2021, as the world’s third-largest economy continues to grapple with the damage from the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Bank of Japan 'tankan' survey upbeat over economic recovery

By Yuri Kageyama Mar. 31, 2021 10:09 PM EDT

A man wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk past a logo of Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo on Oct. 8, 2020. The torch relay is kicking off from northeastern Japan. It will last 121 days and involve 10,000 runners carrying the torch to 47 Japanese prefectures. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
EXPLAINER: Torch relay not just a sideshow in time of COVID

By Stephen Wade Mar. 23, 2021 10:01 PM EDT

A woman wearing a face mask waits at a tram station with an emergency phone in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, March 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Lagging US, Europe speeds up help for virus-hit economy

By David Mchugh Mar. 11, 2021 05:01 AM EST

People walk by signage to promote the Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. The Olympics are scheduled to open on July 23 but recent polls show about 80% of the Japanese public want the Olympics canceled or postponed. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Tokyo Olympics to pick Mori replacement; is a woman likely?

By Stephen Wade Feb. 16, 2021 01:22 AM EST

Currency traders talk to each other at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Monday as the Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" survey showed stronger than expected business sentiment in a further sign the economy is recovering from recession. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Asia shares up as strong Japan data offsets Wall St losses

By Elaine Kurtenbach Dec. 13, 2020 10:47 PM EST

FILE - In this June 17, 2020, file photo, containers are piled up at a port in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. A quarterly survey by the Bank of Japan shows business sentiment has improved sharply with expectations that the economy is recovering from a year-long recession.(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)
Japan 'tankan' business survey shows optimism over recovery

By Elaine Kurtenbach Dec. 13, 2020 09:59 PM EST

People take elevators at a shopping building in Tokyo on Aug. 24, 2020. Japanese manufacturers’ sentiments improved for the first time in three years, a quarterly Bank of Japan survey showed Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, as the nation grappled with stagnation worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's 'tankan' economy survey shows improved sentiment

By Yuri Kageyama Sep. 30, 2020 11:22 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 4, 2019, file photo, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, right, is presented with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) President's trophy by AOC president John Coates at the AOC annual general meeting in Sydney, Australia. The only thing more difficult than staging next year's Tokyo Olympics in a pandemic might be convincing sponsors to keep their billions on board in the midst of economic turbulence and skepticism. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
Tokyo needs to convince sponsors Olympics will really happen

By Stephen Wade Sep. 22, 2020 01:41 AM EDT

A man looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo Monday, June 15, 2020. Asian shares were mostly lower Monday on concern over a resurgence of coronavirus cases and pessimism after Wall Street posted its worst week in nearly three months. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Asian stocks follow Wall St higher after Fed ups bond buys

By Yuri Kageyama Jun. 15, 2020 03:33 AM EDT

FILE -- In this Thursday, March 12, 2020 file photo the President of European Central Bank Christine Lagarde looks up prior to a press conference following a meeting of the ECB governing council in Frankfurt, Germany. The European Central Bank has boosted its pandemic emergency support program by 600 billion euros to 1.35 trillion euros ($1.5 trillion) in an effort to keep affordable credit flowing to the economy during the steep downturn caused by the virus outbreak. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
European Central Bank nearly doubles pandemic support scheme

By David Mchugh Jun. 04, 2020 07:51 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 11, 2020, file photo, a woman scans her thumb for identification to receive cash under the governmental Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme for families in need, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus, in Islamabad, Pakistan. The coronavirus pandemic has reawakened debate about the continued viability of what has been the physical lifeblood of global economies: paper money and coins. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Cash, long a refuge in uncertain times, now under suspicion

By Zeina Karam May. 20, 2020 02:07 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 16, 2020, filer photo, Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda speaks during a news conference in Tokyo. Japan’s central bank on Monday, April 27, 2020, announced it is making it easier for cash-strapped companies to get funding in response to the growing economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Japan central bank eases monetary policy to counter pandemic

By Yuri Kageyama Apr. 27, 2020 12:22 AM EDT