4 articles
Japan's 'income wall' (年収の壁) during the 2025–2026 reform period — one of the biggest changes to tax and social security policy in three decades.
Japan entered the post-Golden Week 2026 period with a rare sense of confidence. The Nikkei 225 breaking its all-time high on the first working day was a strong signal of market faith in the direction of the 'Land of the Rising Sun'.
Japan's economy entered 1 May 2026 in a state of deep divergence, defined by the intersection of the stock market's brilliant achievements in April and unprecedented geopolitical pressures from the 2026 Iran war.
Japan's market opened on a positive note, with the Nikkei 225 rising, supported by technology stocks and AI-related capital flows following a major investment from Microsoft. The yen continued to weaken as investors awaited the Bank of Japan's interest rate decision.