Japan’s core inflation rose to a more than two-year high in May, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target for over three years and increasing pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to resume rate hikes.
The core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food, rose 3.7% year-on-year in May, surpassing market forecasts and accelerating from April’s 3.5%. It marked the fastest pace since January 2023’s 4.2%.
A separate index, stripping out fresh food and fuel, climbed 3.3%, the highest since January 2024.
The rise was driven largely by persistent food inflation. Staple rice prices doubled compared to last year, while rice balls rose nearly 20% and chocolate bars by 27%.
Service-sector inflation also rose to 1.4% from 1.3%, reflecting firms passing on higher labour costs.
The data highlights the BOJ’s challenge in balancing inflation pressures with risks from U.S. trade uncertainty under President Trump. A Reuters poll showed a slight majority of economists expect the BOJ’s next rate hike in early 2026.
BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said underlying inflation remains below target but could re-accelerate. “If our forecasts materialise, we expect to keep raising interest rates,” he said.
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In a workshop surrounded by the wreckage of war, workers in Gaza are giving a second life to small leisure boats once used for family outings and swimming trips.
Five Azerbaijani crew members were killed, and three others were injured after two cargo vessels were hit in a drone attack in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, as Russia blamed Ukraine for the strike.
The United States has approved the possible sale of five Seahawk maritime helicopters to New Zealand in a deal valued at $1.5 billion, as Wellington moves to strengthen its armed forces.
Armenians will vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election that will determine whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secures a new mandate to pursue peace with Azerbaijan or cedes ground to pro-Russian rivals.
Five Azerbaijani crew members were killed, and three others were injured after two cargo vessels were hit in a drone attack in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, as Russia blamed Ukraine for the strike.
The new AnewZ documentary, TARGET: Yerevan, builds its explosive case on exclusive, secret recordings originally published by Minval Politika.
Azerbaijan has strongly rejected allegations published by CNN claiming that its territory was used for Israeli military and intelligence operations against Iran, describing the report as entirely baseless and demanding a retraction.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026, a vote that will shape the country’s political direction for the next five years. Understanding how the electoral system converts votes into parliamentary power is key to following the outcome and its wider regional implications.
More than 6,000 people gathered outside a vote-counting centre in Seoul on Friday night, demanding this week’s local elections be repeated after ballot shortages left some voters unable to cast their ballots.
Chinese carmakers are rapidly reshaping the global automotive market, with record exports, soaring electric vehicle sales and growing investments overseas putting pressure on established European, Japanese and U.S. rivals.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has begun its latest round of negotiations on creating the first binding global standards for platform-based work, covering services such as ride-hailing, food delivery and other app-based work.
European companies are continuing to deepen their presence in China, with nearly seven in ten firms maintaining or expanding their supply chains despite global efforts to diversify, according to a new survey by the EU Chamber of Commerce.
BP has removed its chair, Albert Manifold, with immediate effect, citing concerns over governance and conduct. The company said its board had unanimously decided that Manifold should no longer serve as chair or director.
The dual-class share structure outlined in SpaceX’s initial public offering (IPO) filing, which gives chief executive Elon Musk outsized control, has reignited one of Wall Street’s longest-running debates over corporate governance.
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