ECONOMY

Average estimated SME borrowing costs rose for a third straight year in fiscal 2025 as BOJ tightening and reduced pandemic support lifted financing pressure.

Code payments drove a 13.3% rise in fiscal 2025 as merchant and user adoption expanded. Yano forecasts the market will reach 63.1 trillion yen by fiscal 2030.

Fuji Keizai's survey also covers MRD, genetic testing and NIPT, with reimbursement changes expected to support genomic medicine growth.

Yano Research estimates used-car retail at ¥4.83 trillion as higher new-car prices, exports and mobility services reshape demand.

Tokyo Shoko Research recorded ¥144.73 billion in August liabilities, while labor-shortage bankruptcies reached a monthly record of 32.

Service and construction firms led August failures, while total liabilities rose to 140.7 billion yen. January-August cases reached 7,199.

The research firm expects energy storage demand to drive growth through 2040, with cathode materials leading expansion and LFP gaining momentum.

Beverage PET bottles lead demand, while revised Japanese recycling rules from fiscal 2027 raise reporting requirements for larger manufacturers and importers.

Japanese manufacturers' antimicrobial-related agent shipments are forecast to rise 20.3% by 2030, with China and Southeast Asia driving export growth.

Tokyo Shoko Research found sales and profit at 154 semiconductor-related manufacturers reached five-year highs, while JASM posted roughly 143-fold sales growth.

Joint research with Hakobell and three other partners surveyed 1,376 respondents as Japan's trucking sector adjusts to post-2024 overtime rules.

Japan's meeting support AI market grew 35.1% in fiscal 2025 to 100 billion yen, with ITR forecasting 29.2% annual growth through fiscal 2030.

Base makeup demand remains resilient on skincare-linked products, while fragrance sales gain from rising interest in niche and maison scents.

A new Fuji Keizai survey points to growth in Japan's receiving and distribution equipment markets, driven by revenue-cap utility spending and tougher Top Runner standards.

Japan's industrial machinery orders reached 1.11 trillion yen in June as foreign demand more than doubled, offsetting a slight decline in domestic orders.

Japan survey of 1,908 adults finds selective cutbacks in desserts, persistent demand for health-supporting foods and rising strain from meal planning.

A Tokyo Shoko Research poll of 6,246 companies found limited but notable reputational damage for lenders tied to Zentoshin, while views on fraud-hit borrowers split sharply.

Demand is shifting from measuring employee engagement to improving it, while February 2026 disclosure rule revisions add momentum to market growth.

Greater Tokyo's new condominium median reached 80.4 million yen in January-June. Tokyo's 23 wards hit 121.53 million yen as costs kept rising.

The Japanese research firm forecasts a 7.6-fold market expansion by 2035 as SiC power semiconductor packaging shifts from solder to sintering.

MMD Labo's July survey of 25,000 people found cash remained Japan's top payment method, while Rakuten Card, PayPay and Mobile Suica led key digital categories.

JEITA reported Japan's June mobile phone shipments at 243,000 units, with smartphones making up 85.5%. March-quarter subscriptions reached 233.1 million.

Japan logged 1,037 corporate bankruptcies in July, the highest monthly count of 2026. Retail hit its highest July total since 2000 as liabilities surged.

Yano estimates the Japan market at 9.4 billion yen in fiscal 2025, with SSBJ disclosure rules and broader tool functions supporting growth through 2030.

A survey of 47 Japanese e-commerce operators points to steady BtoC growth as the national online market reached 26.12 trillion yen in 2024.

MM Research Institute's July 2026 survey also showed average handset prices rising to 81,747 yen and monthly mobile data use reaching 13.94GB.

Japan now has five reimbursed digital therapeutics products after two additions in June 2026. Yano Research projects 24 reimbursed products by fiscal 2032.

A May survey of 829 respondents at large Japanese companies found demand for system engineers rose at 90% of firms, with sharper rate increases for senior roles.

Greater Tokyo investment apartment supply reached 2,401 units in January-June, with average prices climbing and Yokohama's Minami Ward ranking first.