By Leika Kihara TOKYO, April 7 (Reuters) - An index measuring the health of Japan's economy slid in February, government data showed on Tuesday, highlighting a soft spot in the economy even before it faced fallout from the Iran war.

Description: When during the night of the 8th of February 1904 the relatively small Japan launched a surprise attack against the behemoth Russia and its neutral fleet at Port Arthur, it marked the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war.

Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be the first U.S. ally to visit the White House since President Trump asked for help in sending ships to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.

Energy crises expose structural vulnerabilities: like Germany’s past reliance on Russian gas, Japan is now highly exposed due to heavy dependence on Middle Eastern oil via the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iran war is pushing up "cost-push" inflation in Japan as opposed to the "demand-pull" inflation the BOJ seeks.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Japan PM Sanae Takaichi has transformed the country’s defensive posture - David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images Behind black iron fencing, soldiers run laps in full view of the ...

Japan’s super-long bond yields rose as the widening conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices and stoked inflation concerns.

By Leika Kihara TOKYO, April 8 (Reuters) - Japan saw corporate bankruptcy cases rise for the fourth straight year in fiscal 2025 and may see further increases from around summer this year as surging costs from the Middle East war squeeze profits,

Japan on Tuesday labelled recent yen falls as speculative for the first time since the Middle East war began, shifting its focus back to currency short-sellers as policymakers braced for a triple market sell-off driven by fresh inflationary ‌concerns.

Japan will sell oil from its national reserves at prices based on levels before the start of the Middle East war, according to the country’s trade minister.

It will be the second time Japan, which is heavily dependent on Middle East oil, has dipped into its strategic reserves since Iran war began