Press review: January 2023

In this section you will find this month's press review, which contains a selection of some of the most interesting Japan-related online articles that have been published over the past month. To read them, please click on the following links:

• Japan's factory activity extends declines for third straight month

• Wage talks begin with Rengo and Keidanren agreeing on need for pay hikes

• Japan’s inflation hits 4% for the first time since 1981

• Japan saw record trade deficit of ¥19.97 trillion in 2022

•  Efforts to commercialize carbon capture tech accelerating in Japan

• New car sales in Japan fall 5.6% to lowest level in 45 years

• Only around half of firms in Japan expect economic growth in 2023

• Bank of Japan makes no policy change despite market pressure, bond yields drop

• Japan startups team with farmers to put tech to work in agriculture

• Japan supports TSMC's intention to build another chip plant

• Fuel efficiency taking a back seat to software in auto  business

• Tokyo to downgrade COVID classification as it seeks to 'live with the virus'