Japan's government on Thursday maintained a cautious outlook for the economy in part as policymakers kept a wary eye on U.S. President Donald Trump's policies and their potential impact on global growth.

By Sam Nussey and Anton Bridge TOKYO (Reuters) -SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's plan to invest billions in AI in the United States shows one way to handle the new Trump administration: go big and deal with the details later.

Japan will continue to strengthen its defence capabilities given the security situation in East Asia, Japan's foreign minister told his U.S. counterpart in a meeting on Tuesday, his spokesperson said.

Japan might take a leadership role in global free trade if the United States piles on tariffs and rejects multilateral institutions, some analysts and business leaders argue. It could find opportunity in the turmoil while avoiding direct confrontation with its ally.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan saw record-high exports last year, as its annual trade deficit declined 44% from the previous year, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday.

As Trump's second administration comes to a start, experts speculate on what it could mean for U.S. relations with Japan and China.

The move would mark the central bank's first rate hike since July last year, when it increased rates to 0.25%.

More than a dozen countries across the world refuse to grant travel visas to people with a felony on their records, a category that now includes President-elect Trump.

The dollar steadied against major peers on Thursday, continuing its near paralysis of the past two days before more concrete announcements on tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Bank of Japan is on course to raise interest rates on Friday, according to economists, as long as ...

President Donald Trump is announcing investments worth up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank