Japan's wholesale inflation hit 4.0% in April as companies continued to pass on rising raw material and labour costs, data showed, underscoring price pressure that will likely keep the central bank on course to raise interest rates further.

The head of the global trade watchdog says global free trade is facing a “crisis” as U.S. President Donald Trump disrupts world commerce with his fast-changing tariffs and other policies

The Bank of Japan predicted growth of just 0.5 percent, cutting its previous forecast in half, and decided against another hike in interest rates.

Japan's service-sector sentiment worsened in April on concern over the impact of higher U.S. tariffs, a government survey showed on Monday, a sign uncertainty over trade talks with Washington was beginning to take a toll on the fragile economy.

Japan’s finance minister says the nation’s massive holdings of U.S. Treasurys can be “a card on the table” in negotiations over tariffs with the Trump administration.

Tokyo aims to use technical assistance in shipbuilding as a bargaining chip to ease US tariffs, as Japan faces a 25% tariff on auto exports and a 24% tariff on various other goods. China currently leads global ship construction with a 48.9% market share, followed by South Korea with 28.5% and Japan with 15.6%, according to Japanese government data.

Sentiment among Japanese merchants sank to the lowest in more than three years, underscoring deepening concerns over the economic outlook at home and abroad as the impact from US tariffs begins to filter into the economy.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday the government was ready to take further steps to cushion the economic blow from higher U.S. tariffs, but signalled caution on cutting the country's consumption tax rate.