INTERNACIONAL
Los precios japoneses registraron su mayor subida en dos años a días de unas elecciones clave

El índice clave de inflación al consumidor en Japón aceleró más de lo previsto y alcanzó un nuevo máximo de dos años, en un momento en que el primer ministro Shigeru Ishiba se prepara para unas elecciones de verano y el Banco de Japón evalúa la trayectoria de los precios en el país.
El Ministerio de Asuntos Internos de Japón informó el viernes que los precios al consumidor, excluyendo alimentos frescos, aumentaron un 3,7% en mayo respecto al año anterior, lo que representa la tercera aceleración mensual consecutiva. Este ritmo es el más rápido desde enero de 2023 y supera la estimación mediana de los economistas encuestados por Bloomberg, que preveían un 3,6%. El dato refuerza la percepción de que la inflación se ha convertido en un tema central para la economía japonesa y para el debate político de cara a los próximos comicios.
El principal motor de este repunte inflacionario ha sido el encarecimiento de los alimentos, con un impacto especialmente notorio en el precio del arroz, considerado el alimento básico nacional y un producto de alta sensibilidad política. El precio del arroz se disparó un 102% en comparación con el año anterior, una cifra que ha generado preocupación tanto en el gobierno como entre los consumidores. Además, los precios de los servicios, un indicador que el Banco de Japón sigue de cerca, subieron un 1,4% interanual, ligeramente por encima del 1,3% registrado en abril.
Este informe se publica en un contexto de debate intenso entre el gobierno minoritario de Ishiba y los partidos de la oposición sobre cómo aliviar el impacto del aumento del costo de vida. El encarecimiento de los productos básicos contribuyó a que el partido gobernante sufriera su mayor revés electoral desde 2009 en las elecciones del pasado otoño. La presión social por el alza de los precios ha obligado a los líderes políticos a buscar soluciones urgentes.
Taro Saito, jefe de investigación económica en NLI Research Institute, señaló que “la inflación en Japón es fuerte, impulsada por los costos de los alimentos; los precios del arroz están aumentando y esto afecta a otros productos relacionados”. Saito añadió que los datos publicados “dejarán pocas dudas de que la inflación será el tema clave en las elecciones del próximo mes”. La cita electoral para la Cámara Alta se espera para el 20 de julio, y en este contexto, Ishiba ha prometido transferencias directas de efectivo a los hogares, mientras que la oposición propone una reducción inédita del impuesto sobre las ventas en Japón.
El gobierno ha implementado una serie de medidas para contener el precio del arroz y así intentar frenar el descontento social, lo que ha contribuido a mejorar la popularidad del ejecutivo tras haber tocado un mínimo histórico en una encuesta de medios locales. Estas acciones buscan amortiguar el impacto de la inflación en los sectores más vulnerables y evitar que el malestar se traduzca en un castigo electoral.

El crecimiento sostenido de los precios también ha reforzado la postura del Banco de Japón respecto a un posible aumento de las tasas de interés, mientras la entidad espera mayor claridad sobre las medidas arancelarias de Estados Unidos y su efecto en la economía japonesa. En los últimos tiempos, la inflación en Japón ha sido la más alta entre los países del Grupo de los Siete y se ha mantenido en o por encima del objetivo del 2% del Banco de Japón durante más de tres años.
Horas después de la publicación del índice de precios al consumidor, el gobernador del Banco de Japón, Kazuo Ueda, intervino en una conferencia financiera en Tokio y sugirió que no hay cambios significativos en la perspectiva de la entidad sobre los precios. Ueda reiteró su opinión de que el efecto de los precios del arroz tenderá a disminuir, mientras que la inflación subyacente avanzará gradualmente hacia el objetivo de los responsables de la política monetaria.
El reciente aumento de los precios del petróleo, impulsado por la intensificación de las tensiones en Oriente Medio, podría añadir una nueva fuente de presión inflacionaria. El petróleo ha sido históricamente un factor determinante en la evolución de los precios en Japón, y las empresas han mostrado una mayor disposición a trasladar sus costos a los consumidores. A pesar de este entorno, el Banco de Japón ha mantenido los costos de endeudamiento en el 0,5%, el nivel más bajo entre las principales economías, adoptando una actitud cautelosa ante el cambio de un largo periodo de deflación. La entidad también ha argumentado que la tendencia subyacente de los precios sigue por debajo del 2%.
Bloomberg Economics analizó que “el dato más alto del IPC probablemente fortalecerá la confianza del Banco de Japón en que su objetivo del 2% se está consolidando. Creemos que las consideraciones sobre los precios pronto prevalecerán sobre las preocupaciones por el impacto de los aranceles estadounidenses en el crecimiento. Esperamos que el Banco de Japón eleve su tasa de política monetaria en 25 puntos básicos hasta el 0,75% en su reunión de julio”, según el economista Taro Kimura.

El impacto de la inflación se refleja también en el comportamiento de las grandes empresas alimentarias. Según Teikoku Databank, las principales compañías del sector aumentarán los precios de aproximadamente tres veces más productos en junio que en el mismo mes del año anterior. Lotte Co., un importante productor de confitería y helados, y Meiji Co., especializada en productos lácteos, anunciaron incrementos de precios este mes, atribuyéndolos al aumento de los costos.
El gobernador Ueda reiteró que seguirá de cerca el efecto de los precios del petróleo y de los alimentos en las expectativas de inflación, después de que el consejo del Banco de Japón mantuviera sin cambios la tasa de política monetaria a comienzos de semana. Ueda subrayó que no ve necesidad de apresurarse en un aumento de tasas, insistiendo en la importancia de observar datos concretos sobre el impacto de las medidas arancelarias de Estados Unidos.
El Banco de Japón ha manifestado que espera que las presiones al alza derivadas del aumento de los bienes importados y del precio del arroz se disipen en el futuro. Los responsables de la política monetaria aguardan que los indicadores subyacentes de inflación, como las expectativas de precios, avancen hacia el objetivo sostenible del 2%.

Saito, de NLI, opinó que “los datos de hoy no tendrán mucho impacto en la postura del Banco de Japón, ya que la entidad se centra en discernir el efecto de las medidas comerciales de Estados Unidos”. Añadió que, debido a factores técnicos y a las medidas gubernamentales, espera que el índice de precios al consumidor subyacente alcance su punto máximo en este momento y probablemente se sitúe por debajo del 3% de forma relativamente rápida, hacia julio o agosto.
El panorama inflacionario en Japón, marcado por el encarecimiento de productos básicos como el arroz y la energía, ha colocado a la economía y a la política del país en una encrucijada. Las decisiones que adopten el gobierno y el Banco de Japón en las próximas semanas serán determinantes para el rumbo de la economía y el bienestar de los ciudadanos.
(Con información de Bloomberg)
Asia / Pacific,TOKYO
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Senate weathers Dem opposition, advances first government funding bill

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Senate Republicans and Democrats advanced the first set of spending bills through the upper chamber, despite signals from Democrats that they may block the government funding process.
In the days and weeks leading up to the vote, Senate Democrats warned that Republicans’ passage of highly partisan bills, like President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package, had eaten away at the trust that girds the appropriations process.
DEMS SEEK RETALIATION OVER GOP CUTS AS THUNE CALLS FOR ‘COOPERATION’ ON FUNDING VOTE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., heads to the Senate Chamber to vote on a bill on Jan. 22, 2025, in Washington. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Still, after meeting behind closed-doors Tuesday afternoon, Democrats ultimately provided enough votes to advance the bill, which would fund military construction and the VA. The vote allows for lawmakers to make amendments and debate the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the meeting that Democrats were still gunning for a bipartisan spending deal, effectively opening the door for his conference to back the spending bill package for now.
«We’re working together to get one,» Schumer said. «But the bottom line is, Republicans are making it much harder. Rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this.»
The bill advanced on a 90 to 8 vote, with Schumer and the majority of Senate Democrats joining every Republican to open debate on the bill.
Democrats were largely frustrated with the passage of Trump’s rescissions package last week, which slashed funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting, arguing that doing so dissolved trust between the parties when it came to crafting spending bills.
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Reuters)
They argued that reaching an agreement on a funding bill, only to see their priorities later stripped out through rescissions, shattered confidence in their Republican colleagues to stick to their word.
«There’s no doubt,» Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a high-ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital. «I mean, someone does one thing one day and undoes it the next day, that obviously creates issues with trust.»
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to call his counterparts’ bluff, and put the bill on the floor. Failure to advance the the legislation could have signaled a rocky road ahead for funding the government and beating the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown.
«Democrats have indicated that they’re so upset over a rescissions bill last week, which, by the way, cut one tenth of 1% of all federal spending, that somehow they could use that to shut down the appropriations process and therefore shut down the government,» Thune said.
«We think that would be a big mistake, and hopefully they will think better of it and work with us, and we’re trying to give them what they’ve been asking for, [which] is a bipartisan appropriations process,» he continued.
Prior to the vote, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged passage of the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that when she and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel, took the helm of the committee, they «committed to working together» on spending bills.
She noted that when Democrats controlled the chamber, lawmakers didn’t get the same opportunity to consider spending bills, but acknowledged that it was still a «challenging legislative environment.»
«This is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and I want to express my gratitude to Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Thune, for giving us the opportunity to bring the first of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills to the Senate floor,» she said.
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Sen. John Fetterman during the sixth installment of The Senate Project moderated by FOX NEWS anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on June 2, 2025, in Boston. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
But, passage of the first bill, and the ensuing amendment process leading to a final vote, does not guarantee that the appropriations process will go smoothly before the deadline hits in the next couple of months.
Congress has not passed spending bills through a process called regular order since the late 1990s and has typically relied on short government funding extensions, known as continuing resolutions, and year-end, colossal spending packages, known as omnibuses, to keep the lights on in Washington.
Disagreements over funding levels between the Senate and House, coupled with lingering questions about whether Schumer will continue to play ball with Republicans, could tee up another showdown around the September deadline.
Schumer said that he would have a confab with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Murray, «to discuss the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate in the weeks ahead.»
«With so much hard work ahead, the government funding deadline only less than 25 legislative days away, Republicans should be focused on working with us to deliver for American families,» he said.
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Sen. John Fetterman, who earlier this year voted with Republicans and a handful of his Democratic colleagues to thwart a partial government shutdown, had a stern message for Senate Democrats that may want to obstruct the government funding process.
«I will never, ever vote to shut our government down,» the Pennsylvania Democrat told Fox News Digital. «That’s a core responsibility. And now we may not like a lot of these changes to things, and I don’t, but I’m saying that’s the way that democracy works.»
«And now shutting the government down, how could you do that and plunge our country into chaos,» he continued.
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American man from Oklahoma ‘brutally executed’ by Syrian-backed jihadis

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Syrian jihadists reportedly executed a 35-year-old Syrian American – a member of the religious minority Druze community – last week as government-backed forces viciously attacked members of the Druze community in the country.
The State Department confirmed on Tuesday to Fox News Digital that an American, who has been identified as Hosam Saraya from Oklahoma, was killed in Syria. A State Department spokesperson said, «Time and time again, Secretary Rubio has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Sweida region of Syria last week. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them.»
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, wrote on X, «Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss.»
WHY SYRIA PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN TRUMP’S PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE
Hosam Saraya was visiting family in Syria when he was killed by suspected jihadists due to his being a member of the Druze community. (Instagram/Hosam Saraya)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, wrote on X that an «American citizen from Oklahoma» was «brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria,» adding, «I’m working with partners in the region to learn more, and we’re in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation. Our prayers are with the family at this time.»
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa had reportedly taken the side of the jihadi-influenced Bedouin tribes who executed Druze residents in southern Syria, declaring they carried out «heroic actions.»
Al-Sharaa, who used a nom de guerre «Abu Mohammed al-Golani,» was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in terrorism. Critics accuse al-Sharaa of seeking to violently repress the struggling ethnic and religious minority populations in Syria – Christians, Druze, and Kruds.
Last week Israel launched military strikes against the jihadi forces on their way to the southern city of Sweida, where there is a large Druze population, to stop the massacre. Israel also attacked the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to halt the bloodshed in Sweida.

Syrian security forces walk together along a street after clashes between government troops and local Druze fighters in Sweida, July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Karam al-Masri)
An Israel Defense Force spokesman told Fox News Digital during a Zoom call that it «learned its lesson» from the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state in 2023 and has two goals in southern Syria: border security and the rescue of Syrian Druze.
The bulk of the world’s Druze community lives in Syria. There are also sizable Druze populations in Israel and Lebanon.
WHO ARE THE DRUZE? RELIGIOUS GROUP AIDS SYRIAN MEMBERS UNDER ISLAMIST ATTACK, ISRAELI MEMBERS OFFER SUPPORT
Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who is of Druze background, told Fox News Digital, «The barbaric violence against the Druze community in Syria must end immediately. Under the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Barrack, the United States took bold steps to ease sanctions and extend goodwill to the Syrian government and its people in the hope of seeing real reforms.»
Hamadeh, whose mother is from Sweida, added, «Now is the time for the Syrian government to turn their words into real actions, if they want to maintain legitimacy: restore order, protect all of its citizens, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace and long-term stability. The only way is to build a new Syria that is reflective of its ethnic and religious mosaic. The United States wants Syria to succeed, but bloodshed, senseless violence, and division is not the path forward.»

Israeli Druze cross the border near Majdal Shams in a show of support for the Druze community in Hader on the Syrian side on July 16, 2025. (Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Arizona congressman said, «My staff and I are engaged in interagency efforts to ascertain what is, and is not, happening on the ground in Syria amid the fog of this conflict. We will not rest until all American remains and victims are returned. Justice and accountability must be served. We are praying for the victims and for peace.»
Al-Sharaa’s rule since he toppled the pro-Iran regime of Bashar al-Assad in December has experienced massacres of Alawites, Christian and Druze. Critics argue that Al-Sharaa refuses to rope in the jihadi forces who seek to impose a Taliban-style rule on Syria.
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After Al-Sharaa’s forces executed Syrian Christians in March, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital: «This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can’t protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims,»
The death toll involving the clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters, which includes government forces and Israel, topped 1,000, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Washington helped implement a fragile ceasefire. SOHR noted, «Reaching an agreement including ceasefire and sponsored by Washington coincided with threats to keep Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in case that the agreement’s terms were violated.»
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