Japan's two-speed economy grows more divided

EconomyStock market boom fails to lift small firms squeezed by inflation, weak pricing powerYamato Gokin, a copper alloy manufacturer in Miyoshi, near Tokyo, is one of the small companies that make up the bulk of Japan's economy. (Photo by Kotaro Igarashi) AKANE OKUTSU and JADA NAGUMOAugust 4, 2026 11:07 JSTTOKYO -- Japan's Nikkei Stock Average may have broken through 70,000, but Yasuhisa Hirohama sees an "enormous gap" between the market boom and the reality facing small businesses like his.