(Reuters) -Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday he was aware of bond market concerns about the country's fiscal policy ahead, in the build-up to an upper house election where the minority government is poised for another setback.

Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election.

T HE IMAGE Tamaki Yuichiro wants to convey is of upward mobility. His campaign poster shows him grinning against a vivid orange backdrop, arms extended and fingers pointing skyward. The slogan beneath is hardly revolutionary: “Increase take-home pay.” But Mr Tamaki has turned this into a rallying-cry among younger voters.

Heading into the most consequential Japanese upper house election in memory and a possible defeat for the coalition of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, investors are weighing whether a record sell-off in the nation's debt has further to run.

For Americans who were awaiting the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, the delay of U.S. pre-orders for the gaming console this April was one indication of what’s to come.

Russia operations and North Korean threats pose the greatest challenge to global order since World War II, in its annual assessment.

Tard's attempt to create a global convenience store behemoth was set back when it pulled its $46 billion bid for Seven & i , whose consumers in Japan have emotional ties to their purveyor of rice balls.

Japan is facing its most severe security environment since World War II as three potential adversaries in East Asia – China, Russia and North Korea – ramp up military activities in the region, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday.

A Japanese government official called on China to expand a program allowing certain mainland investors to put more money abroad, citing “strong enthusiasm” for Japanese stocks.

The strain on households is real. Japan’s Engel coefficient, which measures food as a proportion of household spending, is at a 43-year high and inflation-adjusted wages fell for a fifth straight month in May. The most consequential policy battleground of the election — a cut to VAT — attests to real household pain.

A slight easing in consumer inflation is welcome news for the Japanese central bank, but stubbornly high food prices will be of concern for policymakers.