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Sep 2025
11m 45s

Political instability jolts Japan

Financial Times
About this episode

The French government is on the brink of another collapse, and Japan’s prime minister quits after just a year in office. Plus, China may open its domestic bond market to Russian companies for the first time since 2022, and US economic data is complicating the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates.


Mentioned in this podcast:

French PM François Bayrou on the brink in crucial confidence vote

Japan’s prime minister quits to make way for new leader

China paves way for renminbi fundraising by Russian energy giants 

US adds just 22,000 jobs in August as labour market sputters

Click here to access virtual sessions from the FT Weekend Festival 


Today’s FT News Briefing was produced by Ethan Plotkin, Victoria Craig, Katya Kumkova, Sonja Hutson, and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Peter Barber and Alex Higgins. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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