Apple Raises Prices Across Japan: iPhone, Watch and AirPods Up as Yen Weakness Bites

The bill for yen depreciation has finally landed on Apple fans' doorsteps. From July 18, Apple raised Japanese store prices for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, following June's Mac increases — completing the lineup. With overseas prices untouched, the move reads as pure currency correction: under dollar-based global pricing, a weaker yen means higher yen stickers. Three consumer takeaways: the autumn iPhone launch will now start from a higher Japanese price base; used devices and carrier promotions gain relative appeal; and for inbound tourists, the 'currency discount' on Japanese Apple products just shrank, narrowing the tax-free arbitrage. Read this alongside the BOJ's record inflation-expectations survey — imported goods repricing is precisely where felt inflation comes from, and Apple is simply its most visible example.