Quantcast
Channel: News On Japan
Viewing all 31453 articles
Browse latest View live

Japan must be ready to expand stimulus: IMF official

0
0
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) should be ready to expand monetary stimulus and intervention is an option if the yen moves excessively, an IMF official said in Tokyo. "Intervention could be an option," if yen moves are too large, Naoyuki Shinohara, a deputy managing director, said yesterday. "Japan's economy has many downside risks, so depending on the circumstances, the BOJ should always be ready to expand quantitative easing." The central bank kept its asset-buying fund at ¥20 trillion (US$260 billion) and its credit-lending program at ¥35 trillion on Jan. 24 while cutting its forecast for the nation's growth. A yen near post World War II highs against the US dollar is eroding exporters' profits just as faltering global growth undermines demand, with Panasonic Corp yesterday forecasting a record loss for the 12 months ending March. (Taipei Times)

Japanese city takes on its gangsters

0
0
Two years ago, the authorities in this gritty rust belt region declared war on the yakuza, Japan's entrenched organized crime syndicates. And that is exactly what they got. Since this city and other local governments beefed up regulations to take on the yakuza - making it a criminal offense for companies and individuals to do business with them - there has been a death threat against Kitakyushu's mayor and his family, hand grenades tossed at the homes of corporate executives and a construction company chairman gunned down in front of his wife. The police say the attacks, and many other lesser threats and intimidation tactics, are the doing of the Kudokai, a gang with more than 650 members that officials call one of the most dangerous of Japan's yakuza. The attacks have prompted the National Police Agency to propose giving law enforcement more powers to search and arrest gang members. (bendbulletin.com)

A taste of old Japan in a mountain ryokan

0
0
The Japanese clearly value tradition, yet for one reason or another - fire, natural disaster, the second world war, an enthusiasm for progress - there aren't many towns left that truly encapsulate the way things were. Kyoto has its temples, but in between them is a thoroughly modern city. Takayama is different - an old castle town in the mountains of central Japan. You can still see the ruins of the 17th-century castle in the town's Shiroyama Park, but Takayama is much better known for its townscape of narrow lanes and low wooden buildings stained the colour of espresso. With its steep hills the town couldn't produce much rice, so it produced artisans instead. Many were carpenters, who would go on to work on the palaces and temples in Kyoto, then return to construct their signature lattice-front buildings for local merchants. (guardian.co.uk)

American's death in Osaka probed

0
0
An American resident in Osaka died Saturday after a passer-by found him lying unconscious on a street in the busy Minami area in Chuo Ward earlier in the day, police said. The Osaka Prefectural Police think the 23-year-old man may have fallen from a six-story building, and are investigating whether foul play was involved. A passer-by called for an ambulance after he saw the man lying on a street in the Higashi-Shinsaibashi district of Chuo Ward at around 7:15 a.m., police said. The man was identified from an ID card he was carrying, though police have not released his name. (Japan Times)

Sales tax may be raised higher than 10% due to welfare reforms: Noda

0
0
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday said the sales tax could be raised higher than the 10 percent rate currently proposed, due to the radical overhaul of the welfare system he is pushing. "There is a possibility the consumption tax might be increased to more than 10 percent, as a result of implementing drastic reforms of the pension and social security systems," Noda said during a question and answer session after a speech in Tokyo. He also reiterated his determination to pass legislation during the current ordinary Diet session that would double the 5 percent sales levy, as part of a broader package of reforms to ensure the country's welfare system remains sustainable. (Japan Times)

Immigration cuts lengthy detention for foreigners

0
0
The number of foreign nationals detained by immigration officials for one year or more has dropped significantly since a more flexible approach was adopted in response to harsh criticism of long-term detentions, according to the Justice Ministry. As of August, 167 foreigners at immigration facilities in Ibaraki, Osaka and Nagasaki prefectures had been held for at least six months, the ministry said Friday. Many of them are believed to have overstayed their visas and were waiting to be deported or were seeking asylum in Japan. (Japan Times)

Kobayashi wins chicken wing crown

0
0
Multiple hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi has won an annual chicken wing eating contest in Philadelphia, downing a record 337 wings in 30 minutes. At Wing Bowl XX, the 33-year-old Kobayashi on Friday smashed the previous record of 255 wings set last year by local champ Jonathan Squibb to win a $20,000 cash prize, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on its website. The massive circuslike bash, hosted by a local radio station, was held in a sports arena and reportedly drew a crowd of about 20,000 eating enthusiasts who were entertained by local sports celebrities, scantily clad women and mud wrestling. (Japan Times)

Our woods may be home to a 'new ' spider species

0
0
An apparently new species of spider has been found in our woods, even though the creature has probably been around since long before humans came to Japan. To be specific, our spider researcher, Koji Arai, has found an arachnid on our Afan Woodland Trust property in Nagano Prefecture that he believes has never been documented before. It is a very small spider, about 4 mm long, and it is clearly of the genus Cybaeus - a free-hunter type of small spiders that live on the ground in forests. Both male (smaller abdomen) and female specimens have been found and are now undergoing peer assessment to confirm whether or not this is indeed a new species. (Japan Times)

Students' retreat from English

0
0
A recent education ministry survey of third-year middle school students nationwide found most students have an ambivalent and contradictory attitude toward English. Of the 3,225 students surveyed, most felt English was important to study, but few wanted a job requiring English. The disjuncture between what they consider important and what they want for themselves is puzzling and disappointing. In the survey, 85 percent agreed English was important and 70 percent - up from 47 percent in 2003 - agreed that knowing English would give them an edge in finding a job in the future. Clearly, English is perceived as integral to internationalizing Japan and the world. However, despite students' increasing awareness of the importance of English, the percentage of students who said they did not want to get a job requiring English increased six percentage points to a whopping 43 percent. (Japan Times)

Sony: can a new CEO save the struggling tech giant?

0
0
Look around most living rooms and the chances are there's a Sony product somewhere: whether it's a television, a DVD player, an ageing video recorder or a hifi, the Japanese corporation has dominated consumer electronics for decades. Recently, however, the company has struggled. Led until this week by Welshman Sir Howard Stringer, Sony has battled floods in Japan, a fire at its main warehouse in London, a rising Yen and a resolutely unprofitable TV business. While its profile remains high, the business has been under pressure. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the world's biggest trade fair, one major retailer's top buyer told me: "Panasonic are on the rise, Samsung are dominant - but I worry about Sony." This week, the company announced a 17 per cent drop in sales and a $2billion loss. (telegraph.co.uk)

US, Japan agree to partial Marine transfer from Okinawa

0
0
The United States and Japan have agreed to tweak a six-year-old agreement on Marines based on the southern island of Okinawa, allowing Washington to deploy forces to the Pacific island of Guam regardless of the debate over moving a disputed airbase. The Guam deployment had been held hostage by a political stalemate in Japan over the shifting of the Futenma base to another site on Okinawa, an issue given added importance in recent years by China's growing military might in the region. Japanese newspapers said the new plan would allow Washington to shrink the expensive Guam relocation plan at a time when it is under pressure to cut defense spending because of deficit woes even as it turns its attention to China. (Reuters)

Reform bill gets bogged down

0
0
The Democratic Party of Japan is in a bind over whether an administrative reform bill it plans to submit should specify a 20 percent cut in overall personnel costs of central government officials. Although the ruling party trumpeted the 20 percent figure in its election manifesto, some DPJ members are dreading the thought of being grilled in the Diet by opposition lawmakers over what many believe to be an unrealistic reduction target. The DPJ hoped to make the 20 percent cut a centerpiece of its efforts to build public support for a plan to increase the consumption tax rate. (Yomiuri)

Flu vaccine helps, but no cure-all, doctors say

0
0
Don't rely too much on a flu vaccine, but do wash your hands regularly. That's the advice from doctors at a time when a flu epidemic has infected an estimated 1.7 million people--mainly children--this season. Since late January, the number of patients suffering from fevers at Kiyosumi Shirakawa Kodomo Clinic in Koto Ward, Tokyo, has been on the rise. About 20 people per day have been diagnosed as having influenza. A 38-year-old woman visited the clinic as her 7-year-old son had a fever exceeding 38 C. "I have to be careful so that his 7-month-old sister doesn't get infected," she said. (Yomiuri)

Sumo: Hakuho wins one-day tournament

0
0
Yokozuna Hakuho came back from the brink of defeat, toppling Goeido with a powerful throw in the final of a one-day exhibition tournament on Sunday. In the first one-off contest in two years after the meet was called off due to a match-fixing scandal last year, Hakuho exacted his revenge against Goeido to capture his first title in three years and third overall. Hakuho, who lost to Goeido in the final of the 2010 meet, took home the winner's prize of ¥2.5 million. (Japan Times)

Olympus ex-CEO Woodford sees more revelations, to attend EGM

0
0
Official investigations into a massive fraud at Japan's Olympus Corp are highly likely to lead to further revelations on the scandal soon, according to the firm's former chief executive, Michael Woodford, who blew the whistle on the affair. The maker of cameras and medical equipment is trying to put the $1.7 billion scandal behind it, having wrapt up its own third-party investigation late last year. It is seeking out investment partners and looking to vote in a new board in April. However, law-enforcement agencies in Japan, Britain and the United States are still investigating the fraud at the multinational which, according to the third-party probe, was used to hide investment losses from investors for 13 years. (Reuters)

Cat cafes in Japan let patrons rent a pet for the day

0
0
Starbucks may have staked out over 900 shops in Japan, but the major coffee franchise, whose retail locations are popular leisure spots, better watch its back. A new kind of hangout- one with whiskers - is growing in rapid popularity in Japan: the "neko" or cat cafe. Japanese patrons, especially in the Tokyo area, are paying to spend time at these cat cafes, where they can read a book, chat with friends, or yes, even drink coffee, in the presence of some feline companions. The business has been likened to renting a pet for a day. Customers can interact with a wide variety of cat breeds, read biographies on their favorite animas, and even share a meal with them. (newjerseynewsroom.com)

Japan to suffer sovereign downgrade this year: experts

0
0
The Japanese economy, which has been suffering from a huge national debt for a long time, could see a sovereign downgrade this year, many experts say. Amid such fears, they warn of the prospects of the yen and Japanese Treasury bonds plummeting. The yen and the bonds have been considered safe assets since the 2008 global financial crisis. To restore fiscal soundness, Tokyo is mulling measures such as tax reform, but has failed to win over global investors due to poor political leadership. The collapse of the Japanese economy will have a negative impact on the Korean economy through an outflow of Japanese funds, according to experts. (donga.com)

Japan sees extremely poor eel catch, prices soar

0
0
Prices of juvenile eels have surged to their highest levels amid extremely poor catches so far this year, likely leading to an unprecedented third straight year of bad hauls and prompting the government to eye meeting local authorities and experts soon for countermeasures, Kyodo News learned Monday. Japan relies on wild glass eels caught at headwaters of rivers to produce farm-raised eels to meet its ravenous appetite for ''unagi,'' because the complete cycle of artificial breeding from eggs has not yet been put into practical use. But the glass eel catch has plunged by over 95 percent since its peak in 1963. (Mainichi)

Analysis: Japan's stay-at-home firms finally spread their wings

0
0
Japanese companies are again venturing offshore, and this time a new breed of business is striking deals overseas. Japan Inc splurged a record $70 billion on foreign acquisitions last year, taking advantage of a strong yen, big cash reserves, attractive valuations and some willing sellers, especially in Europe. Many of these Japanese acquirers are already multinationals but a growing number are embarking on their first big foreign adventure, a trend that partly reflects two longer-term factors: a stagnant domestic economy and a shrinking population. (Reuters)

Priests peer into future on frozen Nagano lake

0
0
A Shinto ritual was held Monday on the frozen surface of Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture to make predictions on weather, social trends and crop harvests based on a streak of elevated ice cracks observed Saturday for the first time in four years.

A priest from nearby Yatsurugi Shrine, together with devotees, checked the exact location of the streak of cracks and performed a purification rite. The predictions will be made later at the shrine by comparing data with past records.

The natural phenomenon, known as "omiwatari," occurs after ice on the surface of the lake repeatedly expands and contracts in concert with temperature changes from day to night, causing the cracks to rise.

In mythology, omiwatari is believed to trace the path taken when the male god at the shrine on the southern coast of the lake visited the female god at the shrine on the lake's northern coast. (Japan Times)

Viewing all 31453 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images