News On Japan

The Bank of Japan has developed a new index that tracks private consumption monthly, saying a gauge that eschews household surveys will be more accurate. (Nikkei)

The Diet enacted a law Monday to boost benefits for second and later children in low-income households headed by single parents by up to double the current levels. (Japan Times)

Average occupancy at 18 major Tokyo hotels edged up 0.1 percentage point to 83.8% in the year ended in March -- staying in the 80% range seen as near full occupancy -- even as hotels hike rates, though recent data shows signs of a downtrend. (Nikkei)

The leaders of Japan and France have agreed to announce a counterterrorism action plan during the upcoming G7 summit. (NHK)

Japan's chief justice has apologized for the practice of trying people suffering from leprosy, or Hansen's disease, in isolated facilities over a period of about 25 years. (NHK)

Police said Monday they are looking for a man who stole 1 million yen from a Pizza Hut store in Tokyo, and injured two employees in the process. (Japan Today)

Japan's foreign minister announced a $7 billion initiative Monday to promote development in Southeast Asia's Mekong region, which encompasses parts of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand through which the river flows. (Japan Today)

Seven people were injured after a car jumped the curb and hit pedestrians in Kobe on Tuesday morning. (Japan Today)

Three municipalities on a remote island in southwestern Japan have launched an unprecedented project to neuter all 3,000 resident felines in order to protect native rabbits designated as a special national treasure. (Japan Today)

A man was found dead after being run over by a car on a road in Mooka, Tochigi Prefecture, but police said Tuesday that he may have already been dead after being hit by another car earlier. (Japan Today)

Earthquakes continued on Tuesday in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto as residents struggle to deal with the aftermath of the disaster. (NHK)

The finance ministers and central bank heads of Japan, China and South Korea on Tuesday agreed to enhance monitoring of capital outflows from emerging economies that suffer from economic deceleration. (Jiji Press)

Japan's highways, railways and airports were crowded on Tuesday as travelers head for their hometowns or holiday resorts for the spring holidays. (NHK)

Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday his country will fully support Myanmar's democratization and economic development. (Jiji Press)

Masayoshi Son's promises of a turnaround for his U.S. operations and a record share buyback have not been enough to erase SoftBank Group Corp.'s $22 billion valuation gap. The billionaire founder has at least one more card to play - listing the company's domestic telecommunications business. (Japan Times)

The transport ministry has ordered the nation's automakers to make further recalls of vehicles fitted with Takata Corp. air bag inflators of the kind being replaced in the United States, ministry officials said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Nearly 90% of visually impaired people said they have faced ill-treatment while traveling with their guide dogs, with many being refused entry by restaurants and hotels, a survey shows. (Japan Today)

Japan liberalized its retail electricity market last month, creating one of the largest deregulated electricity markets in history. While companies and consumers have just begun to switch electricity providers, and questions remain about the plan to unbundle electricity transmission from generation, competition has already brought down rates. (wsj.com)

Japan's giant trading houses are looking for new paths to profitability after some of them racked up the first losses in their history on Tuesday, stung by a global commodities slump. (Reuters)

Are we about to enter a new and more vicious stage in the global currency wars as Japan embarks on a dangerous experiment with "helicopter money"? (afr.com)

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