This might very well be the world's most expensive one-bedroom condo. The penthouse of the 10-story exclusive residence building "The House Minami-Azabu," located in the Tokyo district of the same name, is listed with Japan's Sotheby's International Realty for 1.8 billion yen, or approximately $22 million.
(CNBC)
What's in a $22 million 1 bedroom condo?
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Mr. Noda's taxing problem
One-on-one Diet debates between Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and opposition leaders held on April 11 primarily concerned Mr. Noda's plan to raise the consumption tax from April 2014. The prime minister has stated that he will stake his political life on the tax hike plan, and added that he will tackle the task of getting the bill passed with "grave determination." (Japan Times)
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Nuke majors in decline at universities
The number of students enrolled as nuclear energy majors at seven universities has fallen by 16 percent this year, a Kyodo News survey said Monday.
Among universities offering undergraduate and graduate programs in the nuclear sciences, only 223 students had enrolled for the 2012 academic year, compared with 264 last year.
(Japan Times)
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DPJ's Sengoku describes halt of all nuclear plants 'mass suicide'
Democratic Party of Japan policymaker Yoshito Sengoku created a stir Monday by describing the looming shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan as "mass suicide."
"If we don't think about what the economy and our livelihoods will be like in the event of (a total nuclear) halt, that would be, in a sense, something like the mass suicide of Japan," Sengoku said during a speech in Nagoya.
(Japan Times)
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Twitter to hire more Japan staff
Twitter Inc. will "aggressively" add sales staff in Japan to attract more advertisers as local user growth exceeds the company's global expansion, Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo said.
The microblogging service will continue to invest and hire in Japan and will also add engineers, Costolo said Monday in Tokyo without specifying investment amounts or the number of people being added.
(Japan Times)
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Video shows minivan's wild ride
The minivan involved in a fatal accident Thursday in Kyoto's Gion entertainment district was videotaped passing other vehicles on a narrow road at high speed shortly before the crash.
The footage, released Sunday, was taken from a taxi near the accident site.
(Japan Times)
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WWII-era poison gas suit rejected by court
The Tokyo District Court rejected a lawsuit Monday filed by two Chinese who sued the government for injuries caused by a poisonous gas shell the Imperial Japanese Army left in China at the end of World War II.
While expressing regret over the injuries, the presiding judge, Hisaki Kobayashi, said that even though the Japanese government did not take specific steps to prevent the incident, it does not mean Japan's response was unreasonable.
(Japan Times)
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Japan's embassy in Kabul attacked in Taliban's 'spring offensive'
The Japanese embassy in Kabul came under attack Sunday as explosions and gunfire rocked the Afghan capital. Suicide bombers struck across Afghanistan in coordinated attacks claimed by Taliban insurgents as the start of a spring offensive.
The Japanese, U.S., British and German embassy compounds were hit as militants attacked the city's diplomatic enclave and tried to storm parliament, sparking a gun battle as lawmakers and bodyguards fired back from the rooftop.
(Japan Today)
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Japan says to provide $60 billion in loans to IMF
Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Tuesday that Japan would provide $60 billion in loans to the IMF amid renewed concerns about Europe's debt woes, a move that it hopes will encourage other countries to contribute resources.
Group of 20 finance leaders major economies will meet this week in Washington to discuss a plan to raise new resources for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to contain the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis.
(Reuters)
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Tokyo governor plots to buy disputed islands
Tokyo's conservative governor said Monday that the metropolitan government has decided to purchase a group of islands in the East China Sea at the center of a bitter bilateral territorial dispute between the two regional powers, in a move that could heighten tensions between Japan and China.
(Wall Street Journal)
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Japanese hermit enjoys retirement - naked
A Japanese man is enjoying retirement, alone and in the buff.
A remote desert island in western Japan is home for 76-year-old Masafumi Nagasaki. He's lived there by himself for 20 years.
Nagasaki worked as a photographer and in the entertainment industry before deciding to get away from it all.
(9news.com)
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BOJ chief watching risk of bank system impact from Europe
Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Monday he was continuing to monitor the risk that Europe's debt woes could affect Japan's banking system, just as renewed fears about the euro zone spooked financial markets.
"Japan's financial system has maintained stability as a whole, but close watch is still needed on risk factors such as a spillover from Europe's situation," Shirakawa said at a gathering of trust banks.
(Japan Today)
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Uncertain future for Japan's cat cafes
For the young women whiling away their evenings with a cappuccino in hand and a cat on their lap, Tokyo's "neko cafes" are the ideal place to unwind and soothe their stresses.
But for animal rights activists, these cafes are exploitative places where animals are subjected to unnatural stress.
(AFP)
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Nikkei ends little changed, Gree outperforms
Japanese shares steadied on
Tuesday after the previous session's sharp losses, though social
gaming firm Gree Inc jumped as an upbeat sector report from Bank
of America Merrill Lynch forced investors to cover short
positions.
The Nikkei closed down 0.1 percent at 9,464.71 after
shedding 1.7 percent on Monday, falling below the psychological
key level of 9,500 on concerns over Spain's ability to finance
its debt.
(Reuters)
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Japan's population suffers biggest recorded fall
Japan's population last year shrank at the fastest rate since comparable records began, government data showed Tuesday.
The number of people in the world's third largest economy dropped by a record 0.2 percent, or 259,000, to an estimated 127,799,000 as of October 1 last year.
(mysinchew.com)
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Vending machines seek image upgrade
Japan's ubiquitous vending machines took some abuse last year - not the pounding they might get when they fail to deliver goods that have been paid for - but verbal abuse. The machines were criticized for gulping down valuable energy at a time when the country was trying to save every watt as nuclear powers plants went offline in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. (Wall Street Journal)
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Japan's newest tower uses anti-quake technology
A Tokyo developer took visitors up the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure on Tuesday, a 634-meter tower with special technology meant to withstand earthquakes that often strike Japan. Journalists given a tour Tuesday saw sweeping if hazy views of the Tokyo skyline. The needle-like radio and television tower opens to the public on May 22. (BusinessWeek)
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China decries Tokyo-hatched plan to buy disputed isles
Tokyo's controversial governor wants to use public funds to buy islands disputed between Japan and China, prompting Beijing to denounce the plan as illegal and reassert its sovereignty.
The islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been the centre of maritime territorial disputes between China and neighbours, all citing historical and other claims over fishing areas and potentially rich gas deposits.
(Reuters)
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Make way for low-cost carriers
Low-cost carriers will likely occupy a prominent place in Japan's aviation industry from now on as major airlines enter the LCC market. Peach Aviation, in which All Nippon Airways has invested, started domestic flights in March and will begin international flights in May to and from Kansai airport.
(Japan Times)
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Abduction issue even more muddled by rocket launch
North Korea's failed rocket launch last week once again put Japan in a tricky position over its policy toward the North, triggering concern that a stern posture will complicate efforts to move forward the stalled issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals.
"It is natural for hardline (views) to prevail in Japan, but if this hardline stance pushes through, Japan-North Korea negotiations will likely take a back seat," said a diplomatic source knowledgeable about Japan-North Korea relations.
(Japan Times)
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