China data, Greece uncertainty weigh Asia stocks
Japanese and Australian shares fell while Hong Kong stocks ended flat after a choppy trading session Thursday, as an unexpected increase in Chinese inflation rate and uncertainty over Greek debt...
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Panasonic prices its flagship plasma TVs in Japan
Panasonic will be launching its flagship VT-series plasma TVs in Japan come April 20. Priced from US$4,700 to US$6,500, all models will feature the company's proprietary "Infinite Black Ultra" panel,...
View ArticleToyota moves Highlander SUV production to US
The United States automobile manufacturing exported more than 1.5 million new vehicles in 2010. How long has this trend been continuing? Quoting Department of Commerce figures, "Exports of new light...
View ArticleJapan's Tepco to suspend all nuclear operations
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday it will suspend operations of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on March 26 for a periodic check, a plan that...
View ArticleHow Japan, US may break 18-year deadlock over Okinawa base
This week's US-Japanese agreement removing thousands of Marines from Okinawa breaks an 18-year deadlock over the realignment of US forces in Japan by a simple expedient: sidestepping the key obstacle...
View ArticleJapan lines up national chip champion
Three Japanese semiconductor manufacturers including Panasonic and Fujitsu are in talks to merge their operations to create a national champion chipmaker that would be backed by the government,...
View ArticleTim Wilson, jailed in Japan for Cheeba Chews, reportedly to be released
Tim Wilson, a 25-year-old Colorado man arrested last year after Japanese authorities say he conspired to have marijuana candies sent to the weed-intolerant island nation will finally be coming home,...
View ArticleTennis: Nishikori leads Japan into Davis Cup
Kei Nishikori will be aiming to build on his success at the Australian Open when Japan takes on Croatia in this weekends Davis Cup World Group tie. Nishikori, who became the first Japanese man to reach...
View ArticleLong courting of Myanmar may finally pay off
Japanese government and business officials have flocked to Myanmar in recent months with a keen interest in the untapped investment opportunities in the country, which is embarking on democratic and...
View ArticleScandal may affect space launch: JAXA
A scandal involving Mitsubishi Electric Corp. concerning inflated defense contracts could affect the scheduled launch this summer of a logistics vehicle to transport food and other supplies to the...
View ArticleDespite Fukushima disaster, anti-nuclear activists fight uphill battle in Japan
The triple meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last March unleashed the largest wave of public protest the country, not known for its activism, has seen in decades. Parents'...
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Actress Meisa, pop singer tie knot
Actress Meisa Kuroki, 23, and pop singer Jin Akanishi, 27, have wed, submitting their marriage registration certificate Feb. 2 to a Tokyo ward, the agencies representing them announced separately...
View ArticleU.S. likely to scale down plans for bases in Japan and Guam
The U.S. military will probably scale back plans to build key bases in Japan and Guam because of political obstacles and budget pressures, according to U.S. and Japanese officials, complicating the...
View ArticleCore machinery orders plunge 7.1%
Key machinery orders dropped a sharper than expected 7.1 percent in December to ¥733.2 billion, the first decline in two months, affected by weakness in some technology sectors, government data showed....
View ArticleJapan enlists foreign bloggers to revive tsunami-hit tourist biz
The Japanese government is trying to get foreign bloggers to do PR for it by inviting them to earthquake- and tsunami-hit areas to write compassionately about the progress being made in reconstructing...
View ArticleShorter detention of asylum seekers set
The government has signed a memorandum with the nation's main lawyers association and a nonprofit organization to work together on improving the treatment of asylum seekers while they await a decision...
View ArticleJapan priest fights invisible demon: radiation
On the snowy fringes of Japan's Fukushima city, now notorious as a byword for nuclear crisis, Zen monk Koyu Abe offers prayers for the souls of thousands left dead or missing after the earthquake and...
View ArticleJapan finmin makes rare remark on intervention level
Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Friday that he had decided to intervene to weaken the yen last year when it hit 75.63 yen against the dollar, making a rare reference to a currency level...
View ArticleJapan Stock Futures Rise on Greece Agreement, U.S. Job Claims
Japanese stock futures rose after Greek policy makers said they reached an agreement on austerity measures required to receive a bailout and U.S. jobless claims dropped, boosting demand for riskier...
View Article11 months on, Reconstruction Agency makes official debut
The Reconstruction Agency finally made its official debut Friday, 11 months since the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake, and its mission is to speed up the process of rebuilding the Tohoku...
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