The Japanese yen: Handle with care
One of the strongest major currencies in the world since the onset of the 2008 crisis has been the Japanese yen. This is a dramatic change of fortune for what had long been - and what should be - a...
View ArticleFiscal ills not DPJ's doing but it's holding the bag
The tax and social security reform outline adopted by the Cabinet on Friday indicate the government has run out of options and must finally address welfare costs and public finances that have been...
View ArticleMalpractice info leak nets cop jail
The Tokyo District Court sentenced a former police inspector Friday to 10 months in prison for leaking investigative information in a 2009 fatal malpractice case. Yoichi Shirotori, 58, was convicted of...
View ArticleJapan's territorial dispute with Russia heating up again
As the Noda Administration grapples with the Futenma base relocation issue with the United States, Japan's territorial disputes with Russia has re emerged as another major irritant to foreign policy...
View ArticleDefense chief richest member in Noda Cabinet
Among the 19 members of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka, thanks to his wife's fortune, ranks tops in terms of family assets, with ¥303.31 million, documents...
View ArticleDiminishing waistlines, a Japanese health problem
Americans may be battling the bulge, but the Japanese are struggling to expand their waistlines. The Health Ministry said the number of young, skinny women has risen to troubling levels. A record 29...
View ArticleANA looking to cut Y100 billion in costs, expand international services
All Nippon Airways Co. plans to slash costs by ¥100 billion and expand international flights as it gears up for rising competition at home. The carrier, the world's only operator so far of Boeing Co.'s...
View ArticleK-Pop in Japanese music market shows steady growth in revenue
On February 16, Oricon released a revenue trends report regarding K-Pop artists' music softwares and their sales. According to the report, the total revenue of Japanese music market has been steadily...
View ArticleForeign visitors off for 11th month
The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January fell 4.1 percent from a year earlier to 685,000, declining for the 11th straight month since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, an estimate by the...
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Japan slowly wakes up to doomsday debt risk
Capital flight, soaring borrowing costs, tanking currency and stocks and a central bank forced to pump vast amounts of cash into local banks -- that is what Japan may have to contend with if it fails...
View ArticleSoccer: Japan call up five new caps for Iceland
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni called up five new players for a friendly against Iceland next week in preparation for a World Cup qualifier later this month. "I called up those who have never been...
View ArticleCourt nixes key depositions against Ozawa
The Tokyo District Court said Friday it will not adopt as evidence key depositions of former aides of ex-Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa, who stands accused of violating the Political...
View ArticleLearning a foreign language: blood, sweat and beers
A recent education ministry survey evaluated Japanese "third-year middle school students" on their attitudes toward learning English. One editorial indicated that the results of the survey showed that...
View Article70 years on, survivors remember the Japanese bombing of Darwin
Allen Heckenberg was a 19-year-old ammunition loader on a three-inch anti-aircraft gun overlooking Darwin Harbour when the port was attacked by dozens of Japanese aircraft just before 10 am on February...
View ArticleCaterpillar to shift production from Japan to US
Caterpillar said Friday it was shifting production of small tractors and excavators from its Sagami, Japan plant to the United States. The world's leading construction equipment maker said it will...
View ArticleJapan's consumer electronics industry reliance on Google presents a dilemma
So, with the FCC confirming Google is indeed testing a home wireless "personal communications device" prototype and rumors of the imminent release of Google's "Project Tungsten" home media device, you...
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The many faces of Tokyo
It is a country where tradition meets cutting edge, where peace and quiet meets buzzing excitement. From tea ceremonies to capsule hotels, jaw-dropping temples to digitised toilets, there is simply no...
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Yakuza intractable in Japan showbiz
Six months ago, Shinsuke Shimada, a comic who hosted several big primetime shows on Japanese TV, admitted ties to organized crime and resigned from showbiz. His abrupt departure caused a media...
View ArticleiOS 5.1 will add Japanese Siri support, new lock screen
A new report says Apple will push out an update to iOS in the coming weeks. Although not much is known about it, iOS 5.1 will add Japanese-language support for Siri, the digital voice assistant on the...
View ArticleScientists find no radiation in sick ringed seals
Lesions and other symptoms associated with sickened or dead ringed seals along Alaska's northern coast last year were probably not caused by radiation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
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