Japan wages rise 1st time in 9 mths, overtime pay up
Wages in Japan rose in February from a year earlier for the first time in nine months, while overtime pay climbed for the fifth straight month, partly helped by more working days in the month than last...
View ArticleReorganizing Japan's exchanges
The Noda Cabinet in early March submitted to the Diet a bill to help establish a unified exchange that will integrate stock, commodity and other exchanges. But even if the Diet passes the bill to...
View ArticleOlympus ex-CEO Woodford plans 'surprise': report
Michael Woodford, former president and chief executive officer of Olympus Corp, said Monday he is planning to launch a "surprise" action at an extraordinary shareholders meeting of the Japanese camera...
View ArticleCan Japan Firms Woo Foreigners?
Japanese companies, increasingly shifting overseas to offset a shrinking domestic market, are taking the first steps to hire foreigners after long resisting even modest changes to their uniform...
View ArticleJapan extends N.Korea sanctions ahead of rocket launch
Japan extended sanctions against North Korea by a year on Tuesday after the reclusive state said it would press ahead with a rocket launch in the face of international criticism. Japan first imposed...
View ArticleJapan braces for stormy weather
Strong winds hit wide areas of western Japan on Tuesday, prompting the weather agency to warn people in other regions, including commuters in Tokyo, to brace themselves for gusts and possible...
View ArticleJapanese computer programming language Ruby approved as global standard
The computer programming language Ruby, invented by a Japanese, has been approved by the International Organization for Standardization as a global standard, the government's Information-technology...
View ArticleAsia stocks rise on positive US factory report
Asian stocks rose Tuesday, lifted by a positive report on U.S. manufacturing, but shares in Japan sank as a strengthening yen hurt the country's powerhouse export sector. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.5...
View ArticleRoyal status of princesses could be limited to one generation after marriage...
The government is considering limiting the royal status of princesses to one generation if they are to be allowed to create their own Imperial Family branches after marriage to commoners, government...
View ArticlePeach Aviation tops passenger projection
Japan's first low-cost carrier, Peach Aviation Ltd., topped its projected occupancy rate in its first month of operations, according to CEO Shinichi Inoue. The number of passengers in March came to...
View ArticlePolice officer found dead in apparent suicide in Okinawa
A police officer was been found dead in a police station in Nago, Okinawa, on Wednesday, police said Thursday. The man's coworkers reportedly heard a gunshot at about 12:45 p.m., TV Asahi reported....
View ArticleJapan's giant pandas mate sparking hopes of summer cubs
Male panda Eimei, 19, and the female Rauhin, 11, spent three days together in the same pen at Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture. The pair mated four times during their stint together...
View ArticleJapan expected to pass $1.1 trillion budget
Japan was expected to pass a 90.3 trillion yen ($1.1 trillion) budget on Thursday, with about half the spending financed by new bonds that will add to Japan's massive debt mountain. The country's...
View ArticleJapan's tsunami-hit nuclear plant leaks radioactive water into ocean again
The operator of Japan's tsunami-hit nuclear plant says tons of highly radioactive water appears to have leaked into the ocean from a purification unit. The leak comes as Tokyo Electric Power Co....
View ArticleJapan tsunami town bound to Chile by smiling statue
The small Japanese fishing town of Minami Sanriku is half a world away from Chile, but the two places share a bond that crosses a vast ocean: Moai statues. For two decades an enigmatic smiling face,...
View ArticleTokyo stocks drop on renewed concern over European debt crisis
Tokyo stocks dropped for the third consecutive session Thursday, with the benchmark Nikkei index closing at a one-month low, on renewed fears about the eurozone sovereign debt crisis and its impact on...
View ArticlePAC-3 deployment in Okinawa complete
The Self-Defense Forces on Thursday completed the deployment of its ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors in Okinawa Prefecture to prepare for North Korea's rocket launch next week....
View ArticleWebb hopes for progress on Futenma
U.S. Sen. Jim Webb expressed hope in Tokyo Thursday that the contentious relocation of the Futenma air base will move forward now that Japan and the United States have agreed to delink the issue from...
View ArticleTwo arrested after exporting luxury cars to Pyongyang
A used car salesman and an antique dealer were arrested Thursday on suspicion of violating trade sanctions by exporting luxury cars to North Korea. Hideaki Abe, 54, and Kiyoshi Komatsu, 61, allegedly...
View ArticleLone farmer in no-go zone sticks to defiant existence
Townspeople in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, used to take pride in a 2.5-km stretch of 300 cherry trees that reached full bloom and created a canopy of blossoms every April in Yonomori Park. Before...
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