Japan | GlobalPost

Tokyo market slide likely to continue next week

Agence France-PresseMay 31, 2013 05:15

Tokyo stocks could lose more ground next week as investors search for the market's bottom but the losses are likely to be limited after a rocky week on Japan's premier bourse, dealers said. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index tumbled more than five percent on Thursday as jittery investors dumped shares on the back of a stronger yen, with the fall coming a week after a jaw-dropping 7.3 percent dive, the worst single-day fall since Japan's quake-tsunami disaster two years ago.

Oil imports in April fall 6.2%, down for 3rd straight month

Kyodo News InternationalMay 31, 2013 03:01

Japan's crude oil imports in April dropped 6.2 percent from a year earlier to 110.64 million barrels for the third consecutive monthly decline, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said Friday. Oil from the Middle East accounted for 81.4 percent of the total imports, down 1.7 percentage points, the agency under the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said in a preliminary report.

Japan's industrial output rises for 5th month in April

Kyodo News InternationalMay 30, 2013 23:15

Japan's industrial production advanced 1.7 percent in April from the previous month for the fifth consecutive monthly rise, with the weaker yen boosting exports of transport equipment makers, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said Friday. But the ministry maintained its basic assessment that production has shown "signs of picking up at a moderate pace" partly because a forecast survey indicated that there may be a pause in the rise in the index of output at factories and mines in the following months.

Gov't to reinvestigate past marine accidents over N. Korean abductions

Kyodo News InternationalMay 31, 2013 00:48

The government plans to reinvestigate marine accidents in waters surrounding Japan in the 1970s and 1980s to see if they may be connected with abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea, Keiji Furuya, state minister in charge of the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, said Friday. Furuya decided to conduct the investigations following a news report that a former high-ranking official of the Korean People's Army admitted that abductions of Japanese fishermen had occurred in the 1980s.

Japan to offer $10 billion aid to Africa

Agence France-PresseMay 31, 2013 00:35

Japan is to pledge at least $10 billion in aid to Africa for the next five years, reports said Friday, as Tokyo prepared to host a major development conference for the resource-rich continent. Coupled with expected corporate investments, Japan's public and private sectors look set to pour around three trillion yen ($30 billion) into Africa by 2018, as Japan Inc. rushes for a piece of the promising African market, the Nikkei said.

Osaka city assembly rejects censure motion against Mayor Hashimoto

Kyodo News InternationalMay 30, 2013 09:03

The Osaka city assembly rejected on Thursday a censure motion against Mayor Toru Hashimoto over his remarks on wartime military brothels. City assembly members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and other parties filed the motion after Hashimoto said earlier this month that anyone can understand that "comfort women," as they are euphemistically known in Japan, were "necessary" for frontline soldiers during the World War II.

Japan sets next 3 years as investment promotion period

Kyodo News InternationalMay 29, 2013 12:06

The government decided Wednesday to designate the coming three years as an "intensive investment prompting period" to accelerate its economic growth strategy aimed at conquering nearly two decades of Japan's deflationary recession. In the outline of the strategy, presented by economic and fiscal policy minister Akira Amari earlier in the day, the government also positioned the next five years as an "emergency structural reform period," pledging to bring about industrial reorganization by taking such measures as promoting labor market flexibility.

Japan adopts strategy to pitch its food overseas

Kyodo News InternationalMay 28, 2013 13:00

Japan adopted on Tuesday an action plan that aims to make a stronger pitch overseas for its food as part of the country's "Cool Japan" strategy to promote Japanese culture to a broader international audience. With the action plan being reflected in Japan's growth strategy, which is to be compiled in June, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes the Cool Japan program will spur the domestic economy.

Japan's net external assets at record 296 tril. yen at 2012 end

Kyodo News InternationalMay 27, 2013 22:16

The net external asset balance held by Japanese companies, government and individual investors reached a record 296.3 trillion yen as of the end of 2012, up 11.6 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. The second straight year of rise came mainly because the yen equivalent value of the assets grew under the yen's depreciation.

Four S. Korean lawmakers visit Japan over imperialist remarks

Yonhap News AgencyMay 27, 2013 10:16

TOKYO/SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean female lawmakers arrived in Japan Monday to protest against nationalistic politicians for raising allegations that the country was justified in using foreign sex slaves during World War II. Ruling Saenuri Party Reps. Kim Hee-jung, Ryu Ji-young and Kim Hyun-sook, and Rep. You Seung-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party met with Japanese academics and representatives of Korean residents in Tokyo to deliver their protest. All four lawmakers serve on the parliamentary committee for women and family affairs.