Tag: Japan

Tokyo opens lower after US stocks see the first drop of 2018

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks opened lower on Thursday after Wall Street fell for the first time in 2018 the previous day, while a strong yen weighed on sentiment. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.58 percent or 137.89 points to 23,650.31 in early trade while the broader Topix index opened down 0.49 percent or 9.18 points at 1,882.93. “Investors are cashing in on the recent gains after watching a decline on Wall Street,” […]

Japan’s new crypto-currency crooners sing the bitcoin beats

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Move over AKB48: Japan has a new all-girl “idol” band — the Virtual Currency Girls — on a mission to educate the public about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Each of the eight girls in the band, known in Japanese as “Kasotsuka Shojo,” plays a character representing a virtual currency such as bitcoin, ethereum or ripple. Promotional material shows the performers wearing character masks, frilly mini-skirts and “maid” aprons complete with knee-high […]

‘To boldly grow’: Japan astronaut worried by space growth spurt

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese astronaut has sparked hilarity back on Earth after he claimed to have grown nine centimeters in space, making him worried he would not squeeze into the capsule home. Norishige Kanai, who is aboard the International Space Station, tweeted: “We had our bodies measured after reaching space, and wow, wow, wow, I had actually grown by as much as 9 centimeters (3.5 inches)!” “I have grown like a plant in […]

S. Korea to stick with Japan ‘comfort women’ deal

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea will not seek to renegotiate a deal with Japan on wartime sex slavery, it said Tuesday, despite new President Moon Jae-In saying on the campaign trail he “could not accept” the agreement. The issue of women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II is a hugely emotional one that has long marred ties between the South and its former colonial ruler. Ousted president Park […]

Different approaches to bitcoin in Asia

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — From clampdowns to a warm embrace, regulators in Asia have taken very different approaches to dealing with the bitcoin phenomenon. Here are the developments in a few key markets: Chinese clampdown In mid-September, China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), told virtual currency trading platforms based in Beijing and Shanghai to cease market operations. Authorities also clamped down on ethereum and any other electronic units that are exchanged online […]

Different approaches to bitcoin in Asia

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — From clampdowns to a warm embrace, regulators in Asia have taken very different approaches to dealing with the bitcoin phenomenon. Here are the developments in a few key markets: Chinese clampdown  In mid-September, China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), told virtual currency trading platforms based in Beijing and Shanghai to cease market operations. Authorities also clamped down on ethereum and any other electronic units that are exchanged online without being […]

Tokyo’s Nikkei index closes at fresh 26-year high

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index closed at a 26-year high for the second consecutive day on Friday as Wall Street continued a record-setting advance. The bellwether index, which hit its best level since January 1992 on the first trading day of 2018 Thursday, added another 0.89 percent, or 208.20 points, to close at 23,714.53. The broader Topix index was up 0.89 percent, or 16.52 points, at 1,880.34. World stock markets went on […]

Delaying drills does not reduce pressure on N.Korea: Japan

TOKYO., Japan (AFP) — Japan stressed Friday that a decision by the US and South Korea to delay a huge military drill was not tantamount to an easing of the pressure on North Korea. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo, Washington, and Seoul remained committed to applying maximum pressure on the secretive regime. The three allies “have confirmed a shared policy to further increase pressure against North Korea,” Suga told a regular press briefing. […]

Japan’s historic Tsukiji market holds final auction

by Natsuko Fukue Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo’s world-famous Tsukiji fish market held its last pre-dawn New Year’s auction on Friday before closing down for relocation, with the highest bidder paying more than $320,000 for a giant tuna. After more than 80 years in operation, the world’s biggest fish market, a popular tourist attraction in an area packed with restaurants and shops, will move to Toyosu, a former gas plant a bit […]

Nintendo eyes 20 mn Switch sales

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Nintendo is expecting to sell more than 20 million of its new “Switch” consoles in the next fiscal year, the firm’s president said, with sales outpacing its smash-hit Wii console in some places. Tatsumi Kimishima told Thursday’s Kyoto Shimbun newspaper that the momentum for Switch is stronger in some markets than that of the Wii, a smash-hit household console that sold more than 100 million units worldwide. Kimishima said he expected […]

Japan, nag-alok ng tulong para sa mga biktima ng “Vinta” at sunog sa Davao

(Eagle News) – Nangako ng tulong ang gobyerno ng Japan para sa mga biktima ng bagyong Vinta at ng sunog sa Davao City. Mismong si Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ang nagsabi nito kasabay ng kanyang pagpapaabot ng pakikiramay sa mga naging biktima ng bagyo at ng sunog sa NCCC mall noong Sabado, ika-23 ng Disyembre. Kabilang aniya sa ipagkakaloob na tulong ng Japan ang emergency relief goods. Ayon kay Prime Minister Abe, kaagapay ng […]

Japan jobless rate lowest since 1993

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s unemployment rate in November dipped to its lowest level since November 1993, official data showed Tuesday, offering another sign that the world’s third-largest economy is on track to recovery even if the place is slow. Figures released by the government showed unemployment stoof at 2.7 percent last month while jobs-to-applicants ratio improved slighty, up 0.01 percent from the previous month to 1.56 in November — the highest level in almost […]