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NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — As Asia’s “Quad” powers search for ways to define the group, Japan’s foreign minister has offered a model — The Beatles. Yoshimasa Hayashi, an avid music fan, drew the parallel to the Fab Four on Friday, as he met his Quad counterparts from the United States, Australia and India in New Delhi. “This is kind of a band like The Beatles. The members are fixed and they always play together […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The Bank of Japan’s long-standing monetary easing policies are “appropriate”, its next governor Kazuo Ueda told parliament on Friday, suggesting no sudden changes to the bank’s stance when he takes the helm in April. Under current boss Karuhiko Kuroda, the bank has unleashed a raft of extraordinary ultra-loose policies — from a negative interest rate to spending vast sums on government bonds — in a bid to boost the sluggish economy. […]
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Tuesday 2/14/2023 by Etienne BALMER / Katie Forster Economics professor Kazuo Ueda was nominated Tuesday as the Bank of Japan’s next governor, tasked with navigating a way forward after a decade of extraordinary monetary easing. The respected economist, described as careful and cautious, was a surprise pick for the change of guard after the outgoing governor’s deputy reportedly turned down the job. The position will likely be tough going, with […]
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Tuesday 2/14/2023 Japan’s economy expanded just 0.2 percent in the last quarter of 2022, a smaller rebound than expected despite the long-awaited reopening of the country to tourists, government data showed Tuesday. The figure for the three months to December fell short of the 0.5 percent growth forecast by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, with the world’s third-largest economy growing 1.1 percent for the calendar year. Japan reopened its doors to […]
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos hailed new defence and other deals signed with Japan in Tokyo on Thursday, as the nations seek to deepen ties, including on security in response to growing Chinese military pressure. The countries agreed on measures to speed up military deployments for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. They also signed several other deals, ranging from infrastructure loans to cooperation on agriculture and technology. “After our meeting, I can confidently say that […]
ASEAN in Focus – Full broadcast: Feb. 8, 2023
by Natsuko FUKUE / Tomohiro OSAKI Agence France-Presse FUJISAWA, Japan (AFP) — “Excuse me, coming through,” a four-wheeled robot chirps as it dodges pedestrians on a street outside Tokyo, part of an experiment businesses hope will tackle labor shortages and rural isolation. From April, revised traffic laws will allow self-driving delivery robots to navigate streets across Japan. Proponents hope the machines could eventually help elderly people in depopulated rural areas get access to goods, while […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Two of the four suspects believed to be behind a spate of robberies and telephone fraud cases across Japan were deported from the Philippines on Tuesday. Japanese news outlets and social media have been captivated by the crimes that allegedly involved ringleaders based in the Southeast Asian country. Low-level criminals arrested in Japan told police they received instructions from a person or several people who used the name “Luffy” via the […]
by Taimaz SZIRNIKS The boards of French automaker Renault and Japanese partner Nissan have approved a major overhaul of their rocky 24-year alliance following months of negotiations, the companies said on Monday. The carmakers said in a joint statement that they “rebalanced” their relationship, with Renault reducing its stake in the Japanese firm from 43.4 percent to 15 percent, the same size as Nissan’s share in its French counterpart. The agreement includes Nissan taking a […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A handful of unhygienic pranks at sushi conveyor belt restaurants in Japan have sparked stock slumps, venue overhauls and legal action, along with furious social media commentary. Several videos dubbed “sushi terrorism” have emerged on social media including Twitter and TikTok in recent days, some of them apparently weeks or even years old. In one, viewed nearly 40 million times on Twitter, an apparently teenaged customer licks the top of a […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — NATO’s chief on Wednesday applauded Japan’s plan to double its defense spending, saying that the pledge reflected the country’s resolve for greater security involvement in a volatile world. Speaking in Tokyo, Jens Stoltenberg said Japan’s renewed focus on security made the nation “even more” of a partner “for peace”. “I am glad that Japan is planning (a military budget) to reach the NATO benchmark of two percent of GDP devoted to […]
Japan and NATO must “remain united and firm” in the face of security threats posed by China, North Korea and Russia’s war in Ukraine, Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Tokyo. Stoltenberg, secretary general of the European and North American military alliance, warned that Beijing was keeping a close eye on developments in Ukraine and “learning lessons that may influence its future decisions”. He spoke alongside Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after the pair held […]
