Tag: Japan

Japan’s Toshiba cuts profit outlook again

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Struggling Japanese engineering firm Toshiba lowered its profit forecasts Wednesday with rising costs weighing on its energy operations. The fresh downgrade comes as the firm undergoes painful reforms to stay afloat after logging billions of dollars in losses from its disastrous acquisition of US nuclear firm Westinghouse. Having sold its lucrative chip making business, Toshiba also saw sharply lower operating profit over the past three quarters compared with the previous year, […]

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Special branch: Poignant plea after Japanese bonsai burglary

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – A Japanese cultivator of bonsai trees appealed on Tuesday for the thieves who made off with his expensive potted plants to take good care of them. Seiji Iimura, a fifth-generation bonsai cultivator who runs a garden in Kawaguchi, north of Tokyo, told AFP the seven tiny trees stolen from his garden were his “family treasure”. “It’s something I would never sell even if I got 10 million yen ($90,000),” he said. […]

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Robot probes radioactive fuel at Japan’s Fukushima plant

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A robot will attempt to examine radioactive fuel at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant on Wednesday in a complex operation seen as key to clean-up efforts after the 2011 meltdown. The operation is intended to better assess the status of the melted fuel, including whether it is stable enough to be picked up for removal, or may crumble upon contact. “The operation began at 7:00am local time and will last around five […]

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In photos: Japan donates bulletproof vests, ballistic shields, others to PNP

(Eagle News)—In these pictures released by the Office of the Chief of the Philippine National Police, Japan’s Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Hameda is seen turning over equipment donated by the Japanese government to the national police. Among those turned over were six bomb suits, six ballistic shields, 440 bulletproof vests and 440 ballistic helmets.    

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Finance chief thanks Japan for “generous support” for PHL gov’t’s “Build, Build, Build” program

  (Eagle News) — Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III thanked the government of Japan for its “generous support” in helping jumpstart the Philippines’ ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, citing the nine loan agreements signed since the start of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Dominguez said the loan agreements with a combined amount of JPY398.82 billion (about $3.63 billion or P189.92 billion) were formalized between the Philippines and Japan since President Duterte assumed the […]

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DA bans entry of pork from Japan due to African Swine Fever scare

(Eagle News) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is banning the entry of pork and other pork products from Japan following reports that African Swine Fever (ASF) is feared to be spread there. Agriclture Secretary Manny Piñol said that he had already alert the Bureau of Animal Industry at noon of Sunday, February 10. “At 12 noon today, I have alerted the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) through (DA) Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo […]

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The art and science of Japan’s cherry blossom forecast

by Natsuko FUKUE Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — As spring approaches in Japan, the country’s weather forecasters face one of their biggest missions of the year: predicting exactly when the famed cherry blossoms will bloom. Japan’s sakura or cherry blossom season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. Many tourists plan their entire trips around the blooms, and Japanese flock to parks in their millions to enjoy the seasonal spectacle. “People pay more […]

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Following deadly Jolo blasts, Japan renews vow to help PHL combat “scourge of terrorism”

(Eagle News)—Japan has renewed its vow to help the Philippines combat the “scourge of terrorism” following the twin explosions in Jolo, Sulu that killed at least 23 people. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Japan Foreign Minister Taro Kono, in his visit to Davao, also “conveyed (Japan Prime Minister Shinzo) Abe’s grave concern over the twin explosions in Jolo, Sulu, and expressed Japan’s condemnation of the terrorism and violent extremism..” Panelo said Kono […]

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Japan Foreign Minister Taro Kono to visit PHL

(Eagle News) — Japan Foreign Minister Taro Kono will visit the Philippines this month. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Kono will undertake the official visit from Feb. 9 to 11, upon the invitation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. According to the DFA, on Feb. 10, Locsin will hold bilateral discussions with Kono on “areas of mutual interest, including political, economic and people-to-people engagement, especially Japan’s support for infrastructure development […]

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Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe to land on asteroid on Feb 22

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese probe sent to examine an asteroid in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system is expected to land on the rock later this month, officials said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the Hayabusa2 probe is expected to touch down on the Ryugu asteroid at 8am local time on February 22. “The landing point is decided and how we’re going to land is […]

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Germany’s Merkel says there is ‘still time’ to find Brexit solution

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — There is still time to find a solution to Britain’s exit from the EU, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday, voicing optimism on a political deal over the tricky “backstop” that has stymied progress. Speaking to Japanese and German business leaders in Tokyo, Merkel stressed that “on the one hand, time is pressing” and businesses using “just-in-time” delivery processes could not afford lengthy customs procedures. However, she added: “From a […]

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Asian markets mixed as China, US agree to further trade talks

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets mostly rose Friday, with investors treading carefully as China-US trade talks ended with no deal but with both sides sounding notes of optimism and setting up more high-level meetings later this month. After the much-anticipated gathering, Donald Trump hailed “tremendous progress” between the world’s top two economies but warned the “hard deadline” of March 1 remained in place, after which US tariffs on billions of dollars of Chinese […]

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