Tag: Japan

Japan starts $9 departure tax for travelers

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Monday started levying a 1,000 yen ($9.22) departure tax on each person leaving the country, a measure aimed at raising funds to further boost tourism. The International Tourist Tax will cover everyone regardless of nationality — from business people to holidaymakers older than two years of age — and will be tacked on to the price of a airline ticket. The government wants to use an estimated 50 billion […]

Ghosn set for court hearing in Japan over detention

by Miwa SUZUKI Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn is likely to appear in a Japanese court next Tuesday to hear the reasons for his detention, after his lawyers deployed a little-used article of the Constitution. The shock move was the latest in a series of unexpected twists in a case that has gripped Japan and the business world since the once-revered auto tycoon was arrested on his private jet […]

DFA: No Filipinos hurt in car attack in Tokyo

(Eagle News)–No Filipinos were hurt after a car rammed against a crowd celebrating the New Year in Tokyo, Japan. The Department of Foreign Affairs said there were no Filipinos among the nine who were injured in the attack on Takeshita St. in  Harajuku. The DFA said this was based on a report from the Philippine embassy in Tokyo. Authorities have the driver, Kazuhiro Kusakabe, whom they said acted with “intent to murder.”    

Tears as Japan emperor gives last New Year’s address

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Emperor Akihito delivered his final New Year’s address Wednesday before his abdication later this year, telling tens of thousands of well-wishers he was praying for peace. The Imperial Palace said more then 72,000 people flocked to the royal residence on Wednesday morning alone, with many more still arriving for a final chance to see the 85-year-old royal deliver his traditional new year’s greeting. The emperor will become the first Japanese […]

9 hurt as car rams into famous Tokyo street on New Year’s Eve

by Hiroshi HIYAMA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Nine people were hurt, one seriously, when a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year’s Eve along a famous Tokyo street, police and media said Tuesday. With an “intent to murder”, a man identified as 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a small vehicle into Takeshita Street in Tokyo’s fashion district of Harajuku at 10 minutes past midnight, a police spokesman told AFP. According […]

Mayweather floors Japan’s Nasukawa in just two minutes

  by Richard Carter Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Floyd “Money” Mayweather beat Japanese kickboxing phenomenon Tenshin Nasukawa by a technical knockout Monday after just two minutes of a New Year’s Eve “exhibition” bout that brought the US boxing superstar out of retirement for a big pay day. In a mismatched contest, Mayweather floored Nasukawa, a kickboxer less than half his age, three times in the first round of the three-round contest before […]

Ghosn’s detention extended to Jan 11: media

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn will be spending the beginning of 2019 behind bars after a Tokyo court on Monday extended his detention through to January 11, local media reported. The decision, reported by public broadcaster NHK and local news agency Jiji Press, comes after Japanese prosecutors re-arrested Ghosn for fresh allegations on December 21, dashing his hopes of being home for Christmas. There was no immediate confirmation from the court. […]

Asian markets meek after global turbulence

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian investors moved with caution in Friday trade after days of volatility on global financial markets failed to boost confidence. In Tokyo, stocks were trading 0.5 percent lower by the break despite a late rally in New York, as investors cashed in after the previous day’s strong rises. With the trading year winding down, the Nikkei index is heading for its first closure with an annual loss in seven years. […]

Japan bolts whaling commission, but tensions may ease

by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Japan has made good on years of threats by bolting the International Whaling Commission, but its decision may also offer a way out of tensions that looked inextricable. Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said Wednesday it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned commercial killing of the ocean giants. But while Japan vowed to forge ahead […]

Tokyo’s Nikkei closes up more than 3.8% following NY rally

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index closed more than 3.8 percent higher on Thursday, with investors heartened by Wall Street’s best performance in nine years. The Nikkei 225 index soared 3.88 percent or 750.56 points to close at 20,077.62, while the broader Topix index was up 4.90 percent or 70.16 points at 1,501.63. The rallies came after the Nikkei index lost more than four percent this week amid rising doubts about the US […]

Japan hangs two for murder, bringing 2018 executions to 15

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan hanged two men convicted of murder on Thursday, the justice minister said, bringing the number of executions this year to 15 — tied for the highest amount on record. With more than 100 inmates on death row, Japan is one of the few developed nations to retain the death penalty, and public support for it remains high despite international criticism, including from rights groups. The minister named the two men […]

Asian markets climb after bumper US session

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Japanese shares surged nearly four percent on Thursday morning, with investors heartened by Wall Street’s best performance in nine years after the White House said Fed Chair Jay Powell would not be fired. Asian markets followed Tokyo’s lead with more modest gains in morning trade, giving some welcome relief from a lingering global market downturn. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was up 0.7 percent by mid-morning. Taiwan and […]