HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets extended their gains Friday on hopes for China-US trade talks, while Turkey’s lira held up after a shock hike in the country’s interest rate and a dip in US inflation. After a tumultuous start to the month, investors finally had something to smile about Thursday after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin invited Chinese officials for fresh talks to avert an all-out trade war. The news provided some much-needed support, […]
Tag: Japan
Bomb scare briefly closes runway at Japan’s Narita airport
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Narita airport briefly closed one of its two runways Thursday after what is suspected to be an unexploded shell was found buried nearby, officials said. Local police cleared the suspicious object and there were no flight cancellations, as one runway operated as normal during the three-hour closure, officials added. “Contractors involved in drilling work at night found something like an explosive” in the soil, said a spokesman for Narita, […]
Putin suggests Russia, Japan agree peace deal ‘without any preconditions’ by year’s end
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday suggested Russia and Japan sign a peace deal “without any preconditions” by the end of the year to try to solve a long-running territorial dispute. “Let’s conclude a peace agreement by year’s end without any preconditions,” he told an economic forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other leaders. © Agence France-Presse
Japan’s Abe confirms China visit this year
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AFP) — Shinzo Abe confirmed Wednesday his plans to visit China this year in what would be the first trip to the country by a Japanese prime minister since 2011, the latest sign of warmer ties between the two rivals. “I intend to visit China this year, the year in which we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China,” Abe said in […]
Asian markets stumble again as trade fears persist
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — The sell-off on Asian markets showed no sign of letting up Wednesday with investors fearing an escalation in the China-US trade row after Beijing said it planned to impose anti-dumping sanctions worth billions on Washington. The news adds to a sense of pessimism across trading floors in recent weeks as the world’s top two economic powers stand on the cusp of an all-out trade war that observers fear could batter […]
Japan toll 44 after strong quake, no more missing
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The death toll from a powerful earthquake that triggered massive landslides in northern Japan rose to 44 on Monday with tens of thousands of police and troops still on the ground to support survivors. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said no one was left on a missing list, which suggested the figure could be the final death toll. Around 40,000 police, fire fighters, troops and maritime safety officials were providing assistance, […]
Abe launches bid for party leader vaunting economy, constitution
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Shinzo Abe Monday defended his economic record and pledged a controversial reform of the country’s post-war constitution, as he launched his campaign for another term as head of his ruling LDP party. Abe is seen comfortably winning the September 20 vote against his sole challenger — former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, which would put him on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier. A victory would effectively keep the hawkish Abe […]
UPDATED: Japan PM visits quake-hit Hokkaido as toll rises to 42
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the quake-hit northern region of Hokkaido Sunday as officials confirmed more deaths, bringing the toll to 42. Abe toured the city and commercial hub of Sapporo, where Thursday’s 6.6-magnitude jolt has left houses tilted and roads cracked. He also visited hard-hit Atsuma, a small rural town which has seen most of the deaths caused by the quake. A cluster of dwellings in the town […]
Japan toll rises to 30 after powerful quake
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The death toll from a powerful quake that triggered landslides in northern Japan rose to 30 Saturday, as tens of thousands of rescue workers raked through the mud for survivors. The majority of the dead are from the small rural town of Atsuma, where a cluster of dwellings were wrecked when a hillside collapsed from the force of the 6.6-magnitude quake, causing deep brown scars in the landscape. Around nine people […]
Toll from Japan quake rises to 18 as hopes fade for survivors
by Kyoko Hasegawa and Richard Carter Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese rescue workers with bulldozers and sniffer dogs scrabbled through the mud Friday to find survivors from a landslide that buried houses after a powerful quake, as the death toll rose to 18. Around 22 people are still unaccounted for in the small northern countryside town of Atsuma, where a cluster of dwellings were wrecked when a hillside collapsed with the force […]
Toll from Japan quake rises to 18 as hopes fade for survivors
by Kyoko Hasegawa and Richard Carter © Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP)–Japanese rescue workers with bulldozers and sniffer dogs scrabbled through the mud Friday to find survivors from a landslide that buried houses after a powerful quake, as the death toll rose to 18. Around 22 people are still unaccounted for in the small northern countryside town of Atsuma, where a cluster of dwellings were wrecked when a hillside collapsed with the force of the […]
Tokyo stocks open lower on higher yen
TOKYO, Japan (AFP)–Tokyo stocks opened lower on Friday, with falls in US high-tech shares and a higher yen weighing on the market. The benchmark Nikkei index fell 0.58 percent or 129.42 points to 22,358.52 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.44 percent or 7.38 points at 1,685.03. The dollar fetched 110.42 yen in early Asian trade, 110.86 yen in New York in New York late Thursday. “Falls in US high tech […]





