January 26, 2015
An increasing number of corporations and local governments nationwide are turning to start-up power utilities for electricity purchases, meaning the cancellation of power purchase contracts signed wi...
MIAMI (AP) — A decadelong addiction to oil subsidized by Venezuela may be coming to an end for several Caribbean nations, with a nudge from the United States. Fears that falling oil prices could k...
LONDON — Faced with sluggish growth in the number of passengers on the Eurostar, the high-speed railway connecting London with Paris and Brussels, the operator is planning to launch new routes from ...
The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) has taken effect and will result in gradual reductions on tariffs on Australian beef and wine. Taking advantage of this business opportunity, s...
Japan has already concluded Economic Partnership Agreements with countries such as India and Thailand. Australia is the 14th such partner, but as Australia is the first major agricultural power to fo...
The agriculture ministry will determine three times a year whether to import butter for commercial use as an emergency measure to prevent butter shortages, the ministry has announced. The measure is...
As foreign tourists visiting Japan can buy cosmetics at comparatively lower prices thanks to the weakening yen, many are avidly purchasing Japanese cosmetics. They are also attracted to the high qual...
Major Japanese securities companies are focusing on investment education for middle and high school students. Brokerage firms are teaching students the social meaning of stocks and ways of asset man...
To satisfy consumers’ diversifying tastes in drinks, Kirin Beverage Co. will expand its Bekkaku (exceptional) lineup of premium products and market a smaller canned coffee for the tax-inclusive pri...
The government is aiming to expand the domestic robot market to ¥2.4 trillion by 2020, four times its current size of ¥600 billion, by increasing opportunities to use robots in nursing care and oth...
SEOUL (AP) — Hyundai Motor Co. suffered a drop in quarterly earnings and is forecasting weak sales growth this year after falling behind competitors in factory expansions.
South Korea’s largest ...
The government kept unchanged its basic view on the economy for the third straight month in a monthly report released Friday. “The Japanese economy is on a moderate recovery” despite weakness in...
NAGOYA (Jiji Press) — Toyota Motor Corp. said it will increase production in 2016 and later of its Mirai fuel cell vehicle, which was released in Japan in December.
Toyota will increase its annual...
The dollar was firmer above ¥118 in Tokyo trading Friday, supported by increasing risk appetite following the European Central Bank’s decision on the previous day to introduce a massive quantitati...
Stocks gained ground on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Friday, boosted by purchases after the European Central Bank’s decision to introduce quantitative monetary easing. The 225-issue Nikkei average adv...
FRANKFURT (AP) — Europe’s ailing economy will get a major dose of stimulus from the European Central Bank — a bond buying program designed to make loans and exports cheaper so companies can hir...
The recent plunge in oil prices is threatening to derail the Bank of Japan’s inflation plans.
At a press conference Wednesday, Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda admitted there might be a delay in ...
The government plans to apply the “macroeconomic slide” system for public pension benefits even in times of negative growth in prices, it was learned on Wednesday.
The system calls for pension b...
Fifty-one countries and regions, including Japan, the European Union and Russia, have agreed to relax inspection regulations on hydrogen-fueled cars in May, before exports of the cars begin, based on...
Sales at supermarkets in the country dropped 0.6 percent from the previous year in 2014 on a same-store basis, down for the 18th consecutive year, an industry group said Wednesday. Overall sales at ...
The dollar was firmer around ¥118 in Tokyo trading Thursday after European and U.S. stocks rose overnight on speculation about the European Central Bank’s forthcoming monetary policy decision. At...
The benchmark Nikkei average ended directionless trading moderately higher on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday amid a strong wait-and-see mood prior to a key monetary policy meeting of the European ...
Ymobile Corp. will launch a heart-shaped personal handy phone system terminal in late March.
The heart shape of the PHS terminal, called the Heart 401AB, can be changed to a straight-edge design whe...
Struggling electronics maker Sony Corp. will offer early retirement incentives to its nonadministrative staff, expanding the scope of the initiative that originally covered back-office personnel only...
The Bank of Japan said Wednesday that it has cut its projection of year-on-year growth in the country’s core consumer price index for fiscal 2015 to 1.0 percent from the 1.7 percent estimated in Oc...
Stocks retreated on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, dampened by profit-taking after the recent surge. The 225-issue Nikkei average lost 85.82 points, or 0.49 percent, to end at 17,280.48. On ...
NEW YORK (AP) — A late rise in technology stocks helped the U.S. stock market stagger to a tiny gain following a choppy day of trading Tuesday. A combination of tepid earnings results, falling oil...
Seven Japanese automakers recalling vehicles with defective air bags manufactured by Takata Corp. have managed to obtain only 36 percent of front passenger seat air bag parts needed for replacement, ...
LONDON (Jiji Press) — Global investors’ appetite for Japanese equities fell slightly but remains solid, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch fund manager survey for January showed. A net 36 percent...
Among job-seeking university students who will graduate this spring, 80.3 percent secured informal job contracts as of Dec. 1 last year, up 3.7 percentage points from a year before, the education and...
The number of foreign visitors to Japan surged 29.4 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year, setting a new high with 13.41 million visitors.
It was the second consecutive record-breaking year f...
The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan as of Monday fell ¥3.0 from a week earlier to ¥139.6 per liter, slipping below ¥140 for the first time in about 29 months, the Agency for Natu...
The dollar fell below ¥118 in Tokyo trading Wednesday after the Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged. At 5 p.m., the dollar was quoted at ¥117.66-67, down from ¥118.24-25 at the same...
The government, companies and universities are trying to meet the challenge of producing more “data scientists,” experts that skillfully utilize statistics and other techniques to analyze big data...
Toyota Motor Corp. will market a new Prius hybrid series this autumn, capable of running up to 40 kilometers on a liter of gasoline, which is more energy-efficient than conventional gasoline-driven c...
The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, expressed its support Tuesday for a pay-scale hike in the upcoming shunto annual labor-management wage negotiations for the second year in a row. In a re...
Department store sales last year rose 0.3 percent from the previous year on a same-store basis, up for the third consecutive year, an industry group said. The increase reflects last-minute demand ea...
Finance Minister Taro Aso and visiting French Finance Minister Michel Sapin have agreed that the two countries should cooperate in the lead-up to next month’s meeting of finance ministers and centr...
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economic growth slowed to 7.4 percent in 2014, the weakest expansion in more than two decades, and is forecast to slip further over the next two years.
The numbers rele...
KUALA LUMPUR (AP) — Malaysia on Tuesday cut its economic growth forecast for this year and announced a slew of austerity measures after tumbling oil prices forced the government to slash spending.
...
Major trader Itochu Corp. and Thai partner Charoen Pokphand Group are considering jointly investing about ¥1 trillion in a core company of Chinese state-affiliated conglomerate CITIC Group, informed ...
Stocks rose sharply on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday, boosted by a flurry of purchases on the back of the weaker yen and mounting hopes for monetary easing by the European Central Bank. The 2...
The dollar retook ¥118 in Tokyo trading Tuesday, boosted by higher equity prices reflecting a brighter outlook for the global economy. At 5 p.m., the dollar was quoted at ¥118.24-25, up from ¥117...
Nissan Motor Co. plans to begin in-house production of minicars in fiscal 2016, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. Amid the growing popularity of minicars thanks to lower prices and maintenance costs...
With the market for medical equipment expanding along with the aging of society, small and midsize manufacturers are working together on development and production with universities that have expertis...
BOSTON (AP) — A group of Boston taxi drivers is suing the city, saying officials have violated their rights by allowing online ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate without follo...
Hitachi Ltd. and Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday they have agreed to cooperate to provide cloud-based business support services intended for power suppliers. The new service, called “ePower C...
Consumer sentiment improved for the first time in five months in December, thanks to a delay in a consumption tax hike and falling crude oil prices, government data showed on Monday. The consumer co...
OSAKA (Jiji Press) — Sharp Corp. may suffer a group net loss in fiscal 2014 that ends in March, instead of the ¥30 billion profit currently estimated by the major electronics maker, informed sourc...
Added value generated by all the nation’s industries in 2030 is expected to increase by about ¥210 trillion compared with fiscal year 2013, Sadayuki Sakakibara, chairman of the Japan Business Fede...
The dollar drifted at levels above ¥117 in Tokyo trading Monday, cutting its early gains on risk aversion that was rekindled by a slump in Shanghai stocks. At 5 p.m., the dollar was quoted at ¥11...
Stocks bounced back moderately on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday following Wall Street’s rebound late last week, but their upside was capped amid a wait-and-see mood prior to a key economic eve...
The weak yen is prompting some Japanese firms to bring overseas production back home, raising expectations the “reshoring” trend may slow down the ongoing industrial hollowing out of Japan.
The...
TANGSHAN, China — Japanese direct investment in China decreased by 38.8 percent in 2014 from a year earlier to $4.33 billion (about ¥502.3 billion), according to statistics announced by China’s ...
Ailing Japanese carrier Skymark Airlines has clinched code-sharing deals with ANA Holdings Inc.’s All Nippon Airways and rival Japan Airlines , or JAL, on a total of five domestic routes, effecti...
The government is considering setting 20 percent as the amount of the total domestic electric power output to be generated using nuclear energy in 2030, almost the same level as renewable energy reso...
CAIRO (Jiji Press) — EgyptAir plans to resume direct flights to Japan, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said Friday. Mahlab unveiled the plan in a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shin...
NEW YORK (AP) — One of the world’s safest investments — the Swiss franc — has swung wildly in recent days after the central bank in Switzerland announced it would scrap its policy of limiting ...
The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan dropped for the 25th straight week as of Tuesday, tying the record for the longest consecutive decline, according to the Natural Resources and En...
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Wednesday expressed concern about the slow economic growth in Japan and the eurozone. “Despite the bo...
A shocking move by Switzerland’s central bank to end its three-year-old exchange rate cap triggered broad financial market turmoil in Tokyo Friday, pushing Japan’s benchmark Nikkei stock average ...
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple, Google and two other Silicon Valley companies have agreed to pay $415 million in a second attempt to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging they formed an illegal cartel...
BEIJING (Jiji Press) — Japan’s direct investment in China fell a sharp 38 pct from the year before to $4.33 billion in 2014, the Chinese Commerce Ministry has said. The Japanese investment shra...
The dollar tumbled below ¥116 during Tokyo trading hours Friday, amid global market turmoil following Switzerland’s unexpected decision to abandon the three-year-old cap on the value of the Swiss ...
Stocks nose-dived on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Friday, taking a heavy blow from the yen’s sharp appreciation against other major currencies. The TOPIX index of all First Section issues lost 12.87 p...
The World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body issued a report Thursday that ruled against import restrictions imposed by Argentina. The report upheld claims by Japan, the United States and the Eur...
The fiscal 2015 budget that the government finalized Wednesday incorporates a number of measures closely tied to the family life of ordinary people, including child-rearing and nursing-care services f...
The country’s producer price index for 2014 climbed 3.1 percent from the previous year, gaining ground for the second straight year, the Bank of Japan said Thursday. The index, previously called t...
The Cabinet Office said Thursday that Japan’s seasonally adjusted core machinery orders last November rose 1.3 percent from the previous month, up for the first time in two months, but downgraded i...
Shipments of beer and quasi-beer in the country in 2014 dropped 1.5 percent from the previous year, hitting a record low for the 10th straight year, data from five major brewers showed Thursday. Shi...
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Naoyuki Shinohara, 61, will leave office on Feb. 28 after five years of service, the IMF said Wednesday. Former Vice F...
The dollar gathered steam to top ¥117.50 in Tokyo trading Thursday, as an overnight rebound in U.S. crude oil prices eased risk-averse sentiment among investors. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥11...
SILICON VALLEY (Jiji Press) — Nintendo Co. said Wednesday that it will launch a new model of its 3DS portable video game machine in Europe and the United States on Feb. 13. The model, New Nintendo...
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the job market on a roll and gas prices falling, consumers are spending away, right?
Not quite. Americans actually cut back last month after ramping up spending in November,...
The key 10-year Japanese government bond yield briefly hit a yet another record low on Thursday. In interdealer trading in cash JGBs, the yield on the 337th 10-year issue with a 0.3 percent coupon f...
Stocks staged a sharp rally on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday aided by a pause in the yen’s appreciation against the dollar and other currencies, with the Nikkei average retaking 17,000. The 22...
An industry ministry panel has compiled a report calling for the nation’s retail gas market to be liberalized by around 2017.
The aim of the reform is to hold down prices and improve services by re...
The nation’s M3 money supply in December increased 2.9 percent to ¥1.21 quadrillion from a year before, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday. The M3 gauge covers cash in circulation, and demand and t...
Rising prices from April to September last year following the April 1 consumption tax hike pushed down consumer spending by about ¥1 trillion by reducing real income, a report by the Cabinet Office ...
Sentiment among so-called economy watchers, such as retail clerks and taxi drivers, rose in December for the first time in five months, according to a government survey. The diffusion index for econ...
Stocks tumbled on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday on broad-based selling induced by U.S. equities’ continued slide overnight and the yen’s appreciation, sending the benchmark Nikkei average...
The dollar briefly slipped below ¥117 in Tokyo trading Wednesday, as continued falls in stock and crude oil prices heightened risk-averse sentiment among investors. The greenback sank to levels nea...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The rapid hiring that made 2014 a stellar year for job gains is showing no sign of slowing down. U.S. employers advertised the most job openings in nearly 14 years in November, t...
Four power suppliers have decided to decommission five nuclear reactors that began operation about 40 years ago, it has been learned.
Kansai Electric Power Co., Chugoku Electric Power Co., Kyushu E...
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks swung from gains to losses and almost back again on Tuesday. The U.S. market opened the day higher, getting a boost from encouraging news on hiring and small business confid...
This is the ninth and final installment of a series.
In fluent Japanese, Celine Tonus, a 29-year-old French woman, replied over the telephone, “Certainly, I’ll arrange it immediately.” She sm...
The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan in 2014 fell 10.3 percent from the previous year to 9,731, slipping below 10,000 for the first time since 1990, a private credit research company said Tu...
Japan posted a current account surplus of ¥433 billion in November last year, compared with a deficit of ¥596.9 billion a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. The nation’s current a...
As government economic projections show that falling consumer spending has driven this fiscal year’s economic growth rate into negative territory, whether wages rise and how far that rise may lead i...
This is the eighth installment of a series.
Kiyokazu Ozawa, 36, usually wakes up at 2 a.m. and sits down in front of his computer to begin work as a website designer. At 7 a.m., he leaves for his ...
DETROIT (Jiji Press) — Honda Motor Co. took the wraps off its Acura NSX supercar production model at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. The Acura NSX is equipped wit...
A key Japanese five-year government note yield sank to a record low of 0.000 percent in interdealer trading Tuesday. The yield on the latest 122nd five-year note with a 0.1 percent coupon was down 0...
The dollar dropped below ¥118 for the first time in about a month in Tokyo trading Tuesday before recouping some of the lost ground on buybacks. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥118.24-24, down fro...
Stocks turned lower on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday, dragged down by extended losses on Wall Street overnight and a pause in the yen’s weakening. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged ...
The Japan Patent Office has launched a new system in which users can search in Japanese patent applications published in China and South Korea. Users can search about 10 million documents on the we...
An increasing number of firms are launching budget smartphones with enhanced support services aimed at children and beginning users.
With emerging companies and those from different industries enter...
Japan and South Korea have concluded talks on fishing operations in their exclusive economic zones, six months later than initially planned, the Fisheries Agency said Monday. Following the agreemen...
The government adopted economic projections for fiscal 2015 from April at a Cabinet meeting Monday, estimating year-on-year real growth of 1.5 percent in the nation’s gross domestic product. In n...
The government has decided to earmark more than ¥200 billion in the fiscal 2015 draft budget to strengthen the nation’s livestock and dairy farming sector in preparation for the conclusion of negot...
BRISBANE, Australia — Australia is intensifying its free trade activities with Japan, China and South Korea, aiming to increase its exports of such key items as beef and dairy products.
It reached...
AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday called for a rapid expansion of U.S.-India trade and commercial ties as he attended an international investment conference ahead ...
