May 23, 2013
The Bank of Japan is struggling to rein in a spike in long-term interest rates that threatens to unravel the central bank’s plan for an economic recovery.
May 23, 2013
Japanese stocks plummeted May 23 after a spike in government bond yields and unexpectedly weak Chinese manufacturing spooked investors sitting atop months of massive gains in share prices. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo nosedived 7.3 percent to close at 14,483.98.
May 23, 2013
All Nippon Airways Co. said May 23 it will resume operations of its 787 Dreamliners ahead of schedule, but for special domestic flights only, later this month.
May 22, 2013
Inspired by a manga he read as a child, Mitsuru Izumo set out to develop a "magical" food capable of curing the real-world problems of hunger and malnutrition. The result—a form of algae known as euglena—may have the potential for use in everything from feeding the world's poorest countries to cleaning up the environment.
May 22, 2013
Although Japanese failed to jump on the worldwide mega-hit "Gangnam Style" bandwagon last year, they'll soon get a second chance when images of South Korean rapper Psy's chubby face start blanketing their country.
May 22, 2013
Buoyed by the weakening yen, Japan's largest companies are projecting a 48.4-percent jump in combined net profits for the current fiscal year, building on an increase of 24.1 percent recorded for the previous year.
May 22, 2013
A steady decline in the yen is proving a godsend for exporters such as Toyota and has won solid support from Japan's main trading partners, who are betting the impact on their own currencies will be offset by gains from a recovery in the world's third-largest economy. It's not such good news for entrepreneurs like Thamonwan Thawornthaweewong, whose Angry Bird fish balls, squid rings and other products now cost more to sell in Japan.
May 22, 2013
The Bank of Japan says the world's third-biggest economy is "picking up" as demand recovers in other countries and remains resilient at home, though the trade deficit widened in April, for the tenth straight month.
May 21, 2013
Tourism figures at the world's tallest free-standing broadcasting structure have gone sky-high.
May 21, 2013
HIGASHI-MATSUSHIMA, Miyagi Prefecture--Workers have installed panels at a park here in what is expected to be the first mega-solar power plant in the disaster area of the Tohoku region.
May 21, 2013
Hitachi Ltd. announced May 20 it plans to more than double its number of female managers from the current 400 to 1,000 by fiscal 2020.
May 20, 2013
HONG KONG--Armed with empty suitcases and same-day return tickets, an army of mainland Chinese is descending on suburban outlet shopping malls and international fashion chains in Hong Kong, turning cheap into the new chic as luxury falls out of favor.
May 19, 2013
Attention, bargain-hunters around the world: Japanese goods--from cars to televisions--are going on sale.
May 18, 2013
Japan will lift a ban on insurance policies covering fertility treatments as early as 2014 to ease the financial burden of couples and to help lift the nation’s birthrate.
May 18, 2013
SEOUL--Overtaking Apple Inc. as the world's leading maker of smartphones has stretched Samsung Electronics Co.’s in-house supply lines, and the South Korean firm is now courting some of its rival's main parts suppliers.
May 17, 2013
Aeon Co. plans to boost the ratio of women in managerial positions throughout its entire group to 50 percent by 2020 from the current 7 percent, company president Motoya Okada said on May 16.
May 16, 2013
The Diet passed a 92.6 trillion-yen ($926 billion) budget plan for fiscal 2013 on May 15 that will further bloat the government's debt and fuel doubts over its promises of fiscal soundness.
May 16, 2013
The number of physically and mentally challenged people who obtained jobs through the government’s Hello Work job placement centers reached a record high for the third year in a row, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported on May 15.
May 16, 2013
Honda is returning to Formula One racing in 2015, after a seven-year hiatus, as McLaren's engine partner, the Japanese carmaker said on May 16.
May 16, 2013
Japan's economy enjoyed a stronger than expected recovery last quarter, growing at a 3.5 percent annual pace as the government stepped up public works spending and eased credit to encourage investment.