Japan

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Japan May Buy Stocks to Rescue Tanking Market

Government prepares to act as indexes hit 26-year low

(Newser) - The Japanese government said today that it might intervene to prop up the stock market, as the country's two main indexes approached their lowest levels in 26 years. The continued decline of the Nikkei and Topix—down 18% this year alone—has endangered Japan's banks, which hold a substantial amount...

Japan's Embattled Leader to Meet Obama

Unpopular Japanese PM will face calls to resign when he gets home

(Newser) - Taro Aso today becomes the first foreign leader to visit President Obama but it may be the Japanese leader's last summit, Bloomberg reports. The prime minister's popularity has dived amid public dislike of his handling of the economy and his finance minister's resignation over a drinking scandal. Polls show almost...

Nations Move to Breach Whaling Ban

Greenies say talks "wave the white flag" to whale killers

(Newser) - Secret government meetings could usher in a new era of legal commercial whaling for the first time in more than 20 years, the Independent reports. Twenty-eight whaling and anti-whaling nations have met twice to reach a compromise on the ban, which came after the near-extinction of many species. Environmentalists say...

Obama Speeches Help Japanese Learn English

Students use his speeches to learn language

(Newser) - Barack Obama is fast becoming a popular English teacher—in Japan. His speeches have become a hit for people learning the language there, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama's slow and careful enunciation make him a particularly good model, teachers say. One book of speeches, complete with a dictionary for...

In Asia, Clinton's on a Mission to Listen
 In Asia, Clinton's 
 on a Mission to Listen 
analysis
Feb 20, 2009 3:06 PM CST

In Asia, Clinton's on a Mission to Listen

Secretary of State right at home on 'world stage'

(Newser) - On her trip to China, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, Hillary Clinton is making the most of long experience and enthusiastic crowds, the Washington Post reports. The secretary of state is on a listening tour, aiming to rehab the country's image. “There is a hunger for the United States...

Aso Will Be First Foreign Leader to Visit Obama

Clinton expresses solidarity on North Korea

(Newser) - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will head to Washington next week to discuss the economy with President Obama, Hillary Clinton announced today. It will be the first time Obama welcomes a foreign leader to the White House. The meeting was billed as a “bilateral summit” that will show that...

Japan Finance Minister Denies Being Drunk, Quits Anyway

Official mocked over slurred conference

(Newser) - Japan's finance chief has announced his resignation amid public ridicule over a news conference where he slurred his words and appeared drunk, Reuters reports. Shoichi Nakagawa, who seemed to fall asleep during the Rome conference of G-7 ministers, denies he was intoxicated and insists the few sips of wine he...

Clinton Arrives in Japan, Warns North Korea

Secretary of state begins week of visits in Asia

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton, on her first trip as secretary of state, arrived today in Tokyo, where she warned North Korea to live up to its commitments to dismantle its nuclear programs, reports the AP. Clinton said the main issues on her agenda include climate change, clean energy, and nuclear proliferation, as...

Japan Economy Shrinks by Most in 35 Years

4th-quarter contraction of 3.3% was 3 times worse than US

(Newser) - Japan's economy contracted by a shocking 3.3% in the fourth quarter of 2008, three times worse than the US and the worst performance in 35 years. The Financial Times reports that a sharp drop in exports contributed to the slump—the third straight quarter of negative growth. The figures...

Japan's Square Enix to Buy 'Tomb Raider' Maker

'Final Fantasy' firm pays dearly for Lara Croft

(Newser) - Looks like Lara Croft has a new sugar daddy: Japan’s Square Enix will buy Eidos, maker of the “Tomb Raider” videogame franchise, for $119.9 million, Forbes reports. That's more than double the per-share price at yesterday's market close. With Square willing to pay such a premium, it...

Japan's PM Slams 'Buy American' Provision

World leaders roundly criticize stimulus provision

(Newser) - Japan’s prime minister today slammed the “Buy American” clause in the proposed economic-stimulus bill currently being considered by the US Senate, the Financial Times reports. Speaking in parliament, Taro Aso said that requiring stimulus projects to use US-made materials is “definitely wrong,” and contrary to the...

Clinton's First Official Stop: Japan

Secretary of state to discuss economy, North Korea

(Newser) - The first stop on Hillary Clinton’s first official trip as secretary of state will be in Japan, reports Asahi Shimbun, allying Japanese fears that Tokyo would take a back seat to the Obama administration's focus on China. The trip will also include stops in China and South Korea. Clinton...

Blood Type Obsession Splits Japan

Belief that blood type determines personality blamed for discrimination

(Newser) - A widely held belief that blood type determines personality has opened a vein of controversy in Japan, the AP reports. The notion persists despite scientific debunking, with sports teams, matchmakers, and even employers making decisions based on a person's blood type. Some see the craze as sinister and the term...

Volcano Showers Tokyo With Ash

Residents warned larger explosion may follow

(Newser) - Powdery ash showered Tokyo this morning as Japan's Mount Asama volcano erupted 90 miles away, Reuters reports. Smoke burst a mile into the air and rocks flew onto sparse neighboring towns, but there was little damage and no visible lava from the explosion. Scientists have warned people not to approach...

Japan, Help Us Wrestle the World's Problems
Japan, Help Us Wrestle
the World's Problems
ANALYSIS
Jan 31, 2009 7:20 PM CST

Japan, Help Us Wrestle the World's Problems

(Newser) - Japan's economic collapse in the 1990s and its decades of US dependence have left the nation rather timid, Christian Caryl writes in Newsweek. But its strong economy, bold environmental moves, and likely change of government this year will leave it poised to help the world. “The only trick now,...

NEC to Lay Off 20,000
 NEC to Lay Off 20,000 

Jan 30, 2009 6:03 AM CST

NEC to Lay Off 20,000

Japanese electronics giant hammered by falling demand, stronger yen

(Newser) - The Japanese electronics giant NEC announced today that it will cut 20,000 jobs worldwide after posting a fourth-quarter loss of $1.45 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal. NEC's losses ballooned as demand fell for its semiconductors and chips, and the strength of the yen further hurt its bottom...

Blowfish Testicles Poison 7 Diners in Japan

Chef served dangerous dish without license, cops say

(Newser) - World travelers, take note. Blowfish testicles prepared by an unauthorized chef have sickened seven diners in northern Japan, three of whom remain hospitalized. The owner of the Tsuruoka restaurant had no license to serve blowfish and was being questioned on suspicion of professional negligence. Blowfish poison, called tetrodotoxin, is nearly...

Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline
 Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline 
Jan 27, 2009 7:03 AM CST

Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline

The bailout aims to help smaller business outside of banking or corporate sectors

(Newser) - Following in the footsteps of America and Europe, Japan is offering $16.7 billion to companies threatened by the financial crisis, moving outside the banking sector to take equity stakes in smaller companies that otherwise can't find financing, the Financial Times reports. The 1.5 trillion yen package aims to...

Sundance Stunner Sheds Light on Dolphin Slaughter
Sundance Stunner Sheds Light on Dolphin Slaughter
OPINION
Jan 22, 2009 11:41 AM CST

Sundance Stunner Sheds Light on Dolphin Slaughter

The Cove filmmakers aim to curb demand for mammals from aquariums, for food

(Newser) - Planning a trip to Sea World? You might want to go before you see The Cove—because you sure won’t want to after. The documentary, made by a National Geographic photographer and Flipper’s former trainer, takes viewers inside a secret cove in Japan, Andrew O’Hehir, from Sundance,...

Sony Swings to First Annual Loss in 14 Years

Global downturn, strong yen reverse earlier expectations

(Newser) - Sony announced today that it would go down to its first annual loss in 14 years, after having forecast just months ago that it would turn a profit. The Japanese electronics giant said it expected to lose $1.7 billion, the result of declining demand from the global recession. The...

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