Bank of Japan sees economy improving

The Standard - Wednesday 22nd May, 2013

(1 hr 4 mins ago) Japan's central bank says the world's third-biggest economy is "picking up'' as demand recovers in other countries and remains resilient at home. The Bank of Japan ended a policy meeting on Wednesday with no change to its strategy of doubling the monetary base for the sake of reaching a 2 percent inflation target and jolting the economy out of two ...

Economic Report Bank of Japan ups economic outlook

Market Watch - Wednesday 22nd May, 2013

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- The Bank of Japan raised its economic assessment at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday, while holding its policy ...

Asia Markets Japan stocks hold gains after central-bank meet

CBS Marketwatch - Wednesday 22nd May, 2013

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks stayed on course for a fresh multiyear high Wednesday after the country's central bank raised its economic outlook, even as it left other elements of its monetary policy ...

Researchers find high cesium in some Pacific plankton

Japan Times - Wednesday 22nd May, 2013

Kazuhiro Shiraishi, 66, is a guest-house manager in the Izu-kogen Highlands, a famous resort area on the Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka Prefecture. Looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, and just 90 minutes by train from Tokyo, Izu has a warm climate all year round ...

Kyle Bass Bets on Full-Blown Japan Crisis

CNBC - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

Kyle Bass hopes he is wrong, and so may everyone else, as the danger predicted by the founder of Dallas-based Hayman Capital is nothing less than a full blown financial crisis in the world's third-largest economy, Japan. While the hedge-fund trade of the year has been to short the yen and buy Japanese stocks placed for an export boom, Mr. Bass sees in "Abenomics" - stimulus from ...

Japan outlasts Denmark in thriller at Sudirman Cup

China Daily - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

/enpproperty--> KUALA LUMPUR - Japan outgunned Denmark to top Gruop D after a nail-biting final group match at the 13th Sudirman Cup team badminton championships on Tuesday, while China overpowered Indonesia 5-0. The Japan-Denmark tie see-sawed with Denmark taking the lead after the first and third matches, only for Japan to equalize. After Denmark's mixed doubles pair of Joachim ...

China-Japan trade will pick up

China.org.cn - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

Economic and trade cooperation between China and Japan will get back on track if there is no further deterioration of the countries' already strained ties, leading Chinese think tanks said in an annual report released on ...

Japan uses sound waves against Chinese sub

Asia News Network - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

A Maritime Self-Defence Force patrol plane used sound waves emitted from a sonobuoy against a submarine detected in the contiguous zone around Minami-Daitojima island in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday, according to government sources. The action against the submarine, which is believed to belong to the Chinese Navy, is an apparent demonstration that the MSDF is steadily monitoring the movement of ...

Japanese scholars slam Tokyo on history

Asia News Network - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

A group of Japanese intellectuals on Tuesday rebutted their government's territorial claim to Dokdo and urged Japan to have a correct understanding of history. During a press conference in Busan, they called on Shimane prefecture to rethink its annual observance of Takeshima (Dokdo in Japanese) Day, designated in 2005 to underline its sovereignty claim to the Dokdo islets in the East Sea. ...

Visa violators continue sit-in at Immigration

Japan Times - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

A sit-in by visa violators and their families entered its second day Tuesday in front of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau with protesters seeking government good will. The action at the bureau in Minato Ward is being organized by the Asian People’s Friendship Society, ...

Japan’s cellphone lineups for summer 2013 — fit and focused

Japan Times - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

Lean and focused would be a good way to characterize the recently launched lineups from Japan's three top cellphone carriers. While NTT DoCoMo Inc. had released 18 kinds of smartphones last summer, it trimmed down to 9 for this ...

Japans trade deficit hits $8.6B due to weaker yen

San Diego Union-Tribune - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

TOKYO -; Japan's trade deficit widened to a larger-than-expected 879.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion) in April as its weakening currency accentuated surging import ...

RUBBER-Tokyo futures edge down BOJ in focus

General Sources - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

(Refiles to clarify in paragraph 1 that yen has strengthened from 4-1/2 yr low) TOKYO, May 22 (Reuters) - Key Tokyo rubber futures extended declines on Wednesday on falling oil prices, while investors awaited the end of a Bank of Japan policy meeting for clues on whether the yen would continue to strengthen from last week's 4-1/2 year low versus the dollar. FUNDAMENTALS * The key ...

Japan exports disappoint full benefits of weak yen yet to show

Reuters - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's exports rose less than expected in April from a year earlier due to weak demand from Europe and China, highlighting the challenges confronting the world's third-biggest economy as policymakers try to engineer a sustained ...

Tokyo stocks open up 0.39

News.com.au - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

TOKYO stocks have opened 0.39 per cent higher with investor sentiment staying bullish after US shares closed at new all-time highs and despite worse-than-expected Japanese trade ...

Japan stocks climb Mitsubishi Motors Sony jump

Market Watch - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks extended gains early Wednesday, with exporters spurred after two Federal Reserve members suggested the central bank wasn't close to slowing monetary stimulus in the U.S. The Nikkei Stock ...

Japans trade deficit widens as imports surge

Market Watch - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japan's trade deficit widened sharply in April, as export growth was tepid while imports surged, according to Finance Ministry data released Wednesday. The trade gap grew to 880 billion yen ($8.6 billion) from March's 364 billion deficit, as exports rose just 3.8% from a year earlier, well below Dow Jones Newswires and Reuters forecasts for a gain of 5% and ...

Japans trade deficit expands 70 in April

The West Australian - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's trade deficit expanded a worse-than-expected 70 percent on year to $8.6 billion in April, government data showed Wednesday, as a weaker yen made imports costlier.The monthly trade deficit came to 879.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion), 69.7 percent higher than the year-before deficit of 518.4 billion yen, finance ministry data showed.The deficit was the biggest for the month ...

Fish-gulping cormorants maneuvered by a fisherman duck underwater to catch sweetfish in the Chikugogawa river.

The Asahi Shimbun - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

ASAKURA, Fukuoka Prefecture--The reflection of 3,000 fireworks colored the surface of the Chikugogawa river in the Harazuru hot springs area of Haki district here on May 20, commemorating the opening of the "ukai" traditional cormorant fishing season and heralding the start of ...

Japan Trade Deficit Y879.936 Billion In April

RTT News - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

Japan saw a merchandise trade deficit of 879.936 billion yen in April, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.That missed forecasts for a shortfall of 620.6 billion yen following the downwardly revised deficit of 364.0 billion yen in March.Exports were up 3.8 percent on year, also missing forecasts for a gain of 5.4 percent after adding 1.1 percent in the previous month.Imports climbed an ...

Japans Nikkei rises 0.3 in opening minutes

Market Watch - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

NASDAQ traded symbols and their current financial status. Intraday data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM) from Dow Jones & Company, Inc. SEHK intraday data is provided by SIX Financial Information and is at least 60-minutes delayed. All quotes are in local exchange ...

Nikkei rises to 5-12-year high ahead of BOJ outcome

Reuters - Tuesday 21st May, 2013

TOKYO, May 22 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average climbed to a 5-1/2-year high on Wednesday, ahead of the outcome of the Bank of Japan meeting, buoyed by the U.S. Dow Jones and S&P 500 indexes closing at record highs. The Nikkei rose 0.5 percent to 15,455.37, its highest since December 2007, while the broader Topix gained 0.5 percent to ...