In a new rhetoric, North Korea has warned foreign companies and tourists in South Korea to take evacuation measures in case of war. This comes amid growing concern that North Korea may be about to launch its fourth missile test. Pyongyang has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region. [...]
Japan has hanged three death-row inmates, the first executions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The three were put to death in the early hours of Thursday, the Justice Ministry has confirmed. One of them was convicted of killing a young girl. Japan traditionally executes several prisoners at a time. These are the first executions since [...]
Japan’s monthly trade deficit hit a record in January after its recent aggressive monetary policy stance weakened the yen sharply. Exports rose in January, the first jump in eight months, as its goods became more affordable to foreign buyers. However, a weak currency also pushed up its import bill resulting in a monthly trade deficit [...]
Sasago, a major road tunnel, has collapsed in Japan, trapping a number of vehicles and leaving seven people missing, local media reports say. Survivors described how large sections of concrete fell on top of cars in the Sasago tunnel. Rescuers managed to reach the scene, but were unsure how many cars were buried there. The [...]
Japanese politicians have set sail for a group of disputed islands, in the teeth of protests by China which claims them for its own. A flotilla of some 20 Japanese boats set out for the Senkaku (Chinese: Diaoyu) islands and is expected to anchor off them early on Sunday. The politicians plan to commemorate Japanese [...]
Japan announces that will shoot down a North Korean rocket if necessary, as new satellite images appeared to show preparations for the April launch. Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka issued the order to intercept the rocket if it threatened Japan’s territory. Pyongyang says it will launch a satellite on a rocket between 12 and 16 [...]
A Japanese fishing vessel swept away by the March 2011 tsunami has been spotted bobbing in the seas near British Columbia in western Canada. The trawler is part of the 5 million tons of debris that were swept into the ocean by the devastating tsunami when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck Japan. The 23ft wall of [...]
Japan prepares its anti-missile defense systems in response to the planned launch of a North Korean long-range rocket next month, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka has said. Reports said the defense systems would be deployed near the island of Okinawa to shoot down the rocket should it threaten Japanese territory. North Korea says the rocket will [...]
A new wave of “silent camera” applications – some specifically designed for voyeurism – has been blamed for a huge rise in illicit photography in Japan. Most smartphone cameras have a built-in shutter noise to prevent the camera being used to take pictures without people’s consent. There were 1,741 incidents last year in Japan, according [...]
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has announced that crippled nuclear reactors at Japan’s Fukushima power plant have finally been stabilized. The earthquake and tsunami in March this year knocked out vital cooling systems, triggering radiation leaks and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Yoshihiko Noda’s declaration of a “cold shutdown” condition marked the stabilization of [...]
Japan detected radioactive caesium in concentrations above the safety level in rice for the first time since the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima plant. The rice sample came from a Fukushima city farm about 50 km from the plant. Japanese government is considering banning shipments from the area it was found. There have been [...]
The powerful typhoon Roke has struck disaster-ravaged Japan, bringing heavy rains and floods that have killed four people. Typhoon Roke is in progress to hit Fukushima, where engineers are still struggling to bring a nuclear plant under control after the March tsunami, with strong concerns that rain could force radioactive water into the sea. More [...]
Typhoon Talas killed at least 18 people and left more than 50 missing after hitting the western area of Japan. Typhoon Talas came with heavy rain and winds of up to 68 mph after making landfall on Shikoku Island on Saturday. Talas is the season’s 12th typhoon and is now moving slowly north across the [...]
Naoto Kan, Japan’s PM steps down. Yoshihiko Noda, the former Japan’s finance minister, has become the new prime minister. Yoshihiko Noda, 54, is the seventh prime minister in six years, inheriting a parliament racked by division, a sluggish economy and a nation struggling to recover from the 11 March tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi [...]
Yoshihiko Noda, the Japan’s new prime minister. Naoto Kan, Japan’s Prime Minister resigned on Friday, fulfilling a promise to critics who blasted what they called his befuddled response to the nation’s dual economic and nuclear calamities triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. In a nationally televised speech, Japanese PM Naoto Kan [...]
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Jose Manuel Barroso urges full tax data exchangeThe head of the European Commission has told the European Parliament he wants EU-wide exchange of income data as part of the fight against tax evasion. Jose Manuel Barroso…
Apple among America's big tax avoidersApple has been accused by US Senate of being "among America's largest tax avoiders". A Senate committee said Apple had used "a complex web of offshore entities" to avoid…
Bank of America reports sharp rise in profits for Q1 2013 after cost cuttingBank of America has reported a sharp rise in profits for the first quarter of 2013 after it shed costs and set aside less money for bad loans. Bank of America reported a net…
Goldman Sachs reports 7% rise in its profits for Q1 2013Goldman Sachs has reported a 7% rise in its profits during Q1 2013 following a strong performance in its investment banking division. The company made $2.26 billion net…
South Korea unveils $15.3 billion stimulus planSouth Korea is the latest Asian country to try and boost economic growth by spending hard, unveiling a 17.3 trillion won ($15.3 billion) stimulus plan. The funds will be…
Asian markets dip after Boston Marathon explosionsAsian markets have dropped in early trading after two explosions hit the Boston Marathon finishing line killing three people and injuring dozens more. Stock indexes fell by…