Japan hit by earthquake, Fukushima said to be unaffected

An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 has struck near the Japanese city of Fukushima, in the north east of the country. The nearby nuclear plant is not said to have been affected. The ‘quake’s epicentre was some 50 kilometres below the surface, in Fukushima ... ( read original story ...)

Sapporo mayor interested in hosting 2026 Winter Olympics

Last week, Sapporo staged the Asian Winter Games for the third time, and by most accounts it was a success, bringing in more athletes, coaches and officials than the city’s landmark 1972 Olympics. Akimoto recently told Kyodo News about the decision to ... ( read original story ...)

Eye on Japanese real estate

A recent news report by The Japan Times revealed that Japan’s property market is luring more Asian investors seeking high rental yields as well as capital gains, which are not available back home. “Money is flowing in mostly from Taiwan, Hong Kong ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese knotweed: debunking the myths

Media interest has recently peaked around a story picked up by some of the most popular daily newspapers about Japanese knotweed affecting a family home in Birmingham. The claims are that the family are unable to sell their property due to the adjacent ... ( read original story ...)

Comcast to Buy Remaining Stake in Universal Studios Japan

Comcast announced that its NBC Universal division is set to acquire the remaining 49% stake in Osaka-based Universal Studios Japan ... You may be curious about the buzz surrounding Snap Inc.'s IPO on March 2. With the company expected to be valued around ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese projects freshening up Vietnam’s real estate market

Numerous flagship/anticipated real estate projects with foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japan are expected to launch for sale in 2017. The chain of villas and shophouses in The Manor Central Park (Hoang Mai District, Hanoi)—the real estate project ... ( read original story ...)

Bank of Japan Official: DAO-Style Problems Could Dampen DLT

An official from Japan’s central bank invoked failed ethereum project The DAO in a speech yesterday, suggesting that reoccurrences of such events could impede blockchain adoption. Speaking at a fintech forum hosted by the bank, Shigehiro Kuwabara ... ( read original story ...)

BOJ's Sato calls for raising yield targets flexibly

TOKUSHIMA, Japan Dissenting Bank of Japan board member Takehiro Sato said the central bank should be open to the idea of raising its bond yield targets before inflation hits its 2 percent goal, if improvements in the economy drive up long-term interest rates. ( read original story ...)

Mizuho Bank to open first local branch

Mizuho Bank, one of Japan’s largest financial institutions, will join Cambodia’s crowded banking sector by opening its first branch in the Kingdom next month, a bank executive said yesterday. The Japanese lender, which established a representative ... ( read original story ...)

Bank of Japan publishes bond buying plans to keep yields at 0%

The Bank of Japan published detailed schedules of planned asset purchases for the first time on Tuesday as it seeks to prove its commitment to a zero per cent cap on 10-year government bond yields. Japan’s central bank said it will buy a minimum of ¥1 ... ( read original story ...)