The municipal authorities of Sapporo, the fifth major city in Japan with a population of around 2.5 million, are expected to issue partnership certificates to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples from Thursday, Efe news reported. ( read original story ...)
Yokohama mayor apologizes to schoolboy bullied for being nuclear evacuee
YOKOKAMA – Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi apologized to a 13-year-old boy for the municipal government’s failure to act swiftly when he was bullied in elementary school for being a nuclear evacuee from Fukushima Prefecture. The mayor said Wednesday that ... ( read original story ...)
Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 Off-Road Tire Review
Yokohama took note and is betting big on these off-roaders with the all-new Geolandar M/T G003 mud terrain tire for light trucks. Although mud terrain tires are extreme, Yokohama claims demand for this type of tire has increased and should continue to ... ( read original story ...)
Starhill Global Reit sells Japan property for $5.1m
It only formed 0.1% of the company's portfolio by asset value. According to OCBC investment research, Starhill Global REIT (SGREIT) recently divested its entire beneficial interests in the Harajuku Secondo Property for a cash consideration of JPY410.2m ($5 ... ( read original story ...)
Nikkei rises on upbeat Japan capex data, dollar’s rise vs yen
TOKYO, June 1 Japan's Nikkei share average started the month with gains on Thursday, buoyed by upbeat news of Japanese companies' growing capital expenditure as well as the dollar's ascent from overnight lows against the yen. The Nikkei was up 1 percent at ... ( read original story ...)
Japan firms’ Q1 capex rises as recovery gathers momentum
Ministry of Finance (MOF) data issued on Thursday showed companies raised ... It follows a preliminary estimate that Japan's economy grew an annualised 2.2 percent on the back of rising global demand. A recent run of indicators points to continued economic ... ( read original story ...)
Japan launches rocket with satellite to build its own GPS
... will form part of a Japanese global positioning system. (Takuto Kaneko/Kyodo News via AP) The more accurate information could be used for both driving and drone deliveries. Japanese media report it also may enhance the country's defense capabilities. ( read original story ...)
Microsoft to bring enterprise cloud services to Japan
TOKYO -- Microsoft Japan will launch a large-scale cloud service in Japan this year that will enable major corporations to run their enterprise systems on the cloud. The software giant will introduce the cloud service it rolled out in May in the U.S ... ( read original story ...)
Japan begins licensing the sharing economy
TOKYO -- A licensing regime governing Japan's sharing economy is going into effect this month as the public and private sectors band together to foster a nascent industry. The sharing economy runs the gamut from ride-hailing to private home rentals -- the ... ( read original story ...)
Nikkei falls further amid lack of trading incentives
The key Nikkei average lost further ground on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ... The Tokyo market lacked new factors to trade on after Japan’s “earnings reporting season was over,” said Yoshihiko Tabei, chief analyst at Naito Securities. ( read original story ...)
Japan first-quarter corporate capex up 4.5 percent – MOF
TOKYO Japanese companies raised spending on plant and equipment in January-March by 4.5 percent from the same period last year, Ministry of Finance (MOF ... reading followed a preliminary estimate that Japan's economy grew an annualised 2.2 percent ... ( read original story ...)
Yokohama mayor apologizes to boy bullied for being a Fukushima nuclear evacuee
YOKOHAMA – Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi on Wednesday apologized to a 13-year-old boy for the municipal government’s failure to act swiftly when he was bullied at a local elementary school after evacuating from Fukushima due to the 2011 nuclear ... ( read original story ...)
Japan launches satellite for high-precision positioning system
Tokyo (AFP) - Japan on Thursday launched a satellite to help build a high-precision geolocation system that will complement the US-operated GPS. A H-IIA rocket blasted off at 9:17am (0017 GMT) from the Tanegashima space centre in southern Japan carrying ... ( read original story ...)
Osaka-area airports enjoy revenue lift under private hands
Though Kansai Airports enjoyed a smooth ride in its initial year, the 37.3 billion yen annual payment through 2060 for the rights to operate the two Osaka-area airports is no small burden. "To stabilize its business, [Kansai Airports] should increase the ... ( read original story ...)
On 70th anniversary, top business lobby looks at what distance to keep from politics
Japan's largest business lobby, the Japan Business Federation, commonly known as Keidanren, held a ceremony on May 31 marking the 70th anniversary of its foundation in the aftermath of World War II, looking back on its history of assisting the war-torn ... ( read original story ...)
Japan’s budget furniture king discounted his way to a fortune
“They went through every molecule of our operation,” said Tommy Kullberg, president of Ikea’s Japanese business at the time. A deflationary environment has punished most of the country’s traditional retailers, driving department-store sales down ... ( read original story ...)