Finance Minister Aso warned over jeering in Diet

TOKYO -- Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said on May 16 that he gave a verbal warning to Finance Minister Taro Aso over his jeering of an opposition legislator during a recent Diet session. During a House of Representatives Budget ... ( read original story ...)

Mercari, Japan’s first unicorn, files for $1.1B Tokyo IPO

Mercari, the eBay-like service that is Japanese first tech startup unicorn, has filed to go public in an IPO that could raise as much as $1.1 billion. The company is scheduled to list on the Toyko Stock Exchange’s Mothers Market — a board for high ... ( read original story ...)

Coming to grips with Yokohama Advan dB V552

We tested Yokohama’s latest Advan dB series and checked out its ‘silent running’ credentials in Thailand. Yokohama Rubber is extremely proud of its “silent” tyre, the Advan dB; thus labelling it ‘dB’ (decibel) was deemed the perfect ... ( read original story ...)

Earthquake jolts eastern Japan’s Chiba, no tsunami warning

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 hit eastern Japan on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The epicenter of the quake was off the coast of Chiba prefecture, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had ... ( read original story ...)

Light earthquake, 4.5 mag was detected near Ofunato in Japan

A light earthquake with magnitude 4.5 (ml/mb) was reported 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Ofunato in Japan on Thursday. Global date and time of event UTC/GMT: 19/04/18 / 2018-04-19 04:57:59 / April 19, 2018 @ 4:57 am. The 4.5-magnitude earthquake has ... ( read original story ...)

Japan plans retaliatory tariffs against United States: NHK

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is considering slapping tariffs on U.S. exports worth $409 million in retaliation against steel and aluminum import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday. The government is preparing to ... ( read original story ...)

Halep races past Osaka in Rome, Wozniacki advances

(Reuters) - World number one Simona Halep produced a ruthless display to see off Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-0 in the second round of the Italian Open on Wednesday. Romanian Halep was forced to save four break points in her opening service game for 1-1 but ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo stocks open down after Wall St drop

Tokyo stocks opened in the red on Wednesday ... While yields on US Treasury bonds rose, the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s survey of business conditions showed a big jump in the price index. That reignited investor concern that inflation will accelerate ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo: Gangster smuggled gold from Hong Kong

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 34 ... According to the Ministry of Finance, the number of cases of gold smuggling has surged since the consumption tax was upped from 5 percent to 8 percent in 2014. Between 2016 and last year ... ( read original story ...)

No more Suntory time: Japan’s stock of aged whiskey dries up

The beloved Japanese whiskey popularized by Bill Murray in Lost in Translation will soon be no more, as supply issues have forced Suntory to discontinue two of its prize-winning products. Suntory says its 12-year-old Hakushu and 17-year-old Hibiki whiskies ... ( read original story ...)

Halep routs Osaka at Italian Open to keep No. 1 ranking

ROME (AP) Needing a couple of wins this week to hold on to her No. 1 ranking, Simona Halep routed Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-0 Wednesday in the second round of the Italian Open. It was a sharp turnaround from when Osaka lost only three games against Halep in the ... ( read original story ...)