Tokyo stocks open higher on cheaper yen

Tokyo stocks opened higher on Friday helped by a cheaper yen against the dollar partly due to the European Central Bank’s policy decision and expectations for brisk US economic growth. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index edged up 0.56 percent or 127.39 points ... ( read original story ...)

Nagoya Store’s Giant Mannequin Gets Wookie Makeover

The Meitetsu Department Store in Nagoya, Japan has a distinctive mannequin outside its men's department. The mannequin is known locally as Nana-chan, and she's a popular landmark for meet ups because she's easy to spot in the shopping district —she's 20 ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo Disney operator to invest $2.3 billion in expansion

TOKYO: The operator of Tokyo Disneyland is investing 250 billion yen (RM9.2 billion) in the biggest expansion to the Japanese resort in almost two decades as Walt Disney Co. continues to upgrade its theme parks in Asia. Oriental Land Co., which is licensed ... ( read original story ...)

Osaka makes final pitch to host 2025 World Expo

OSAKA – Osaka made its final pitch Wednesday in Paris to host the 2025 World Expo, emphasizing the Kansai region’s history as a center of Nobel-prize winning scientific research and telling expo delegates that the central government is willing to spend ... ( read original story ...)

Nikkei rises after ECB’s decision; chip-related shares tumble

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Friday morning after the European Central Bank announced it would avoid raising rates until mid-2019, but chip-related stocks tumbled after a brokerage slashed the target price of Tokyo Electron. ( read original story ...)

Bank of Japan keeps monetary policy steady;…

As widely expected, the Bank of Japan kept its short-term interest rate target at minus 0.1 percent and a pledge to guide 10-year government bond yields around zero percent. "Consumer price growth is in a range of 0.5 to 1 percent," the BOJ said in a ... ( read original story ...)

Bank of Japan Bucks Global Trend of Monetary Tightening

TOKYO—The Bank of Japan decided Friday to stick to its ultra-easy monetary policy, bucking the global trend largely because inflation in Japan isn’t getting close to the central bank’s 2% target. The decision contrasts with other central banks ... ( read original story ...)