Japan's top real estate firms notch record pretax profits

TOKYO -- Mitsui Fudosan and two other top real estate companies are expected to report all-time-high pretax profits for the April-December period, underpinned by a property boom triggered by the central bank's negative interest rate policy. Mitsui Fudosan ... ( read original story ...)

Qatar Airways to deploy A350 on Tokyo Haneda route

Starting July 1, Qatar Airways will be replacing its B787-8 Dreamliner with its A350-900 on its direct Doha-Tokyo Haneda service. Business Traveller Asia-Pacific was alerted to the change by industry website airlineroute.net and confirmed on the carrier ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo’s showy tuna auctions do not augur economic growth

KIYOSHI KIMURA does not like to lose. For the past six years he has outbid all comers for the first bluefin tuna of the year sold by Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market. Last week Mr Kimura, who owns a chain of sushi shops, paid ¥74.2m ($642,000 ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo shares rally, Takata soars on US deal report

Tokyo shares rallied Friday morning, boosted by retailers and drugmakers while embattled Takata soared on news it may announce a settlement with US regulators over an exploding airbag crisis. But gains were capped after losses on Wall Street as a post ... ( read original story ...)

Back home: Honda brings Civic sedan to Japan in branding push

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co is bringing the Civic sedan back home after seven years, betting buoyant overseas demand for the model would help drive sales in Japan and allow the automaker to shake off its domestic image as a maker of only ... ( read original story ...)

Sapporo experience invaluable for Aussie athletes

SAPPORO 2017: Becoming accustomed to the atmosphere in an Olympic Village at the February Asian Winter Games will provide invaluable experience for emerging and seasoned athletes. Among the thirty athletes selected by the Australian Olympic Committee for ... ( read original story ...)

Nintendo Switch game console to launch in March

TOKYO - The Nintendo Switch video game console will sell for 29,980 yen (about $260) in Japan, starting March 3, the same date as its global rollout in the U.S. and Europe. The Japanese company promises the device will be packed with fun features of all ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo governor urges golf venue to allow women members

The club situated in Saitama Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, also bars women from playing there on Sundays, according to a Kyodo news agency report. Last year, Muirfield golf club lost its place on the rotation of venues for the British Open after a ballot ... ( read original story ...)

Definitions of 'comfort women' reveal Japan-S. Korea divide

TOKYO – "Comfort women," used by the Japanese military used for sex, were present wherever the army invaded and occupied Asia countries from the early 1930s through the end of World War II. That aspect of wartime history was kept quiet until the early ... ( read original story ...)

Japan 'fish exorcist' ritual draws claims of animal abuse

Organisers acknowledged to the news site J-Cast that they had received several complaints from the public. The ceremony's defenders insisted it was part of Japan's cultural heritage, with one online comment complaining: "People are too uptight these days." ( read original story ...)

Japan drone delivers soup to surfers in test flight

FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN - A drone successfully delivered a bottle of hot soup to surfers in Japan on Thursday in a test of an unmanned flying vehicle traveling a preset route of more than 10 kilometres. Japan's Industry Ministry and the Fukushima prefectural ... ( read original story ...)

Japan to aid Manila 'war on drugs'

MANILA - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged a 1 trillion yen ($8.7 billion) aid package, including government aid and private investment in infrastructural development in the Philippines over the next five years, as Japan moves to strengthen ties ... ( read original story ...)

Japan watching closely for rapid yen rises – Ishihara

TOKYO The Japanese government is monitoring closely for rapid rises ... hit by a loss of confidence in the U.S. reflation trade a day after a news conference by President-elect Donald Trump. (Reporting by Minami Funakoshi; Editing by Chris Gallagher) ( read original story ...)

Japan gov't "highly praises" outgoing U.S. envoy Kennedy's work

... Okinawa Prefecture shoulders for hosting the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan. To have fuller access to the Kyodo News website, it is necessary to subscribe. We offer a broad range of subscription options depending on your needs. Learn more. ( read original story ...)