TOKYO — Japan’s long-sluggish economy has found its spark. To keep it flickering, Japan needs to find more big spenders like Sayaka Sakata. Ms. Sakata, a 49-year-old mother of four, recently moved to a rented house from an apartment in the city of ... ( read original story ...)
In The World: supporting survivors of the Japanese earthquake
Keita Era, an Analyst based in Tokyo, tells us about his volunteer work with those badly affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 – and the fulfilment he gets from supporting them back into meaningful jobs. I joined Barclays in 2010 on their ... ( read original story ...)
Japan trade surges in July on strong demand in China, US
Japan's exports and imports rose at a fast clip in July, reflecting a recovery in demand in China, Southeast Asia and the U.S., though export prices rose faster than volumes for many products. Exports rose more than 13 percent from a year earlier to 6.5 ... ( read original story ...)
Britain’s May to lead business delegation to Japan
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Japan this month for talks with her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to discuss Brexit, trade and defense, her office said on Tuesday. May will lead a business delegation drawn from a range of ... ( read original story ...)
‘Please watch over us from heaven’: In Japan, 25,000 people use ‘wind phone’ to communicate with dead loved ones
The phone has been visited by at least 25,000 people since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, people who have come to convey their feelings to departed loved ones “through the wind.” The phone was set up by 72-year-old garden designer Itaru ... ( read original story ...)
Will Japan’s haven status hold up amid North Korean tensions?
“At the time of [Japan’s] earthquake [and subsequent tsunami] in 2011, the yen rallied against almost everything else. This kind of repatriation is typical, so there’s a precedent here despite the geographical closeness [to North Korea] and the fact ... ( read original story ...)
Japan taps B.C. alumni networks to strengthen business ties
The popularity of a program recruiting B.C. university graduates to work in Japan as temporary English teachers is rebounding – something officials hope will translate to a larger alumni network that aids Tokyo’s development of business ties with ... ( read original story ...)