Earthquake hits Japan; three injured

A quake hit western Japan today, leaving three people with minor injuries and damaging buildings and roads, local media reported. The shallow tremor was reported as magnitude 6.1 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, according to Kyodo news agency, although ... ( read original story ...)

Women save Japan’s old family businesses with new ideas

OSAKA -- For 260 years, a Kyoto company called Ueba Esou specialized in paints for Japanese art. But after the president succumbed to illness, his daughter faced an almost unthinkable decision: Should she close the business? Demand for the subtle ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo Stocks Opened Flat as Yen Eased Modestly Against Dollar

Tokyo stocks open flat amid lingering trade war fears (Photo: AFP). Tokyo: Tokyo stocks opened flat on Monday, as the yen eased modestly against the dollar, with investor sentiment hurt by falls on Wall Street on worsening trade war fears. The benchmark ... ( read original story ...)

Japan’s vaunted alert system runs up against limits

The message delivered via the country's alert system, part of its much-hyped J-Alert mechanism, warned of a big one directly hitting the Japanese capital -- potentially on the scale of the devastating 2011 earthquake that wrought massive destruction. ( read original story ...)

Tokyo Stocks Opened Slightly Higher

Tokyo stocks open slightly higher after Wall Street gains (Photo: AFP). Tokyo: Tokyo stocks opened slightly higher Friday, propped up by a lower yen and gains on Wall Street, but traders appeared in wait-and-see mode ahead of crucial US jobs data. The ... ( read original story ...)

Japan’s business confidence sinks

Tokyo — Japanese business sentiment worsened for the first time in two years in the quarter to March, a central bank survey showed on Monday, as rising raw materials and labour costs weigh on an otherwise steady economic recovery. A strong yen and ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo’s Brand Off heads to Siam Square

Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia for Brand Off to expand its business. Three Brand Off Tokyo shops will open this year and two more shops are planned to open next year, mainly in leading shopping complexes. Each requires 50-100 square metres ... ( read original story ...)

Modeling future earthquake and tsunami risk in southeast Japan

A recent study led by UMass Amherst looked at risk in southeast Japan after the devastating 2011 quake and tsunami. The Japanese government called for hazard-assessment research to define the nation's worst-case scenarios. Study centered on the Nankai ... ( read original story ...)