Japan lays groundwork for free education policy to help economy

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is laying the groundwork for a free education programme for some households that will cover a student's costs from pre-school to college to ensure the country maintains a highly-skilled workforce. The programme, still in its early ... ( read original story ...)

Japan could lead a resurgent TPP: Trade advocate group

The 11 non-U.S. countries who signed on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership should realize that the trade pact can survive without buy-in from Washington, and that Japan could lead the way, an expert from the Asian Trade Centre said Wednesday. "If you look at ... ( read original story ...)

Clarify Moritomo land deal

The government still needs to clarify how the land plot in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, had been sold to Moritomo Gakuen at a fraction of its appraisal value and whether there was any political meddling in the deal between the operator and the Finance Ministry. ( read original story ...)

Corporate Japan to power Saudi economic overhaul

Private-sector companies including top Japanese banks are set to reach 20 or so cooperation and investment agreements Tuesday. Nikkei staff writer Hidemitsu Kibe in Riyadh contributed to this report. ( read original story ...)

Japan banking on tourism as economic driver

Tourism has emerged as a driving force in Japan’s economy and the government is banking on it to boost the world’s third largest economy. In 2016, an estimated 24 million foreigners visited Japan, an increase of 21.8 percent over the 2015’s 19.7 ... ( read original story ...)

Japan PM Abe seeks Saudi support for Aramco listing in Tokyo

Besides Tokyo, markets in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto, are vying for what could be the world's largest IPO, potentially raising as much as $100 billion. While the Japanese government is keen to have Aramco shares trade in Tokyo ... ( read original story ...)

Saudi king visits Japan, seeks help on diversifying economy

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters ... Earlier, he pledged $1 billion in development finance for Indonesia and closer co-operation for combating transnational crime such as human trafficking, terrorism and the drugs trade. ( read original story ...)

Japan's Nikkei edges up on sagging yen, Toshiba Tec up

TOKYO, March 13 Japan's Nikkei share average edged up on Monday to brush an 11-day high as the yen remained on the defensive, although a wait-and-see mood ahead of this week's U.S. Federal Reserve meeting curbed the market's advance. Shares of Toshiba Tec ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese SMEs keep Phl on investment radar

the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) said. Shinji Ayuha, advisor of Finance Office for SMEs of the Industry Finance Group of JBIC, said the establishment of Japan desks with staff who are fluent in Japanese and also familiar with the ... ( read original story ...)

Japan Feb wholesale prices rise 1.0 pct yr/yr

TOKYO, March 13 (Reuters) - Japanese wholesale prices rose 1.0 percent in the year to February, Bank of Japan data showed on Monday. The rise in the corporate goods price index (CGPI), which measures the price companies charge each other for their goods ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese investors keen on Vietnamese banks – Investment

The Hanoitimes – Several Japanese investors have seen the slump in the securities market as an opportunity to buy stocks on the cheap in Vietnamese banks. When Tokyo – Mitsubishi UFJ Bank announced plans to buy a stake in Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese banks dump government bonds

The value of Japanese government bonds held by domestic banks was 79.59 trillion yen ($693 billion) as of Jan. 31, the Bank of Japan said, falling below 80 trillion yen for the first time since 2003. The central bank introduced radical easing steps in ... ( read original story ...)