Japan Exchange Group unveils blockchain consortium

See image below: Unsurprisingly, other blockchain consortia have news to share. Here are a few. The name may not be catchy but “The Japan Bank Consortium to Centrally Provide Domestic and Cross-border Payments” officially launched with 42 member banks. ( read original story ...)

BOJ policymaker pledges to maintain huge bond buying

OTSU, Japan Bank of Japan board member Makoto Sakurai said the central bank will continue to buy massive amounts of government bonds even under a new policy framework targeting interest rates, shrugging off the view that its bond-buying programme was ... ( read original story ...)

Central bank's rate focus hides urge to taper

TOKYO -- The Bank of Japan's interest rate-based monetary policy seems in part to be aimed at trimming bond purchases without angering easing hardliners or endangering progress toward inflation. Surging U.S. long-term interest rates in the wake of the ... ( read original story ...)

South Korea's Online Banking System Is Stuck In 1996

“[My bank’s] security apps slow my computer to a crawl so I have ... s Edge browser that has been cornered into its dying holdout markets, including Korea, Japan and Greenland. “Compared to the rest of the tech infrastructure, it’s really ironic ... ( read original story ...)

Nikkei scales 11-month peaks on OPEC deal, weaker yen

Higher oil prices power dollar above 114 yen, lifting shares * Oil exploration stocks outperform, with mining sector surging TOKYO Dec 1 A weaker yen helped power Japan's Nikkei share average to 11-month highs on Thursday, while many energy shares made ... ( read original story ...)

Bank Of Japan Opens Pandora's Box

The highly controversial yield curve targeting by the BoJ creates extreme financial distortions. The demand for USD funding surges amidst curtailed supply, making the provision of USD hedging for Asian savers, corporations and banks prohibitive. BoJ’s ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo organizers promise cost-cutting for 2020 Olympics

TOKYO — Hoping to avoid last-minute financial pressures, Japanese officials said Wednesday they are determined to keep total costs of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games below 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) after a three-day debriefing from organizers of the Rio ... ( read original story ...)

Bank of Tokyo wants to lend more in Australia

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan's largest and most outward-looking bank, considers Australia a key growth market and wants to lend more, grow its customer numbers and provide new warehousing facilities for local mortgage lenders. Randy ... ( read original story ...)

Japan Tobacco shakes up management to spur global growth

LONDON (Reuters) - Japan Tobacco , the world's third-largest tobacco company, announced management changes on Tuesday designed to accelerate the growth of its international business, which is under pressure to join industry consolidation. ( read original story ...)