Japan loans Manila military planes for South China Sea

Japan will lease a total of five surplus Beechcraft TC-90 planes to the Philippines, according to Manila's defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Philippine military chief General Eduardo Ano said the new planes would be deployed over Benham Rise and the ... ( read original story ...)

Sushi chain IPO will test investor appetite for risk

The good news for Sushiro is that there are signs of pent-up retail appetite for new issues — Japanese IPO numbers are up about 15 per cent since the start of 2017 compared with the same period last year, and analysts see that growth continuing. ( read original story ...)

This cafe in Tokyo won’t hire women who wear makeup

We totally dig the makeup-free movement, but after hearing about a Tokyo cafe that won’t hire women who wear makeup, we’re a little mystified. After all, while it’s lovely to be natural and work with what you’re given, makeup is also a lot of fun. ( read original story ...)

Tokyo stocks down as automakers, electronics firms hit

TOKYO: Tokyo stocks sank on a strong yen Monday morning, with automakers and electronics firms taking a hit, while Toshiba dropped on a report that its troubled US nuclear unit could start bankruptcy proceedings this week. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index ... ( read original story ...)

Japan's online banks go bricks-and-mortar to boost loan ops

Deposits at six leading online banks topped 11.4 trillion yen at the end of March 2016 -- a substantial figure, but a mere 1.42% of the total for all Japanese banks. The industry has reached a turning point: The Bank of Japan's negative-interest-rate ... ( read original story ...)

Japan moves gingerly toward accepting immigrants

The tensions in Europe have made many Japanese leery of large-scale immigration. "If we were to choose to address Japan's labor shortage by allowing more immigrants in without carefully thinking about it, we would face a situation similar to Europe," said ... ( read original story ...)

Japan vice minister officially visits Taiwan

TAIPEI -- A Japanese vice minister's visit to Taiwan may test Beijing's patience. Jiro Akama, parliamentary vice-minister of internal affairs and communications, said on Saturday that Taiwan is a wonderful partner for Japan. He was speaking at the opening ... ( read original story ...)