TOKYO – A leader of Japan's ruling party has sparked an uproar by calling people without children selfish, in the latest in a series of comments by senior politicians urging women to have more babies. Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo Smoking Ban Could Shake Up Tobacco, Retail Markets
Tokyo’s smoke-filled pubs and coffee shops may soon be a thing of the past as the country readies to tighten regulations ahead of the 2020 Olympics. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed an ordinance Wednesday that essentially bans smoking inside 84 ... ( read original story ...)
Japan’s IPO rush continues after Mercari debut
TOKYO -- Startups in Japan are going public in increasing numbers this year, with 21 initial public offerings in June and July alone, easily surpassing last year's 11 for the same period. Following the June 19 IPO of flea market app operator Mercari on the ... ( read original story ...)
New digital lender ‘86400’ launches in Australia amid poor big bank PR
Robert Bell, formerly in charge of ANZ Japan, will be its chief executive. The new bank will offer digital banking services and expects the lack of physical branches or legacy infrastructure to keep costs low and will have a staff of 60. The latest entrant ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo to ban smoking in bars, restaurants from 2020
Tokyo, June 27 (IANS) Tokyo on Wednesday approved an anti-smoking ordinance that will ban smoking in most bars and restaurants in the capital from April 2020 and is stricter than the bill designed by the central government with a view to the Olympic Games ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo: Member of fraud ring recruited persons for cash pick-ups
Shogo Ito (Twitter) TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 28-year-old member of a fraud ring who recruited persons to collect money from victims, reports TBS News (June 28). In April, a 75-year-old woman living in Nerima Ward was told by ... ( read original story ...)
20 Percent? Japan’s Finance Minister Ponders Crypto Tax Policy Change
Japan’s minister of finance has discussed the possibility of changing the country’s current capital gains policy which sees crypto investors face between 15 and 55 percent in taxes. Taro Aso, Japan’s minister of finance and the deputy finance ... ( read original story ...)
Japanese spacecraft arrives safely at asteroid after 3.5-year journey
Its round-trip mission is set to take six years. "Everything has gone as planned," a spokesman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) told a news conference. "The probe has arrived at the asteroid." Hayabusa 2, named for the peregrine falcon ... ( read original story ...)
Japan, Colombia, and Senegal will battle for 2 spots in the knockout stage at the World Cup — here’s what each team needs to happen
Heading into the final day of the group stage, three teams — Japan, Colombia, and Senegal — are all still in control of their destinies as they battle for one of the final two spots up for grabs in the knockout round. With so much at stake for every ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo passes tough anti-smoking law ahead of 2020 Olympics
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo, Japan's capital and host of the 2020 Summer Olympics, passed a tough anti-smoking law on Wednesday that will effectively ban smoking in most of the city's bars and restaurants in the run-up to the games. Japan lags many countries ... ( read original story ...)
Pepper the robot is now working at a bank in New York City
The robot takeover of retail banking has begun. It’s starting at HSBC’s main branch on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and involves a friendly robot called Pepper. For those not in the know, Pepper is the work of Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank and French ... ( read original story ...)
Hong Kong buyers’ interest in Japanese property hit as Japan tightens home-share rules
Japan’s stiffer home-sharing controls have dampened Japanese home sales among Hong Kong buyers who are increasingly investing in the country’s properties to operate shared lodging services. The new rules have also forced the world’s largest home ... ( read original story ...)
Yokohama Launches Farewell Ceremony for Ship Calls
Passengers sailing from Yokohama, Japan’s Osanbash cruise terminal will be sent off in style, as the port has organized a farewell ceremony for every ship call. Tourists, locals and terminal employees will gather with yellow cloth handkerchiefs (provided ... ( read original story ...)
How ready are you for Japan’s next big earthquake?
Emergency kits are a must-have in earthquake prone Japan, but a survey by The Japan Times has found that a number of people did not use theirs when a deadly quake rocked Osaka Prefecture and its vicinity last week. The June 18 quake, which affected 30 ... ( read original story ...)
Japan fears larger earthquake after Osaka tremor
Seven years after almost 20,000 people died in an earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeast Japan, experts fear that Monday's tremor could be the harbinger of the much-feared rupture of Nankai Trough. When the earthquake struck Osaka on Monday ... ( read original story ...)
Recreating the chameleon: material mimics color changes of living organisms
Researchers at Nagoya University develop a composite material that, by adjusting its composition and exposing it to different types of light, can mimic animals' changes in color. Nagoya, Japan - A range of creatures, including chameleons, octopuses ... ( read original story ...)