Japan’s Airbnb offerings evaporate ahead of new regulations

Japan, which just months ago had tens of thousands of Airbnb ... The new regulations were meant to bring transparency to a business that was until now rather murky, and technically allowed only in certain zones - although many hosts ignored such restrictions. ( read original story ...)

Backup plan to ensure correct Japan Standard Time in disasters

The necessity of the backup plan came under the spotlight after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Tohoku region. A radio wave transmission facility for disseminating time had been operating in Kawauchi, Fukushima Prefecture ... ( read original story ...)

Light earthquake, 4.5 mag was detected near Narita in Japan

A light earthquake magnitude 4.5 (ml/mb) has struck on Thursday, 4 kilometers (2 miles) from Narita in Japan. The 4.5-magnitude earthquake was detected at 14:58:40 / 2:58 pm (local time epicenter). Exact time and date of earthquake 07/06/18 / 2018-06-07 05 ... ( read original story ...)

European banks are flirting with each other again. Here’s why

where there are 170,000 people per bank, and in Japan, where the number of citizens per bank rises to nearly 900,000. "You do have a very divided market across the continent of Europe," Barclays CEO Jes Staley said this week during an interview on CNBC. ( read original story ...)

Tokyo fun fact: Everything here is tiny

Tokyo may be a megapolis, but our 13 million-strong population (with an additional 29 million in greater Tokyo) means space is, well, limited. Enter a whole load of things that would probably be twice the size abroad, which have been squeezed into the ... ( read original story ...)

Why 80% of Japan’s Airbnb listings have disappeared

More stringent laws governing minpaku or private lodging services have apparently led to a drastic wipeout of Japan listings on the popular short-term rental site Airbnb. The archipelagic nation is now home to just 13,800 Airbnb properties for rental ... ( read original story ...)

Days are numbered for ATMs in Japan’s banking system

On May 2, Shinsei Bank announced that starting from October it will impose fees for automatic teller machine (ATM) transactions. Shinsei’s main sales point has always been its lack of ATM fees, but the bank will start charging ¥108 per ATM withdrawal ... ( read original story ...)

Japan Banks Fixated on Archaic Trading, 35-Year Veteran Says

“You buy when you think it is timely and sell to lock-in capital gains.” The Bank of Japan’s negative interest-rate policy is pressuring domestic lenders to take too much risk, Takahide Kiuchi, a former BOJ board member, said in an interview last mont ( read original story ...)

JGBs hug tight ranges ahead of central bank, G7 meetings

Most market players expect the Bank of Japan to stay with its ultra-loose monetary policy stance in the near future even as the world’s other major central banks gradually shift towards tightening. Still, many investors are looking to whether that ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese Market Modestly Lower

In the banking sector, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial is down 0.2 percent and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial is lower by almost 1 percent. Among oil stocks, Inpex is rising 0.7 percent and Japan Petroleum Exploration is down 0.3 percent despite crude oil prices ... ( read original story ...)