Astro Japan Property Group (ASX: AJA) today announced that its Japan asset manager, Spring Investment Co., Ltd (Spring), in which AJA has a 25% interest, has disposed of its shareholding in Sekisui House SI Asset Management, Ltd. (SSA). SSA is the manager ... ( read original story ...)
New chief of Japan's SMBC bank 'actively studying' acquisition of US bank
TOKYO The new head of Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) said it is "actively studying" an acquisition of a U.S. bank, as part of efforts to seek a reliable dollar funding source for future growth. Securing cheap, stable dollar funding has been a ... ( read original story ...)
Japanese fleet returns from Antarctic hunt with 333 whales
Japan's whaling fleet returned home Friday after killing 333 whales in the Antarctic, achieving its goal for the second year under a revised research whaling program. The Fisheries Agency said the five-ship fleet finished its four-month expedition without ... ( read original story ...)
BRIEF-Japan Retail Fund Investment sells property and buys property
Says it sold Fukuoka-based property for 6.08 billion yen as planned on Jan. 26 * Says it buys Osaka-based property for 9.98 billion yen as planned on Feb. 27 Source text in Japanese:goo.gl/cFze6v; goo.gl/0rkKa2 Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News) ( read original story ...)
Osaka investigators search Moritomo Gakuen over dubious cost estimates
OSAKA – Osaka officials Friday launched an on-site investigation into allegations of fraud involving private school operator Moritomo Gakuen’s construction costs for a new elementary school. The prefectural investigation comes as Diet members weigh ... ( read original story ...)
Understanding Japan's unique 'scrap and build' design culture
Sarah Ichioka, a Japanese-American urbanist currently based in Singapore and former director of the Architecture Foundation in London, explains how earthquakes and tsunamis forge a unique context: "This unstable environment has created a culture that ... ( read original story ...)
UPDATE 1-Japan Post Bank seeks approval to sell retail loans
TOKYO, March 31 Japan Post Bank Co Ltd, the country's biggest bank by assets, on Friday said it will seek regulatory permission to sell unsecured retail loans, as it hunts for higher returns in an environment of ultra-low interest rates. The bank aims to ... ( read original story ...)
BANK OF JAPAN : Main events scheduled for April 3-9
-- Japan Automobile Dealers Association to release new motor vehicle sales figures for fiscal 2016 and for March on car-model basis. -- Cabinet Office to release survey on consumer trends for March. -- Japan Automobile Importers Association to release ... ( read original story ...)
Japan February core consumer inflation edges up, hits two-year high
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's core consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in February from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, marking the fastest annual pace in nearly two years but still distant from the central bank's ambitious 2 percent target. ( read original story ...)
BRIEF-Nissen sells Tokyo-based property for 965 mln yen
* Says it has sold a land and building property located in Tokyo, Japan, for 965 million yen in all Source text in Japanese: goo.gl/QDwQb7 Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News) ( read original story ...)
Things are looking up for Tokyo property
Sigrid Zialcita, Cushman & Wakefield, says low mortgage rates and a weak Japanese yen make the housing market in Japan attractive. Valuations are high. Here's what you can do ( read original story ...)
Why Is Japan Prone To Earthquakes And Tsunamis?
Japan is extremely vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The “ring” is a horse-shoe shaped basin along the Pacific Ocean. About 90 percent of all seismic activity in the world takes place in this region. ( read original story ...)
Japan ruling party urges strike ability amid N. Korea threat
Japan's ruling party urged the government Thursday to consider arming the country with more advanced and offensive military capabilities, such as striking enemy targets with cruise missiles, further loosening the self-defense-only posture Japan has ... ( read original story ...)
Japan Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Sky Suite Review
Hotel Review: The Peninsula Tokyo. Japan Airlines Business Class Cabin and Seat Selection I recently flew Japan Airlines from New York JFK to Tokyo. My seat was 9K, a window seat on the right hand side. The business cabin was full, and it was a morning ... ( read original story ...)
Toshiba gets go-ahead for chip unit sale at angry shareholder meeting
Toshiba, which bought Westinghouse in 2006 for $5.4-billion now faces months of complex negotiations over the fate of its U.S. nuclear business, a discussion that could embroil the U.S. and Japanese governments. The U.S. government has guaranteed loans of ... ( read original story ...)
Japan ruling party urges strike ability amid NKorea threat
Japan's ruling party urged the government Thursday to consider arming itself with more advanced and offensive capability, such as striking enemy targets with cruise missiles, further loosening the self-defense-only military posture the country has had ... ( read original story ...)