Tokyo temple offers graves for same-sex couples

A Buddhist temple in Tokyo has devised a grave that can be shared by sexual minorities and their partners. The temple, Shodaiji in Edogawa Ward, is receiving an increasing number of inquiries about the grave for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo futures rise 3 pct on firmer oil prices, weaker yen

FUNDAMENTALS * The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for September delivery gained as much as 7.8 yen to 246 yen ($2.21) per kg. * For the top stories in the rubber market and other news, click or MARKET NEWS * The U.S. dollar was quoted around 111 ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo stocks open flat

Tokyo: Tokyo stocks opened flat Wednesday despite a rally in ... "But the upward trend is limited amid uncertainties over the Trump administration," he told Bloomberg News, referring to US President Donald Trump's ability to pursue his economic reform ... ( read original story ...)

Astro Japan invests ¥10B in shopping mall

Astro Japan Property Group Ltd (ASX:AJA) has signed contracts to invest in a large shopping mall, near Tokyo in Japan, for ¥10 billion. This works out to be AU$117.6 million at today’s exchange rate, and this shopping mall will be the third largest in ... ( read original story ...)

Japan govt names six investment banks for Japan Post share sale

The government sold about $12 billion worth of shares in Japan Post, Japan Post Bank Co (7182.T), and Japan Post Insurance Co (7181.T) in the IPO, which was the largest privatization of a Japanese state-owned firm since that of Nippon Telegraph and ... ( read original story ...)

BDO, Japanese bank forge deal to help SMEs

BDO Unibank has teamed up with Shinkin Central Bank (SCB), the central financial institution in Japan for the cooperative regional financial institutions known as “shinkin” banks, to assist Japanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking business ... ( read original story ...)

Why Mizuho Believes Bitcoin Still Has a Future in Banking

Japanese banking giant Mizuho Financial Group is nearing completion of a pilot project that utilizes the bitcoin blockchain for securities transfer. First announced last year as a proof-of-concept (PoC) built with bitcoin's open asset protocol ... ( read original story ...)

WORLDREMIT LAUNCHES ONLINE MONEY TRANSFERS IN JAPAN

Customers in Japan will now be able to send money to family and friends worldwide, using a mobile phone, tablet or computer – cutting out the need to travel to agent locations or bank branches during business hours. Bringing the offline remittance ... ( read original story ...)

China, Japan island fight reignites with population push

“This is a very emotional issue for both sides,” Frances Rosenbluth, a political science professor at Yale University, told Fox News. “Japan right now is trying to send strong signals to ward off any other advances by Chinese in regards to their ... ( read original story ...)

Japan turns to Basil Fawlty in race for Olympic English

You can join the debate at the BBC's Family & Education News Facebook page. Japan is 40th out of 48 countries on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and last year it fell from "moderate proficiency" to "low proficiency" on EF's ... ( read original story ...)

European and Japanese business groups warn of Brexit impact

Overseas companies that invest in the UK issued a flurry of warnings on Tuesday about the threat Brexit poses to their businesses, signalling their growing concern as the UK prepares to start the formal process of leaving the EU. Forty European business ... ( read original story ...)