Small caps were under a bit less pressure than the general premarket session, with Russell 2000 futures off 0.3%. In Japan, Tokyo's market flashed a possible warning signal, rising nearly 2% in morning trade, then crashing to a 1.7% loss before paring ... ( read original story ...)
Japan’s finance ministry looks to stem gold smuggling
Japan has seen a surge in gold smuggling cases since the consumption tax was raised from five percent to eight percent in 2014 TOKYO (TR) – Japan’s Ministry of Finance is seeking to apply stricter penalties to smugglers of gold amid a recent surge in ... ( read original story ...)
Japan regulator to step up checks on struggling regional banks
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's financial regulator will step up scrutiny of the country's struggling regional banks, it said on Friday, as it aims to force lenders straining for profitability to shore up potentially risky business models. The Financial Services ... ( read original story ...)
What Analysts Say About Nikkei’s Mid-Afternoon Drop: Roundup
In a little over an hour, what had been another solid rally in Japanese stocks turned into some rather sharp clear-air turbulence, with the Nikkei 225 Stock Average plunging about 3.6 percent from the afternoon-session high to its low for the day. ( read original story ...)
Japan finance minister Aso: Don’t think final TPP-11 pact has been reached
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday that he was not aware that a final agreement had been reached among the 11 remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because of some lingering issues involving Mexico and ... ( read original story ...)
Japan Finmin Aso: Not aware that agreement on TPP-11 pact has been reached
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday that he was ... Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declined to comment on how Japan would be involved in letting the United States return to the TPP, saying that a final agreement ... ( read original story ...)
Japanese real estate offers shakier refuge to the unsackable
For corporate Japan, saddled for another decade with a large labour pool of the unremarkable, the unpromotable and the unsackable, the property game has become all about relocation, relocation, relocation of unwanted staff. In theory, say private equity ... ( read original story ...)
Japan’s MUFG sues New York regulator over bank’s oversight shift
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MUFG) (8306.T) on Wednesday sued New York’s banking regulator to stop its effort to continue to supervise Japan’s largest lender after it switched its state branches to federal oversight this ... ( read original story ...)
Japan’s Biggest Banks Confront Harsh Reality With Cost Overhaul
“But as their bodies got bigger, their fat ratios also increased.” The Bank of Japan said last month that the nation’s lenders may have too many employees and branches, and the overcapacity is contributing to a drop in earnings power that may hurt ... ( read original story ...)
Uber IPO ‘target’ is 2019: CEO
He said an investment from Japanese tech giant SoftBank -- a deal which has taken longer than expected to seal -- remains in the works and is unrelated to the IPO plans. "It hasn't happened yet, but it will," he said. SoftBank, which has amassed a $100 ... ( read original story ...)
The entire Uber board now wants an IPO, CEO says: ‘The numbers support it’
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says major investors from Saudi Arabia and Japan are not pushing for an IPO. He says co-founder Travis Kalanick and the board are backing an IPO. Major investors from Saudi Arabia and Japan are not pushing Uber to go public ... ( read original story ...)
Amazon brings the Echo to Japan
To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Amazon has released its Echo smart speakers in Japan, continuing its expansion of the family of devices beyond the US and Europe, reports TechCrunch. The company will also make the Alexa voice assistant ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo’s Topix index hits more than 25-year high
Tokyo’s Topix index climbed past its 2007 peak on Thursday to touch its highest level since 1991. The equity index rose as much as 0.4 per cent in early trade to 1,824.55, edging just past its pre-financial crisis peak to an altitude not seen since ... ( read original story ...)
Trump says US will arm Japan to knock down Korea missiles
He told a group of American and Japanese business leaders: the United States was open for business, but he wanted to reshape the nations' trade relationship, though he did not say how he would cut the trade deficit with Japan, which totalled nearly $70 ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo ends down after sharp reverse as Asia markets mostly slip
However, analysts said investors had decided the rally was running a little too hot -- Tokyo has piled on more than 20 percent since early September -- and turned sellers in the afternoon. The index closed down 0.2 percent, having fallen as much as 1.7 ... ( read original story ...)
Hundreds of fish die at Tokyo aquarium due to lack of oxygen
Sunshine Aquarium said Thursday that 1,235 fish had died in the "Sunshine Lagoon" tank. Only 73 fish survived. The aquarium says it plans to gradually add more fish to the 12-meter (40-foot) -wide tank. A security guard found the dead fish on Wednesday ... ( read original story ...)