However, property sales in Tokyo, a barometer of the underlying tone of the economy, are showing signs of slowing as major developers are delaying projects due to a labor shortage, which raises personnel costs, and shrinking demand as a result of weak wage ... ( read original story ...)
Real Estate Trends Spell Trouble For Japan's Traditional Izakaya
Commercial property lending generally allows for a loan-to-value ratio ... making it more attractive to turn izakaya properties into retail or office space. Retail rents in Tokyo’s main wards were running at ¥25,625 per tsubo mid-year, up 16% from ... ( read original story ...)
Japan Looks to Escape Its Economic Slump
Despite the upheavals of 2016, Japan plans to begin the new year by staying its economic course. In a Dec. 20 monetary policy meeting, the Bank of Japan chose to hold its interest rates steady — an unsurprising decision, given that in September the bank ... ( read original story ...)
Japan's annual sticky New Year's mochi rice cake tradition claims lives again
Every year, Japan’s national police and emergency response services issue public warnings to be careful when eating mochi rice cakes, the sticky, sweet traditional delicacy served to celebrate the new year. And every year people die anyway. This year ... ( read original story ...)
Japan seeks to attract workers, tourists to quake-hit region
TOKYO -- Japan aims to attract more workers and tourists to the northeastern region of Tohoku, which is still trying to rebuild its economy from a devastating earthquake and tsunami nearly six years ago. Starting in April, government programs will provide ... ( read original story ...)
Foreign trends play larger role in Japanese growth for 2017
TOKYO -- The Japanese economy appears likely to expand by roughly 1% this year, but foreign risks such as a protectionist shift in Western nations and a stronger dollar threaten to undermine the growth potential. The global economy is trending upward. ( read original story ...)
Japanese stocks to rise in 2017
TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei is set to end slightly lower this year but rise in 2017 as expectations US President-elect Donald Trump’s policies will ratchet up interest rates buoyed the dollar against the yen, giving Japan Inc’s earnings a boost ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo’s Nikkei ends volatile 2016 to mark highest close in two decades
"The market is changing from monetary to fiscal policies." Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.42 percent in 2016 to close at 19,114.37, marking the fifth consecutive annual increase and highest year-end finish since 1996 when it ended at 19,361.35. ( read original story ...)
Japan’s ‘lucky bag’ market is a basket of unknowns
The next few weeks may see enlivened speculation Toshiba will be removed from the Nikkei 225 altogether. If that happens, even a cheap yen may not reverse an impression that Japan equities are a lucky bag best left on the shelf. ( read original story ...)
BRIEF-Bank of Japan to extend loan support program for lenders another year – Nikkei
* Bank of Japan looking to extend loan support program for lenders another year Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: Next In Financials MORE FROM REUTERS ( read original story ...)
Japanese media critical of new comfort woman statue in Busan
The Japanese news outlets also expressed concerns about South Korea’s upcoming presidential election. The Nikkei noted that while President Park Geun-hye “reached an irreversible agreement” on the comfort women issue, South Korea “could demand ... ( read original story ...)
Japanese is affecting the English lexicon in new ways
The earliest Japanese loanword to appear in the Oxford English Dictionary ... It first appeared in the OED in a 1997 citation from the Nikkei Weekly, but didn’t make the dictionary until 2013. The year before last, it was dubbed Oxford Dictionaries ... ( read original story ...)
Coca-Cola remains top drink maker in Japan, but not because of Coke
EBINA, JAPAN—Coca-Cola has been the No. 1 beverage maker in Japan for half a century, but it’s not thanks to the popularity of Coke. Instead, the American soft-drink brand has adapted to the quirky ways this society quenches its thirst. Coca-Cola’s ... ( read original story ...)
More to IBM's AI business than Watson: Japan chief
TOKYO -- IBM Japan succeeds in marketing artificial intelligence solutions by giving customers the advice needed to make the most of its Watson technology, according to the company's president. Paul Yonamine, at the helm since 2015, discussed IBM Japan's ... ( read original story ...)
Japan flavour makers search for tastes of Southeast Asia
Japanese flavor and scent makers are sniffing around for business opportunities in Southeast Asia, relying on local talent to guide them through the subtleties of the region's palates and into the hearts of growing markets. Green tea or seaweed? ( read original story ...)
Over 1,000 Japanese firms to turn 100 years old in 2017
More than 1,000 Japanese companies will mark the 100th anniversary of their founding in 2017, among them precision equipment maker Nikon Corp., automaker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. and Morinaga Milk Industry Co. Of the roughly 3 million companies in the ... ( read original story ...)