http://www.mail.com/locations/2268-japan.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/2268-japan.html http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104528-japan-stocks-dive-benchmark-bond-yield-spikes.html BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese stocks plummeted Thursday after a spike in government bond yields and unexpectedly weak Chinese manufacturing spooked investors sitting atop months of massive gains in share prices. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo nosedived 7.3 percent to close at 14,483.98. Japan's 10-year government bond yield rose above 1 percent for the first time in a... Thu, 23 May 2013 07:13:52 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104528-japan-stocks-dive-benchmark-bond-yield-spikes.html 2013-05-23T07:13:52Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104574-japan-bond-yields-jump-fed-comments.html TOKYO (AP) — Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds briefly topped 1 percent for the first time in a year on Thursday, unnerving some investors at a time when Japan's already overburdened government finances are vulnerable to rises in interest rates. Japanese shares fell sharply. The spike in long-term debt comes despite the Bank of Japan's aggressiv... Thu, 23 May 2013 06:35:02 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104574-japan-bond-yields-jump-fed-comments.html 2013-05-23T06:35:02Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2101934-weak-yen-help-japan-headache.html TOKYO (AP) — A steady fall in the value of the yen is proving a godsend for exporters such as Toyota. The cheaper yen is making their products more affordable overseas. Japan's trading partners are generally pleased, too, even though the lower yen makes their exports relatively more expensive. As many see it, other nations — from China to Britain to the U... Wed, 22 May 2013 17:04:20 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2101934-weak-yen-help-japan-headache.html 2013-05-22T17:04:20Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102488-north-korean-leader-sends-special-envoy-to-china.html PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — After months of ignoring Chinese warnings to give up nuclear weapons, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a high-level confidant to Beijing on Wednesday, in a possible effort to mend strained ties with his country's most important ally and a sign that he may be giving diplomacy a chance. The trip by Vice Marshal Choe Ryong H... Wed, 22 May 2013 16:24:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102488-north-korean-leader-sends-special-envoy-to-china.html 2013-05-22T16:24:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102506-japan-approves-joining-intl-child-abduction-pact.html TOKYO (AP) — Japan's parliament on Wednesday approved joining an international child custody treaty amid foreign pressure for Tokyo to address concerns that Japanese mothers can take children away from foreign fathers without recourse. The upper house of parliament voted unanimously to join the 1980 Hague Convention on international child abduction follow... Wed, 22 May 2013 11:37:20 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102506-japan-approves-joining-intl-child-abduction-pact.html 2013-05-22T11:37:20Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2102308-sony-mulls-hedge-funds-entertainment-sale-idea.html TOKYO (AP) — Sony's CEO Kazuo Hirai says the electronics giant's board will discuss a proposal by U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to 20 percent of its movie, TV and music division. Hirai was asked about the proposal at a corporate strategy presentation Wednesday. He did not give a timetable for a decision, and would not give his own op... Wed, 22 May 2013 09:54:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2102308-sony-mulls-hedge-funds-entertainment-sale-idea.html 2013-05-22T09:54:45Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2101920-japans-central-bank-economy-picking-up.html TOKYO (AP) — Japan's central bank says the world's third-biggest economy is "picking up" as demand recovers in other countries and remains resilient at home, though the trade deficit widened in April, for the tenth straight month. The Bank of Japan ended a policy meeting on Wednesday with no change to its strategy of doubling the monetary base to reach a ... Wed, 22 May 2013 06:10:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2101920-japans-central-bank-economy-picking-up.html 2013-05-22T06:10:39Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2099414-asia-stocks-rise-fed-official-backs-easy-policy.html BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets were mostly higher Wednesday after investor confidence was boosted by a Federal Reserve official's comments that the U.S. central bank should stick with its super-easy monetary policy. Regional Fed chief James Bullard said in a speech Tuesday that the Fed should continue its monthly $85 billion in bond purchases, which d... Wed, 22 May 2013 06:02:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2099414-asia-stocks-rise-fed-official-backs-easy-policy.html 2013-05-22T06:02:44Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2101656-north-korea-sends-leaders-special-envoy-to-china.html PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dispatched a high-profile official and close confidant to China on Wednesday as Beijing faces pressure to rein in its belligerent neighbor. Choe Ryong Hae, a top Workers' Party official and a vice marshal tasked with supervising the North Korean military, departed on a chartered Air Koryo fligh... Wed, 22 May 2013 05:53:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2101656-north-korea-sends-leaders-special-envoy-to-china.html 2013-05-22T05:53:45Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2101566-japans-trade-deficit-hits-86b-to-weaker-yen.html TOKYO (AP) — Japan's trade deficit widened to a larger-than-expected 879.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion) in April as its weakening currency accentuated surging import costs. Exports rose 3.8 percent from the same month a year earlier to 5.78 trillion yen ($56.3 billion), while imports jumped 9.4 percent to 6.66 trillion yen ($64.9 billion), according to prel... Wed, 22 May 2013 00:47:58 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2101566-japans-trade-deficit-hits-86b-to-weaker-yen.html 2013-05-22T00:47:58Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2097554-japans-shield-straw-action-pic-cannes.html CANNES, France (AP) — Director Takashi Miike says shooting an action movie in Japan is a lot harder than it looks. His Cannes Film Festival entry "Shield of Straw" is a robust thriller about a team of police tasked with escorting a child-killer with a billion-yen bounty on his head safely across the country. "It was extremely difficult to shoot all the sc... Mon, 20 May 2013 11:48:25 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2097554-japans-shield-straw-action-pic-cannes.html 2013-05-20T11:48:25Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2094780-skorea-nkorea-fires-3-short-range-missiles.html SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters on Saturday, a South Korean official said. It routinely tests such missiles, but the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing tensions. The North fired two missiles Saturday morning and another in the afternoon, South Ko... Sat, 18 May 2013 18:38:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2094780-skorea-nkorea-fires-3-short-range-missiles.html 2013-05-18T18:38:30Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2089750-asia-stocks-mixed-holidays-thin-trade.html BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed in holiday-thinned trading Friday as investors digested a slew of disappointing economic data and corporate results from the U.S. Applications for unemployment benefits jumped to their highest level in six weeks, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday, while manufacturing slowed in the mid-Atlantic region... Fri, 17 May 2013 05:12:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2089750-asia-stocks-mixed-holidays-thin-trade.html 2013-05-17T05:12:30Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2089260-cambodian-shoe-factory-collapse-kills-2-injures-7.html PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The ceiling of a Cambodian factory that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on workers early Thursday, killing two people and injuring seven, in the latest accident spotlighting the often lethal safety conditions faced by those toiling in the global garment industry. About 50 workers were inside a workroom of the factory south of Ph... Thu, 16 May 2013 13:13:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2089260-cambodian-shoe-factory-collapse-kills-2-injures-7.html 2013-05-16T13:13:57Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2089060-japanese-economy-grew-35-percent-pace-1q.html TOKYO (AP) — Japan's economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 3.5 percent in annual terms last quarter, giving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a boost as his government tackles reforms needed to ensure a sustained recovery from two decades of malaise. Stronger consumer spending and public works investment coupled with aggressive monetary easing lent oomph to th... Thu, 16 May 2013 09:40:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2089060-japanese-economy-grew-35-percent-pace-1q.html 2013-05-16T09:40:45Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2086780-asia-stocks-mixed-wall-st-ignores-euro-gloom.html BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday following dour European economic data that dampened hopes of a recovery there anytime soon. However, losses were limited by another record session on Wall Street. The European Union statistics office said Wednesday that nine of the 17 countries that use the euro are in recession, including France. The... Thu, 16 May 2013 05:27:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2086780-asia-stocks-mixed-wall-st-ignores-euro-gloom.html 2013-05-16T05:27:43Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2087346-japan-oks-906-billion-budget-to-revive-economy.html TOKYO (AP) — Japan's parliament has approved a record-high 92.6 trillion yen ($906.2 billion) budget for this fiscal year, raising military spending for the first time in 11 years and boosting public works outlays to help revive the economy. The budget was approved late Wednesday after the lower house of parliament, whose decision takes precedence, overro... Wed, 15 May 2013 15:11:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2087346-japan-oks-906-billion-budget-to-revive-economy.html 2013-05-15T15:11:31Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2086662-china-questions-japan-rule-okinawa.html BEIJING (AP) — China is trying to strengthen its claim on tiny, uninhabited, Japanese-controlled islands by raising questions about the much larger Okinawa chain that is home to more than a million Japanese along with major U.S. military installations. The tactic, however, appears to have done little but harden Tokyo's stance. Japan refuses to offer any c... Wed, 15 May 2013 11:03:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2086662-china-questions-japan-rule-okinawa.html 2013-05-15T11:03:30Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083516-asia-stocks-up-us-small-business-mood-improves.html BANGKOK (AP) — Enthusiasm on Wall Street sparked by another positive report on the U.S. economy helped push most Asian stock markets higher Wednesday. The National Federation of Independent Business reported a slight improvement in confidence among small business owners in the U.S. in April. That helped boost the Dow Jones industrial average to close at a... Wed, 15 May 2013 05:22:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083516-asia-stocks-up-us-small-business-mood-improves.html 2013-05-15T05:22:45Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083984-hedge-fund-boss-loeb-lobbies-breakup-sony.html TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. hedge fund manager renowned for shaking up Yahoo Inc. has set his sights on Sony Corp., proposing that the Japanese electronics giant spin off up to 20 percent of its movie, TV and music division and use the money to strengthen its ailing device manufacturing unit. Sony rejected the plan, but analysts latched onto the idea as a way for Sony to unlock hi... Tue, 14 May 2013 20:35:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083984-hedge-fund-boss-loeb-lobbies-breakup-sony.html 2013-05-14T20:35:30Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2083742-idaho-spud-giant-bets-biotech-potatoes.html BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They're engineered not to develop ugly black bruises. McDonald... Tue, 14 May 2013 18:27:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2083742-idaho-spud-giant-bets-biotech-potatoes.html 2013-05-14T18:27:21Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2083376-japanese-mayor-wartime-sex-slaves-were.html TOKYO (AP) — An outspoken nationalist mayor said the Japanese military's forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to "maintain discipline" in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle. The comments made Monday are already raising ire in neighboring countries that bore the brunt of Japan... Tue, 14 May 2013 11:38:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2083376-japanese-mayor-wartime-sex-slaves-were.html 2013-05-14T11:38:33Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083454-nissan-chief-welcomes-yen-fall-luxury-brand.html KAMINOKAWA-MACHI, Japan (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn welcomed the yen's recent decline to what he called "neutral" levels for the Japanese automaker's profitability, but said Tuesday it must drop further to be "normal." "The abnormal situation of the yen is hopefully something of the past," he told reporters at the roll-off ceremony for ... Tue, 14 May 2013 10:34:03 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083454-nissan-chief-welcomes-yen-fall-luxury-brand.html 2013-05-14T10:34:03Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083780-sharp-reshuffles-management-record-loss.html TOKYO (AP) — Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. named a new president Tuesday, reshuffling its top management to help restore profitability after reporting a record loss. The Osaka, Japan-based maker of Aquos TVs said that Kozo Takahashi, currently an executive vice president, will become its president and CEO as of June 25. His appointment is part of... Tue, 14 May 2013 10:33:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2083780-sharp-reshuffles-management-record-loss.html 2013-05-14T10:33:05Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2081000-nikkei-up-japan-nod-g7-stimulus.html BANGKOK (AP) — Japan's stock market jumped Monday to its highest close in more than five years after global finance leaders gave a seal of approval to the country's stimulus program and refrained from criticizing its weakening effect on the yen. Stocks elsewhere, however, were mostly lower. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.2 percent to 6,609.78. Germany's DAX lo... Mon, 13 May 2013 09:59:02 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2081000-nikkei-up-japan-nod-g7-stimulus.html 2013-05-13T09:59:02Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2078772-g7-japan-playing-currency-rules.html AYLESBURY, England (AP) — Finance leaders from the Group of Seven leading industrial economies say Japan's stimulus policies are directed at boosting its economy out of a two-decade period of stagnation, not an attempt to drive down its currency to make Japan's exports more competitive. At the conclusion of a two-day meeting of leading financial represent... Sat, 11 May 2013 19:45:07 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2078772-g7-japan-playing-currency-rules.html 2013-05-11T19:45:07Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2075738-dollar-rises-100-yen-1st-time-4-years.html TOKYO (AP) — The dollar soared above 100 yen for the first time in more than four years Friday, driven by aggressive credit-easing aimed at reviving Japan's sluggish economy and improved U.S. economic figures. The U.S. dollar rose as high as 101.30 yen, the first time since April 2009 that the greenback has traded above 100 yen. The move lifted Japanese s... Fri, 10 May 2013 22:19:19 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2075738-dollar-rises-100-yen-1st-time-4-years.html 2013-05-10T22:19:19Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2075912-japans-nikkei-gains-dollar-tops-100-yen.html LONDON (AP) — Japanese stocks outperformed all others by a wide margin Friday after the dollar finally broke through the 100 yen mark. Markets elsewhere remained solid at the end of the week that's sent many indexes around the world up to all-time highs. The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo jumped 2.9 percent to close at 14,607.54, its highest level since Januar... Fri, 10 May 2013 16:29:14 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2075912-japans-nikkei-gains-dollar-tops-100-yen.html 2013-05-10T16:29:14Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2076334-imf-monetary-easing-drive-asset-bubble.html TOKYO (AP) — International Monetary Fund officials say they are watching carefully for signs that massive flows of cash unleashed in world markets by unprecedented monetary easing might lead to asset bubbles, or to overheating in some emerging markets. "There is a risk of overheating of domestic economies, so we have to pay close attention to this risk," ... Fri, 10 May 2013 11:55:19 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2076334-imf-monetary-easing-drive-asset-bubble.html 2013-05-10T11:55:19Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2076138-panasonic-reports-big-loss-forecasts-profit.html TOKYO (AP) — Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic Corp. on Friday reported a near-record net loss of 754 billion yen ($7.5 billion) for the fiscal year through March due to restructuring costs and slumping sales, but predicted a return to the black this year as it prunes unprofitable businesses. The Osaka-based company, which makes Viera TVs and ... Fri, 10 May 2013 10:18:50 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2076138-panasonic-reports-big-loss-forecasts-profit.html 2013-05-10T10:18:50Z