DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Car crashes into barricade near Israel embassy in Tokyo, man detained
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A view of the scene after a car crashed into a barricade near the Israeli embassy in Tokyo, Japan, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A car crashed into a barricade near the entrance of the Israeli embassy in Tokyo on Thursday and a man in his 50s was detained on the spot, local media reported. An official at the Israeli embassy said the matter was under police investigation and declined further comment. Several pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held outside Israeli embassies around the world in recent weeks, including in Tokyo, in protest against Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Around the same time, a staffer at the Israeli embassy in Beijing was assaulted on the street and hospitalised.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Israel, Francis Tang, Satoshi Sugiyama, Mariko Katsumura, John Geddie, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Fuji, Police, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Tama, Gaza, Israel, Beijing

China detained the executive, named in several media reports as Hiroshi Nishiyama, on suspicion of espionage in March, and he was formally arrested last month. Japan's then foreign minister protested the executive's detention with his Chinese counterpart on a visit to Beijing in April. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Half the respondents in a recent survey of Japanese companies doing business in China said they would cut investments this year. It's a very difficult point in time to be navigating that as a decision maker, in business or politics," he said.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Xi Jinping, Rahm Emanuel, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Japan's, Xi, Masashi Mizobuchi, Nishiyama, Takeshi Niinami, Niinami, Stefan Angrick, Yukiko Toyoda, Kiyoshi Takenaka, John Geddie, Sakura Murakami, Francis Tang, Laurie Chen, Antoni Slodkowski, Andrew Silver, Lincoln Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Kyodo, drugmaker Astellas Pharma, APEC, Reuters, Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Japan Association of Corporate, Suntory, Moody's Analytics, Thomson Locations: Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, TOKYO, BEIJING, China, San Francisco, Tokyo, U.S, Japan, Beijing, officialdom, Shanghai

☆ Eyeing North Korea, Tokyo holds first missile evacuation drill in years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Tokyo residents dashed for cover inside a train station on Monday as part of the first missile evacuation drill in the capital for years as Japan frets over the growing threat from nearby North Korea. Japan has held more than a dozen such drills nationwide this year, though Monday's drill was the first in Tokyo since 2018. The participants, wearing bibs, were divided into groups at a train station and a park. When the test missile alert was sounded, police and disaster prevention officials with loudspeakers hurried the groups to designated shelter areas where they crouched down with their hands over their heads. A few dozen anti-war demonstrators gathered in front of the train station where the drill took place, chanting and holding signs that read "Missile drill is preparation for war" and "Diplomatic dialogue instead of missile drills".

Persons: Mutsumi Takahashi, Takahashi, Francis Tang, John Geddie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan, North Korea, Nerima, United States

☆ SoftBank Corp raises $800 mln through Japan's first listing of bond-type shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Anton Bridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Corp's (9434.T) bond-type shares were listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday in the first such listing in Japan, raising a total of 120 billion yen ($799 million) on strong retail and institutional investor demand. As of 0359 GMT, the shares were trading at 4,035 yen, above the offering price of 4,000 yen. The offering was primarily aimed at retail investors and demand appears to have been strong among both retail and institutional investors. While SoftBank did not disclose total demand, when asked about retail interest, Miyakawa said he was grateful for the level of demand. As the shares are publicly listed, they can be purchased through the tax-efficient Nippon Individual Savings Account (NISA), unlike corporate bonds.

Persons: Corp's, Junichi Miyakawa, SoftBank, Miyakawa, Anton Bridge, Francis Tang, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, Savings, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Samurai trash collectors clean Tokyo streets after Halloween revels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Keisuke Naka and Ikki Goto, members of Gomihiroi Samurai (trash-picking samurai) clad in denim yukata, poses for a photograph as they pick up trash on the street of Ikebukuro in the morning after Halloween in Tokyo, Japan November 1, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Trash collectors in samurai costumes took to Tokyo's streets on Wednesday, theatrically wielding garbage tongs and flicking litter left from an evening of Halloween revelry into wicker baskets on their backs. Dressed in hats and boldly patterned black-and-white tunics, the group, known as Gomihiroi Samurai, or trash-picking samurai, has attracted a large fan base since it formed in 2006, with nearly 800,000 followers on video-sharing platform TikTok. Occasions such as Halloween leave a lot of trash, as street drinking has become common in bustling areas and tourist spots, Naka said. Residents of the area say the trash-picking samurai have made a difference.

Persons: Keisuke Naka, Ikki Goto, Issei Kato, Naka, Junya, Francis Tang, John Geddie, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Residents, Thomson Locations: Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan, Naka

☆ Japan's Johnny Kitagawa sex abuse scandal forces shake-up at J-pop agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The niece of Johnny Kitagawa, the late J-pop magnate at the centre of a sexual abuse scandal that has shocked Japan, said on Thursday that she had stepped down as the head of the talent agency her uncle had founded. As more Japanese media took up the story, lawmakers voiced outrage, while the United Nations' human rights experts also criticised the talent agency for its handling of the allegations. At a press conference televised live by most broadcasters, Kitagawa's niece Julie K. Fujishima said she had stepped down as president on Tuesday. Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former member of the popular 1980s boy-band Shonentai, was the new head of the agency, Fujishima said. But the scandal blew up this year as more victims came forward after the BBC's report, leading to demands for stricter laws to prevent child abuse and a formal apology from the agency.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Kitagawa's, Julie K, Fujishima, Noriyuki, Higashiyama, Francis Tang, Kantaro Komiya, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: BBC, United Nations, Johnny, Associates, Johnny's Juniors, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, East Asia

Search resuls for: "Francis Tang"

6 mentions found