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☆ Japan Airlines first female CEO hopes more women make it to the top
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hanako Montgomery | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Tokyo/Hong Kong CNN —Mitsuko Tottori admits Japan has much more to do to get people like her into the chief executive seat. Tottori was named as the first female president and chief executive of Japan Airlines (JAL) in January, crowning a career that began nearly 40 years ago when she joined the airline as a flight attendant. Tottori, pictured in 1985 using an in-flight phone, began her career as a cabin attendant at Japan Airlines. Japan Airlines' A350 airplane is on fire at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan January 2, 2024. They really followed the instructions of the flight crew calmly, which I think was a big factor.

Persons: Mitsuko Tottori, ”, “, Tottori, Issei Kato, Shukor Yusof, Seijiro Takeshita, ’, ” Takeshita, — CNN’s Junko Ogura, Mayumi Maruyama, Juliana Liu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Japan Airlines, JAL, “, CNN, University of Tokyo, Women’s Junior College, Boeing, Airbus, Haneda, Endau, ”, Japan Inc, University of Shizuoka, ANA, All Nippon Airways Locations: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Japan, Tottori, “ Japan, Nagasaki, Haneda, Osaka, Asia, Myanmar, Fiji

☆ K-pop stocks have sold off this year, but Goldman sees a turnaround
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Goldman Sachs, however, expressed optimism for the industry in a March 14 report, saying the K-pop sector is "misunderstood." Nonetheless, Goldman Sachs said it sees a "high potential for valuation re-rating," as companies still continue to deliver multi-year earnings growth. Goldman pointed out that Japan's top talent agency Johnny & Associates has been mired in a major scandal, leading to the industry turning more favorable to K-pop artists. In 2023, Kouhaku Uta Gassen, the largest music show in Japan, invited five K-pop artists and two localized groups produced by K-pop companies. It was the first time the show has featured male K-pop artists since 2011 and the largest number of K-pop groups ever featured in its line up.

Persons: Danielle, Hyein, NewJeans, Gary Miller, Goldman Sachs, Karina, Goldman, Kouhaku Uta Gassen Organizations: Park, Filmmagic, JYP, YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, Hybe, SM, Johnny, Associates Locations: CHICAGO , ILLINOIS, Chicago , Illinois, Japan, U.S

☆ Japan bucks private equity slowdown in Asia-Pacific with deal value soaring 183% last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An editorial picture of the Japan flag set against an economic trend graph and images associated with the stock market, finance and digital technology. Japan though, was an outlier, with deal value jumping 183% in 2023 from a year earlier, making it the largest private equity market in Asia Pacific for the first time, according to Bain's 2024 Asia-Pacific Private Equity Report released Monday. Overall, deal value in the Asia-Pacific region declined more than 23% to $147 billion from a year earlier. Greater China accounted for 89% of the IPO exit value in Asia Pacific, with a vast majority listing in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Excluding Greater China IPOs, the total Asia-Pacific exit value was $65 billion.

Persons: Bain Organizations: Asia Pacific, Bain & Company, Pacific, Equity, Japan Inc, China IPOs Locations: Japan, Asia, Asia Pacific, Pacific, Greater China, Shanghai, Shenzhen, China

The BOJ will now look to utilize its short-term interest rate as its primary policy tool. It will employ an interest rate of 0.1% to current account balances held by financial institutions at the central bank from March 21, while encouraging the uncollateralized overnight call rate (another interest rate used as a policy lever by the bank) to remain at around 0 to 0.1% — effectively raising interest rates from -0.1% previously. It would resort to "nimble responses" in the form of increased Japan government bond purchases and fixed-rate purchases of JGBs, among other things, if there is a rapid rise in long-term interest rates. Japanese investors have looked elsewhere for better returns given years of artificially depressed interest rates in their home market. The Fed is due to announce its own interest rate decision on Wednesday.

Persons: Japan Alexander Spatari, Kazuo Ueda, Rob Carnell, BOJ, Ueda, Michael Brown, —, JGBs, Vishnu Varathan, Hayden Briscoe, Briscoe Organizations: Japan's, Japan Inc, Asia, ING, CNBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Bank of America, Barclays, U.S . Federal, UBS Asset Management Locations: Dotonbori, Japan, Japan's, U.S, Mizuho's, Asia

☆ Bank of Japan hikes rates for the first time in 17 years in a historic shift, abolishes yield curve control
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Japan's central bank raised interest rates on Tuesday for the first time since 2007, ending the world's last negative rates regime on early signs of robust wage gains this year. The BOJ raised its short-term interest rates to around 0% to 0.1% from -0.1%, according to its statement at the end of its two-day March policy meeting. Japan's negative rates regime had been in place since 2016. The BOJ also announced the abolition of its radical yield curve control policy for 10-year Japanese government bonds, which the central bank has employed to target longer-term interest rates by buying and selling bonds as necessary. The Bank of Japan expects higher salaries to lead to a virtuous spiral with domestic demand fueling inflation.

Persons: BOJ, Kazuo Ueda Organizations: Japan Inc, Bank of Japan Locations: Japan, Japan's

☆ Bank of America says Japan Inc needs to make investments to improve productivity
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBank of America says Japan Inc needs to make investments to improve productivityThe ability of Japan's small and medium enterprises to adapt to an environment of higher wages and inflation is crucial because they provide 70% of jobs, says Izumi Devalier, Bank of America's head of Japan economics.

Persons: Izumi Devalier Organizations: Email Bank of America, Japan Inc, Bank of Locations: Japan

☆ Japan Inc set to offer big wage hikes, paving way for end to negative rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Some of Japan's biggest companies are expected to formally offer sizeable pay increases at annual talks with unions that wrap up on Wednesday, clearing the way for the central bank to end negative interest rates as early as next week. Some of Japan's biggest companies are expected to formally offer sizeable pay increases at annual talks with unions that wrap up on Wednesday, clearing the way for the central bank to end negative interest rates as early as next week. Economists see substantial wage increases as a prerequisite for the Bank of Japan, or BOJ, to declare that its long-held goals of sustainable wage growth and stable prices are in sight and usher in an end to negative rates in place since 2016. As a result, some analysts expect this year's wage increases at 5% or more, from just under 4% previously. Unions across industries, including automobiles, electronics, metals, heavy machinery and the service sector have all demanded hefty pay hikes.

Organizations: Toyota Motor, Japan's, Bank of Japan, Workers Locations: Toyota, Nagoya, Japan

☆ Will Nikkei's record-breaking rally sustain even as Japan's economy sputters?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fuji and Tokyo skyline Jackyenjoyphotography | Moment | Getty ImagesJapan's Nikkei stock index has been on a record-breaking spree on the back of robust earnings and investor-friendly measures. But the country's ailing economy has experts divided over this sustainability of this rally. Japan's corporate governance reforms have been a key driver for the country's stock markets, Momma said, while stressing that stock indexes do not necessarily represent the entire economy that includes SMEs and households. SMEs are a critical lever in the Japanese economy, accounting for 70% of national employment and 50% of the country's economic growth. "Spillover from the global boom of AI-related stocks certainly helped Nikkei," Momma said.

Persons: Kazuo Momma, Momma, Sayuri Shirai, pare, Shirai, Phillip Colmar MRB Organizations: Nikkei, Mizuho Research, CNBC, Bank of Japan, Nvidia, Technology, Stock, Keio University, Bank of America, Phillip Colmar MRB Partners Locations: Fuji, Tokyo, Germany, Japan, U.S, China

☆ Japan's Nikkei surpasses 1989 all-time high on robust corporate earnings, investor-friendly measures
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan's Nikkei 225 hit a record high on Thursday as robust corporate profitability and steps aimed at boosting investor returns fuel a blistering rally in Japanese equities this year. The Nikkei 225 hit 38,924.88, surpassing the previous record high of 38,915.87 reached in 1989. Japan Inc's solid third-quarter corporate earnings have prompted Bank of America equity strategists to upgrade their 2024 year-end forecasts for the Nikkei 225 to 41,000 from 38,500. They raised their forecasts for the Topix to 2,850 from 2,715. The rally has also been supported by a weaker yen, which has shed about 6% against the dollar so far this year and seems on track to drop to to 33-year lows touched late last year.

Persons: outperformers Organizations: Nikkei, Bank of Locations: Asia, Japan

☆ How this cult Japanese artist’s eerie paintings foretold our digital malaise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —In the land of Hello Kitty, kawaii (“cute”) culture and the Neo-Pop art of 1990s Japan, Tetsuya Ishida was an outlier. An untitled 2004 acrylic and oil painting by late Japanese artist Tetsuya Ishida from the Gagosian retrospective "My Anxious Self." Ishida, who had gone to art school, worked part-time at a print shop and as a night security guard. Many of the 200 or so paintings Ishida completed in his lifetime portray the gloom of becoming a cog in the economic machine. Another painting entitled "Gripe," painted by Ishidia in 1996, portrays a Japanese salaryman with lobster claws for hands.

Persons: kawaii, Tetsuya Ishida, wasn’t, Japan’s “, Gripe, ”, Gulliver, Tetsuya Ishida's, Gagosian, ” Nick Simunovic, “, ” Gagosian, Simunovic, Ishida, ” Simunovic, Gagosian Ishida, Jacky Ho, ‪, Martin Wong, Ishidia, Cecilia Alemani, ” Ishida, Robert McKeever, Tamaki Saito, didn’t, Sharp, Japan's, claustrophobia, Takashi Murakami, Yoshimoto Nara, ” Alemani, Alemani Organizations: CNN, Asia, Art, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Venice Biennale, Hong Kong, Christie’s Asia, Japan Inc, dehumanization, Gagosian's, Sony Locations: Japan, Japanese, Japan’s, Gagosian, New York, Venice, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Tokyo, , York

☆ Japanese chipmaker Renesas strikes $5.9 billion deal to buy software company Altium
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese semiconductor firm Renesas Electronics said Thursday that it would acquire Sydney-listed software company Altium for 9.1 billion Australian dollars ($5.89 billion) in cash, as it seeks to streamline its electronics design process. Renesas said it would pay AU$68.50 per share, representing a 33.6% premium to Altium's closing price of AU$51.26 on Wednesday. Australia-listed shares of Altium jumped nearly 30% to near AU$66, while Tokyo-listed Renesas fell 3.2%. The deal has been unanimously approved by the board of both companies but its completion is subject to approvals from Altium shareholders, Australian court and regulators, Renesas said. The deal comes a month after Renesas agreed to buy Nasdaq-listed Transphorm for $5.10 per share in an all-cash deal worth $339 million.

Persons: Renesas, Altium, Jesper Koll, Koll, Aram Mirkazemi Organizations: Renesas Electronics, Sydney, Monex Group, CNBC, Japan Inc, Nasdaq Locations: Australia, Tokyo, Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has slipped to the world’s fourth-largest economy as government data released Thursday showed it fell behind the size of Germany's in 2023. Japan fell from the second-ranked economy behind the U.S. to the third-largest in 2010 as China's economy grew. The comparisons among nations’ economies look at nominal GDP, which doesn’t reflect some different national conditions, and is in dollar terms. Japan’s nominal GDP totaled $4.2 trillion last year, or about 591 trillion yen. The gap between developed countries and emerging nations is shrinking, with India certain to overtake Japan in nominal GDP in a few years, Okazaki said.

Persons: Germany’s, Japan’s, Tetsuji Okazaki, ”, Okazaki, Konosuke Matsushita, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, —, Monetary Fund, Japan, University of Tokyo, Honda, Honda Motor Co, Panasonic Corp, Japan Inc Locations: — Japan, Japan, Germany, India, U.S

☆ Japan wants higher returns for investors — here's what it's doing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

3D render Da-kuk | E+ | Getty ImagesJapan is stepping up efforts to ensure its listed companies become more efficient with capital allocation and increase shareholder returns this year. "It's not just the Tokyo stock exchange, but the entire Japan government is pushing for better corporate governance right now," said Toru Yoshikawa, a business professor at Waseda University in Tokyo. watch nowWith this move, the onus also falls on Japan's government to ensure steady and reliable returns from Japan's companies. Corporate governance pushMonday's disclosures will be based on information as of December and the releases will be a monthly affair. "If rival companies are doing great improvements in corporate governance, others will tend to follow that move."

Persons: It's, Toru Yoshikawa, Fumio, Yoshikawa, Warren Buffet, Yunosuke Ikeda, Goldman Organizations: Getty, Japan, TSE, Waseda University, The Tokyo Stock Exchange, kickstarted, Japan Inc, Nippon, Savings, Corporate, Tokyo Stock Exchange, CNBC, Toyota, Goldman Sachs Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Denso, Goldman Sachs Japan

☆ Take Five: Black Friday is (almost) here
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - U.S. retailers are gearing up for Black Friday, marking the start of the shopping season that follows the Thanksgiving holiday, while business activity data should gauge the temperature elsewhere. 1/ BARGAIN HUNTINGThe crucial holiday shopping season kicks off with Black Friday on Nov. 24 at a time when investors are questioning whether the consumer-driven U.S. economy can remain resilient. This year's Black Friday comes as Americans grapple with soaring interest rates and inflation that, while easing, remains above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Already, data for October showed U.S. retail sales fell, pointing to slowing demand, although the decline was less than expected. As long as that's not the case, pressure is on the Kishida cabinet since a weak yen is unpopular politically.

Persons: Kamil Krzaczynski, Lewis Krauskopf, Kevin Buckland, Naomi Rovnick, Dhara Ranasinghe, Karin Strohecker, There's, PIMCO, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, bode, Sergio Massa, Javier Milei, Pragmatist Massa, Prinz Magtulis, Sumanta Sen, Kripa Jayaram, Pasit, Mark Potter Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, Black, Nvidia, Insider Intelligence, European Commission, PMI, Fed, European Central Bank, Reuters Graphics Reuters, DOWNING STREET, Labour, gilts, Natwest, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Peronist, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Argentina, Lewis, New York, Tokyo, London, Britain, Japan, Egypt, Taiwan, South Africa, India

TOKYO, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's vote of confidence in Japanese trading houses is helping Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) overcome long-held investor wariness about its complex global business that covers everything from sausages to natural gas, a top executive said. "Until fairly recently, being an industrial conglomerate had negative connotations," Kobayashi said in an interview. Appointed as the trading house's first chief stakeholder engagement officer in April, Kobayashi is now focused on wooing investors who focus on growth, not just value. Berkshire first announced roughly 5% stakes in August 2020, with Buffett saying the trading houses "have many joint ventures throughout the world and are likely to have more". read moreStill, Mitsubishi is trading at a price-to-book ratio of just a little over 1, or at almost no premium to the value of its assets.

Persons: Warren Buffett's, wariness, Berkshire Hathaway, Kenji Kobayashi, Kobayashi, Itochu, outperforming, Buffett, Benjamin Graham, that's, Anton Bridge, Miho Uranaka, David Dolan, Miral Organizations: Mitsubishi Corp, Berkshire, Reuters, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nikkei, Columbia University, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Berkshire, Japan

☆ Japan has become a gold mine for value investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Having experienced a multi-decade decline after 1990, Japanese stocks have escaped the doldrums. Reuters GraphicsAnother shadow that has long lingered over corporate Japan is management teams which tended to neglect shareholders and prioritise the interests of other stakeholders. METI is also redefining the aim of Japanese companies, says Stephen Codrington, founder of the independent research firm Codrington Japan. Japan, whose regime was formerly unfriendly to equity investors, is moving in the opposite direction, says Drew Edwards, head of GMO Usonian Japan. Japan, as Codrington says, has become a gold mine for value investors.

Persons: Jeremy Siegel, “ Stocks, It's, Alex Kinmont, James Montier, METI, Stephen Codrington, Codrington, Toby Rodes, Edward McQuarrie, McQuarrie, Drew Edwards, there’s, Warren Buffett, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Investors, Credit Suisse Global Investment, Nikkei, U.S ., Local, Credit Suisse, Ministry, Economy, Trade, Industry, Electronics, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Investment, Toyota, Investment Fund, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Kaname, Takisawa Machine Tool, managements, Toyota Industries, Santa Clara University, U.S, Thomson Locations: Japan, U.S, Europe, Codrington Japan, United States

☆ Bank of Japan increases flexibility on yield curve control, keeps rates unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan's central bank is allowing more flexibility in its yield curve control policy, shifting the language used to describe the upper bound of the 10-year Japanese government bond yield. In its release, the Bank of Japan said the target level of the 10-year JGB yield will be held at 0%, but will take the upper bound of 1% "as a reference," it said in the latest release. In July, the BOJ effectively widened its yield target band on the 10-year JGB by 50 basis points to 1% on either side. However, the bank indicated it will commit to allowing yields to fluctuate in the range of around plus and minus 0.5 percentage points from its 0% target level that was instituted last December. Separately, the bank continued to hold its short term policy rate at -0.1%, even as core inflation in the country exceeded the stated 2% target for 18 consecutive months.

Organizations: Bank of Japan, CPI

People walk in front of the bank of Japan building in Tokyo, Japan, April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/ File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 31 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Will the BOJ spook markets on Halloween and the final trading day of the month by effectively tightening monetary policy further with another tweak to its 'yield curve control' policy? Inflation in Japan has finally taken off, and for the first time in decades, appears to be sticking well above 2%. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Tuesday:- Bank of Japan policy decision- China PMIs (October)- Japan unemployment, industrial production, retail sales (September)By Jamie McGeever;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Androniki, Jamie McGeever, Will, Government Bonds, China PMIs Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, U.S . Federal, Bank of England, Nikkei, Japan, Government, PMI, Bank of Japan, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China

☆ Japan Inc is only winner in nixed chip deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But this failed tie-up does have a winner of sorts: Japan Inc.That’s precious little consolation for the others involved. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe nixed deal also complicates Bain Capital’s exit strategy from Kioxia. Yet Western Digital was set to be the majority partner in the proposed deal. The Nikkei business daily also said that Kioxia and Western Digital were unable to agree on conditions with top Kioxia shareholder Bain Capital. The news sent Western Digital shares down 9%.

Persons: Elliot, Bain, Nobuo Hayasaka, –, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Inc, Western Digital, Elliot Investment Management, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Toshiba, SK Hynix, Western Digital’s, Development Bank of Japan, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, –, Western, South Korea's SK Hynix, U.S, Nikkei, Bain Capital, Thomson Locations: HYDERABAD, India, Japan, Tokyo

CNN has contacted the Unification Church for an official comment but has not yet heard back. Previous controversiesThis is not the first time the Unification Church has been at the center of a controversy. The Sapporo District Court made a landmark ruling in favor of 20 former Unification Church members who had sued the group as part of the case. However, he also notes that some of its members felt happy and at peace after making donations to the Unification Church. Some critics of the Unification Church say the government’s actions don’t go far enough as it could still operate as a non-religious group.

Persons: Japan CNN —, Shinzo Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, Abe, Yamagami, Reverend Sun Myung, Abe’s, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Sakurai Yoshihid, Naomi Honma, ”, Nobutaka Inoue, What’s, don’t, Sakurai, ” Sakurai, Kimiaki, Nishida, Toshiyuki, – Organizations: Japan CNN, Unification, Family Federation, World Peace, Court, NHK, Unification Church, Reverend, CNN, Reuters, Japan’s Ministry, Cultural Affairs, Hokkaido University . CNN, National Lawyers Network, Kokugakuin University, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Japan Society for Cult Prevention, Osaka University Locations: Tokyo, Japan, South Korea, Sapporo

Oct 6 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. A batch of data from Japan includes household spending and consumption figures, leading indicators, and the latest foreign exchange reserves. But Bank of Japan money market data indicates that the yen's jump on Tuesday was not the product of yen-buying intervention. The big policy event in Asia will be the Reserve Bank of India's interest rate decision, and more importantly, its guidance. The rupee goes into the meeting trading at 83.00 per dollar, right down at August's record low 83.45 per dollar.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, payrolls Organizations: Bank, Reserve Bank, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Japan, Asia, U.S, India

☆ Feeling the heat: 44% of Japan firms see earnings hit from extreme weather - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( David Dolan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Satoshi Sugiyama/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Some 44% of Japanese companies see extreme weather events around the globe hitting earnings, a Reuters survey showed, highlighting the impact of scorching heat waves and torrential rains on firms in the world's third-largest economy. Disaster-prone Japan is no stranger to extreme weather events, including typhoons, floods and blistering heat. "Infrastructure is likely to be disrupted due to extreme weather conditions, which could result in emergency spending and lower productivity," wrote a manager at a company in the transport sector. The monthly Reuters Corporate Survey of 502 large and medium-sized non-financial Japanese firms, in which 248 responded, showed a majority of non-manufacturers had already felt or expected to feel the effects of extreme weather on their earnings. Flooding has been a particular headache for Japanese companies.

Persons: Satoshi Sugiyama, Japan Inc's, Fumio, David Dolan, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Mitsubishi Motor, Rights, Reuters Corporate Survey, Reuters, Nikkei Research, Investment, Thomson Locations: Kurashiki, Japan

Each of the parents has forked out 14,000 yen ($96) to attend this event, hosted by the matchmaking agency Association of Parents of Marriage Proposal Information. It’s not that Japan, a notoriously work-obsessed nation where time is at a premium, hasn’t tried out the more direct approach to speed-dating, where the youngsters do it for themselves. Japan remains a highly patriarchal society in which married women are often expected to take the caregiver role, despite government efforts to get husbands more involved. But however great the yearning for grandchildren, Miyagoshi says she always emphasizes to parents that their children should come first. No matter how much parents want grandchildren, the children must be willing to have children,” she said.

Persons: Tokyo CNN —, “, It’s, hasn’t, ”, Noriko Miyagoshi, Junko Fukutome, Fumio Kishida, James Raymo, ” Raymo, Shigeki Matsuda, Philip Fong, Matsuda, it’s, ” Matsuda, Raymo, Miyagoshi, Tomohiro Ohsumi, don’t, Richard A, Brooks, hadn’t Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Sakai Chamber, Commerce, of Parents, Association of Parents, CNN, East Asian Studies, Princeton University, Chukyo University, National Institute of Population, Social Security, Young, Organisation for Economic Co, Getty Locations: Osaka, Japan, Aichi, Roppongi, Tokyo, AFP, France, Germany, Yonomori, Fukushima, Hie

☆ Japan capex growth weakens with companies wary about China slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Capital expenditures climbed 4.5% from a year earlier and fell 1.2% on a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, finance ministry data showed. If that spreads to bigger cities, that will cool demand for China-bound shipments and capex," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute. If Europe and America, which have held firm so far, cave to inflation pressure, that would further sap Japanese corporate appetite for investment." The capex data will be used to calculate revised gross domestic product figures due on Sept. 8. Corporate recurring profits surged 11.6% during the second quarter from the same period a year ago to hit a record 31.6 trillion yen, while corporate revenues rose 5.8%.

Persons: Takeshi Minami, Minami, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Tom Hogue, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Norinchukin Research, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Japan, U.S, Europe, America

[1/2] Union workers of Sogo & Seibu hold banners which read 'on strike' in front of the company's flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo, Japan August 31, 2023. In a statement, Fortress said it would work with Seven & i to support Sogo & Seibu's management to maintain its workforce "to the extent possible." It plans to invest more than 20 billion yen with partner Yodobashi to renovate Sogo & Seibu's stores, it said. Sogo & Seibu's workers had the support of labour groups from rival department stores including Takashimaya and Isetan Mitsukoshi (3099.T). The Seibu Ikebukuro store is Japan's third-largest department store by sales, according to media reports, but its owner Sogo & Seibu has been in the red for the last four years.

Persons: Irene Wang, Fortress, Yodobashi, it's, Yasuhiro Teraoka, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Wakana Shuto, Stephen Givens, Ritsuko Shimizu, Mariko Katsumura, Kaori Kaneko, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs, Stephen Coates, Miral Organizations: Union, Sogo, Seibu, company's, REUTERS, Workers, Fortress Investment Group, Yodobashi Holdings, Rikkyo, Japan Inc, Thomson, & & ' Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, TOKYO, Ikebukuro, Sogo, Seibu Ikebukuro

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