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☆ Japan's yen hits 34-year-low, heating talk of intervention
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese 1,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen banknotes arranged in Kyoto, Japan, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. The contradictions in Japan's efforts to protect the yen while slowing the pace of rising bond yields are becoming increasingly clear in currency and debt markets. The yen was last at 151.22 against the dollar at 10:19 a.m. London time after paring back some losses. The yen hit a 34-year-low on Wednesday, weakening as much as 151.97 against the U.S. dollar and fueling market questions over potential government intervention to prop the Japanese currency. "There is now a higher chance of Japanese FX intervention.

Persons: Kentaro Takahashi, Shunichi Suzuki, Masato Kanda, Kanda Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, U.S ., Bank of Japan, Financial Services Agency, Reuters, FX, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of America Global Research Locations: Kyoto, Japan, London

☆ Panasonic puts productivity boost ahead of new EV plant in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Panasonic Energy Co. headquarters in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. The battery unit, Panasonic Energy, had previously said it aimed to decide on building the factory by the end of March. Panasonic Energy has a plant in Nevada and has broken ground on a second one in Kansas. The unit expects the Kansas plant to take its annual auto battery capacity to 80 gigawatt hours, or GWh, a year. Given the human resources requirements of a new plant, Kusumi said it was generally better to have fewer production sites.

Persons: Kentaro Takahashi, Yuki Kusumi, Kusumi Organizations: Panasonic Energy Co, Panasonic, EV, Bloomberg, Getty, Panasonic Energy, EVs, General Motors, Ford, U.S Locations: Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, North America, Tokyo, United States, Nevada, Kansas, Oklahoma, Europe

But the $290 billion outlay comes without a parallel plan to prepare Yonaguni for a possible humanitarian crisis that residents like Sakihara say could quickly overwhelm their shores. Tokyo, they said, has no plan to deal with them, and locals' pleas for help have gone unanswered. A spokesperson for Japan's Cabinet Secretariat said that "if large numbers of refugees came to Japan, relevant government departments would work together to respond". Even if he had a refugee plan, Kishida would still face an obstacle: his contentious relationship with the Okinawa government that administers Yonaguni. NOT ENOUGH TO SHAREBack in Yonaguni, resident Satoshi Nagahama, 33, was surprised to learn the government had no humanitarian plan for refugees.

Persons: Sonkichi Sakihara, chancing, Kenichi Itokazu, Itokazu, Hirokazu Matsuno, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Lai Ching, Matsuno, Fumio Kishida, Kevin Maher, Maher, Yoshihide Yoshida, Japan's, shouldn't, Kishida, Denny Tamaki, it's, Hironobu, Satoshi Nagahama, Sakihara, Koji Sugama, Tim Kelly, Kaori Kaneko, Yukiko Toyoda, Ben Blanchard, Kentaro Sugiyama, David Crawshaw Organizations: Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, U.S, Japan Coast Guard, Migration Policy Institute, Nations, NMV Consulting, State Department, Defense Forces, it's, University's Research, of Disaster Management, Thomson Locations: YONAGUNI, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Tokyo, Yonaguni, Taipei, Myanmar, Europe, East, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Washington, East Asia, Okinawa

☆ Japan's Nomura to cut risk assets, costs for wholesale business
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Nomura Securities is seen at the company's Head Office in Tokyo, Japan, November 28, 2016. The fixed income trading business is expected to improve as the outlook for global interest rates becomes clearer, but "we won't just wait for a market recovery," he added. A bright spot for Nomura is the domestic business, as the Japanese stock market is trading at highest levels in three decades. Nomura's Japan business revenue for the April-September first half of the current fiscal year grew 31% from the same period a year before. The Japan market recovery "is providing the greatest business chance for us with the strong Japanese franchise and global investor base," he said.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Kentaro, Kentaro Okuda, Okuda, Nomura, Makiko Yamazaki, Simon Cameron, Moore, Kim Coghill Organizations: Nomura Securities, REUTERS, Rights, Nomura Holdings, Nomura, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

"Given the fast-changing landscape, I believe those who move fast (with wage hikes) should become competitive." A demand made this year by Rengo, Japan's largest trade union confederation, for pay hikes of "around 5%" resulted in average wage hikes of 3.58% among major companies. Six out of 10 economists in a Reuters poll expect major firms' pay hikes in 2024 to exceed this year's. The key, however, would be whether wage hikes broaden to smaller firms and those in the regional areas. A report by the BOJ's regional branch managers in October warned wage hikes remained uneven among sectors with many firms undecided on next year's pay increments.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Takeshi Niinami, Fumio, Kazuo Ueda, Hisashi Yamada, Rengo, Atsushi Takeda, Kishida, Keita Kondo, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes, Leika Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Suntory Holdings Ltd, Reuters, Meiji, Life Insurance, Suntory Holdings, Bank, Japan, Hosei University, OECD, UA Zensen, Itochu Economic Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Ukraine, Saitama

☆ SoftBank Loses $6.2 Billion in Quarter as WeWork Weighs on Investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Megumi Fujikawa | Eliot Brown | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SoftBank was WeWork’s biggest backer since it started investing in 2017. Photo: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg NewsTOKYO— SoftBank Group sank deeper into the red in the July-September period as it reported write-downs related to the bankruptcy of office-sharing company WeWork and technology shares stayed under pressure amid rising interest rates in the U.S. The Japanese technology investor posted a net loss of 931.1 billion yen, equivalent to $6.2 billion, for the quarter ended Sept. 30. That is compared with a 477.6 billion yen loss in the April-June quarter and 3.034 trillion yen profit a year earlier, when it unwound its stake in Alibaba Group Holding .

Persons: SoftBank, Kentaro Takahashi Organizations: Bloomberg News TOKYO — SoftBank, U.S, Alibaba

☆ SoftBank Posts $6.2 Billion Loss After WeWork Bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SoftBank has been WeWork’s biggest backer since it started investing in 2017. Photo: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg NewsTOKYO— SoftBank Group sank deeper into the red in the July-September period as its technology investments struggled and losses piled up from the collapse of office-sharing company WeWork. SoftBank holds a majority stake in WeWork , which earlier this week filed for chapter 11 protection in the U.S. due to weakness in the office market. The Japanese investment company’s cumulative losses in WeWork total $14.3 billion.

Persons: SoftBank, Kentaro Takahashi Organizations: Bloomberg News TOKYO — SoftBank Locations: WeWork, U.S

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: People hold a rally to protest against Israel's attack on Gaza near the Israeli embassy in Tokyo, Japan October 16, 2023. From the beginning of the conflict, Japan has sought a "balanced" response, in part due to its diverse diplomatic interests in the region and its dependency on the Middle East for oil. A spokesperson for Japan's foreign ministry said it was expected that countries have different positions, but denied that G7 members were struggling to find common ground. A statement issued by G7 trade ministers from a meeting in Osaka late last month did not mention the war. Other group members have issued joint statements.

Persons: Issei Kato, Thomas Gomart, Koichiro Tanaka, Hideaki Shinoda, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, It's, Kunihiko Miyake, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Andreas Rinke, David Brunstromm, Steve Scherer, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Japan, European Union, French Institute of International Relations, Israel, Health, Hamas, Tokyo's Keio University, United Nations, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Canon Institute for Global Studies, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, United, Israel, United States, Osaka, Russia, Ukraine, China, Iran, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Washington, Ottawa

From this viewpoint, Japan is closely watching the situation with serious concern," she added when asked about Japan's oil dependence on the Middle East, which supplies more than 90% of its needs. G7 finance ministers, who were meeting in Morocco as events escalated, issued a brief statement on the attacks on Oct. 12. Japan was "standing one step behind the United States and some European countries", added Isamu Nakashima, associate research fellow at the Middle East Institute of Japan. "The through line of Japan's Middle East policy has been maintaining the flow of energy imports from the region," said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. While the United States is Japan's closest ally, when it comes to the Middle East, Tokyo will be very wary of being seen as its proxy, said Shuji Hosaka, board member of the Institute of Energy Economics Japan.

Persons: Yoko Kamikawa, Fumio Kishida, Isamu Nakashima, David Boling, Shuji Hosaka, John Geddie, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Tim Kelly, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Ekaterina Golubkova, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kentaro Sugiyama, Alex Richardson Organizations: Petroleum, Kyodo, Tokyo, Reuters, Middle East Institute of Japan, Middle, Energy, Eurasia Group, U.S, Institute of Energy Economics Japan, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, Israel, Tokyo, Gaza, Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Morocco, United States, U.S, Saudi Arabia, East

☆ Asia markets rebound, mirroring moves on Wall Street; Japan data in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Pedestrians cross an intersection in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Photographer: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets largely climbed in the final trading day of the week, mirroring moves on Wall Street. This comes as traders assess to key economic data out of Japan, including the September inflation rate for Tokyo. The core inflation rate, which strips out prices of fresh food, came in at 2.5%, lower than the 2.6% expected by a Reuters poll. Japan also saw unemployment, industrial output and retail sales data for August.

Persons: Kentaro Takahashi Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Locations: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, Getty Images Asia, Pacific

That means the two-day summit from September 9 will be dominated by the West and its allies. The G20 leaders who will attend include U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman and Japan's Fumio Kishida. "If the leaders' summit is a flop, New Delhi and especially Modi will have suffered a major diplomatic, and political, setback," Kugelman said. "The positions have hardened since the Bali Summit," a senior Indian government official told Reuters, referring to the 2022 summit held in Indonesia. Lavrov said last week Russia will block the final declaration of the G20 summit unless it reflects Moscow's position on Kyiv and other crises.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Li Qiang, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin's, Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's, Michael Kugelman, Narendra Modi, Modi, Kugelman, Joko Widodo, Justin Trudeau, Sergei Lavrov, Putin, battlelines, Trudeau, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Lavrov, David Boling, N.K, Singh, Larry Summers, Katya Golubkova, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sakura Murakami Organizations: REUTERS, West, South Asia Institute, Wilson Center, Indian, New, Reuters, Bali, Canada's, Russian, Diplomats, Eurasia Group, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, China, Russia, Saudi, Washington, Bali, Indonesia, Indonesian, CHINA, Brazil, South Africa, Johannesburg, U.S, Tokyo

☆ Asia markets set for mixed open ahead of key data from Japan and China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Photographer: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open on Tuesday ahead of key economic data out from Japan and China. Japan will release its second quarter gross domestic product, while China will see its industrial output and retail sales figures for July. Expectations from economists polled by Reuters were Japan's economy will grow 0.8% on a quarter on quarter basis and 3.1% on an annualized basis. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 18,680, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's close of 18,773.55. Hong Kong looks set to extend losses for a third straight day, after the HSI slid 1.58% on Monday.

Persons: Kentaro Takahashi, HSI Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images, Japan's Nikkei, Reuters, Reserve Bank Locations: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, Getty Images Asia, Pacific, China, Chicago, Osaka, Hong Kong, Australia

☆ Insight: BOJ makes bold shift as yen risks grow too big to ignore
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The BOJ's decision shook markets on Friday and contrasted sharply with Ueda's more cautious comments in recent months about the dangers of retreating too quickly from accommodative Kuroda-era policies. "There's also a small but probable risk of inflation overshooting in Japan, which gave the BOJ reason to act." NEW PRIORITIESThe BOJ's policy decision last week signalled to investors that it would now allow the 10-year government bond yield to move closer to 1% before it intervenes. 'BIT BY BIT'The shift in thinking gained momentum at the BOJ's June policy meeting, but not enough to turn the tide. It was a test case, or a preliminary exercise, toward future policy normalisation," said former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Haruhiko Kuroda, Fumio, accommodative Kuroda, Ueda, YCC, There's, Hirokazu Matsuno, Seiji Adachi, Asahi Noguchi, Ryozo Himino, Shinichi Uchida, Uchida, Masato Kanda, Kanda, Takahide, Leika Kihara, Takaya Yamaguchi, Takahiko Wada, Kentaro Sugiyama, Yoshifumi, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, TOKYO, Bank, Ueda, Reuters, BIT, Asahi, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan's Nomura Q1 profit soars on strong domestic stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We had a market tailwind," Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura told a media briefing. Nomura's April-June profit came in at 23.33 billion yen ($163.42 million) versus 1.696 billion yen a year earlier, when fears of slowing global economic growth hit financial markets and forced investment portfolio writedowns at the Japanese firm. In contrast to the strong gains at the retail business, Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, posted a pretax profit of just 2.1 billion yen, down sharply from 25.3 billion yen a year earlier. The Bank of Japan's relaxation of its cap on bond yields last week could also be "a major tailwind" to its business, as it is likely to increase market volatility, he said. ($1 = 142.7600 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Takumi Kitamura, Nomura's, Kentaro Okuda, Kitamura, Makiko Yamazaki, Himani Sarkar, Mark Potter Organizations: Nomura Holdings Inc, of, Energy, NTT Group, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Japan market rally fails to mask Nomura’s woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It also powered a near-fivefold increase in pre-tax earnings at the bank’s retail unit from the same period last year. Nomura’s own stock has also benefitted, though its 20% rise this year to a two-year high lags the broader market. And the rally did nothing to fix the abysmal underperformance at its mainstay wholesale division. Revenue at the unit that comprises the volatile investment banking and trading businesses fell 4% to 191 billion yen ($1.3 billion). They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Nomura, Morgan Stanley, Kentaro Okuda, Steve Cohen, Antony Currie, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Revenue, Global, Twitter, Sequoia, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, India

☆ BOJ to keep ultra-low rates, may debate fine-tuning yield cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At the two-day meeting ending on Friday, the BOJ is expected to maintain its yield curve control (YCC) targets at -0.1% for short-term interest rates and 0% for the 10-year bond yield. With the BOJ set to keep short-term rates negative, a tweak to the yield cap or allowance band is unlikely to trigger a spike in borrowing costs that would severely hurt the economy. There is no consensus within the board on how soon the BOJ should dial back stimulus. Former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi expects the central bank to eventually modify YCC, but stand pat on Friday. "I don't think the BOJ sees an imminent need to act, as markets aren't attacking its yield cap this time."

Persons: Ueda, Kazuo Ueda, Takahide Kiuchi, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Tetsushi, Takaya Yamaguchi, Yoshifumi, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan's, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, YCC

There's no need to identify the country, all you need to do is control the item," a Japanese industry ministry official told Reuters. Two of them, deposition machinery maker Kokusai Electric and Japan's leading chip tool maker Tokyo Electron (8035.T), said they expect Japan's controls to have a limited business impact. COORDINATIONDovetailing Japan's controls with those of the U.S. and the Netherlands will require close coordination. He has met with Japanese trade officials and believes Tokyo is committed to curbing certain exports. Tokyo remains worried that targeting China will provoke damaging retaliation, such as a ban on Japanese electric cars, a third Japanese industry official said.

Persons: Emily Benson, Kevin Wolf, Jim Lewis, Lewis, Joe Biden's administrationis, Tim Kelly Karen Freifeld, Kentaro Sugiyama, Toby Sterling, Yoshifumi, Lincoln Organizations: TOKYO, Reuters, Center, Strategic, International Studies, Tokyo, Advantest Corp, Nikon Corp, Canon Inc, Screen Holdings, U.S . State Department and Commerce Department, Center for Strategic, U.S, U.S . Commerce Department, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Beijing, Japan, U.S, China, backdown, Washington, Netherlands, Amsterdam

[1/3] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg meet during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Yves HermanTOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he welcomed that Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had agreed on a new partnership programme, ahead of his attendance at the NATO Vilnius summit. At a joint announcement with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Kishida said he looked forward to furthering cooperation in new areas including cyber-security, and hoped to deepen cooperation with NATO as it increases its engagement with the Indo-Pacific. The new partnership programme comes as NATO explores a deeper engagement with Asia while China increases its military presence. China has lashed out at a communique issued by NATO during its two-day summit in Lithuania's capital Vilnius claiming that China challenged the military alliance's interests, security, and values.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Jens Stoltenberg, Yves Herman TOKYO, Kishida, Stoltenberg, Sakura Murakami, Kentaro Sugiyama, Michael Perry Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Japan's, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Japan, NATO Vilnius, Asia, China, North Korea, Europe, Lithuania's

In 2022, top importers of China's gallium products were Japan, Germany and the Netherlands, news website Caixin said, citing customs data. Top importers of germanium products were Japan, France, Germany and the United States, it said. The buyers were anticipating it could take as long as two months to obtain export permits. Jefferies analysts said they saw the export controls as China's second and bigger countermeasure after the Micron ban. "If this action doesn't change the U.S.-China dynamics, more rare earth export controls should be expected."

Persons: Peter Arkell, Jeffries, Janet Yellen, Arkell, Caixin, Morris Young, Roy Lee, Amy Lv, Brenda Goh, Siyi Liu, Kentaro Sugiyama, Joyce Lee, Ben Blanchard, Melanie Burton, Tom Hogue Organizations: China, Companies, Global Mining Association of China, U.S, AXT Inc, Micron, Jefferies, ., Thomson Locations: China, Beijing BEIJING, SHANGHAI, United States, Washington, Beijing, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, France, Europe, Taiwan, South Korea, Yunnan, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Melbourne

☆ What people are saying about China's chipmaking export controls
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 4 (Reuters) - China will control exports of some metals used in the semiconductor industry, ramping up a technology war with the United States and potentially causing more disruption to global supply chains. PETER ARKELL, CHAIRMAN OF GLOBAL MINING ASSOCIATION OF CHINA:"It hardly comes as a surprise that China would respond to the American-led campaign to restrict China's access to microchips. With roughly 90% of global production of these minor metals, China has hit the American trade restrictions where it hurts. It is a fantasy to suggest that another country can replace China in the short or even medium term." "Offer prices in the domestic market and the export market have increased to 10,000 yuan ($1,380) per kg and over $1,500 per kg, respectively."

Persons: KAZUMA KISHIKAWA, I've, PETER ARKELL, STEWART RANDALL, Kentaro Sugiyama, Amy Lv, Brenda Goh, Anne Marie Roantree, Tom Hogue Organizations: DAIWA, OF, OF CHINA, WHO, BE, Thomson Locations: China, United States, Japan, U.S, Netherlands, SHANGHAI, CHINA, Europe, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai

☆ Explainer: What would Japanese intervention to boost the weak yen look like?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

When Japanese authorities escalate their verbal warnings to say they "stand ready to act decisively" against speculative moves, that is a sign intervention may be imminent. When Japan intervenes to stem yen rises, the Ministry of Finance issues short-term bills, raising yen it then sells to weaken the Japanese currency. That means there are limits to how long Japan could keep defending the yen, unlike for yen-selling intervention - where Japan can essentially print yen by issuing bills. Japanese authorities also consider it important to seek the support of Group of Seven partners, notably the United States if the intervention involves the dollar. Washington gave tacit approval when Japan intervened last year, reflecting recent close bilateral relations.

Persons: Leika Kihara, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Kentaro Sugiyama, William Mallard Organizations: Bank of Japan, Ministry of Finance, Market, Japan, Seven, Washington, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Tokyo, United States, Washington

☆ Japan's jobless rate flat at 2.6% in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters) - Japan's jobless rate was flat at 2.6% in May from the previous month, government data showed on Friday. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also matched economists' median forecast of 2.6% in a Reuters poll. The jobs-to-applicants ratio slipped to 1.31 from 1.32 in April, separate labour ministry data showed. For a table on the jobless data, go to the internal affairs ministry's website: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/roudou/index.html(Note: The jobs-to-applicants ratio and new job offers can be seen in Japanese on the labour ministry's website)Reporting by Kentaro Sugiyama and Kaori Kaneko; Writing by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kentaro Sugiyama, Kaori Kaneko, Kantaro Komiya, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Thomson Locations: TOKYO

TOKYO, June 13 (Reuters) - Toyota (7203.T) faces an unprecedented challenge at its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, with some pension funds voting against Chairman Akio Toyoda on governance issues, while seeking more disclosures on the Japanese automaker's climate lobbying. Two prominent U.S. proxy advisers have flagged concern about Toyota's board independence. The step comes as companies across Japan face more pressure from investors, especially on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. The strong financial performance has meant concerns about board independence have largely been shrugged off, said Kazunori Suzuki of Waseda Business School. He enjoys strong support from individual investors and the many suppliers and Toyota group companies among its shareholders.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Toyoda, Kentaro Shibata, Kazunori Suzuki, Anders Schelde, Denmark's, AkademikerPension, AkademikerPension's Schelde, Nicholas Benes, Benes, that's, Makiko Yamazaki, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, William Mallard, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Toyota, Nikkei, Waseda Business School, Tokyo, Exchange, Services, International Paralympic Committee, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Training, of Japan, Nissan, Honda, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, New York, Japan, Toyota

☆ Japan's jobless rate falls to 2.6% in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, May 30 (Reuters) - Japan's jobless rate fell to 2.6% in April from 2.8% in the previous month, government data showed on Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was below economists' median forecast of 2.7% in a Reuters poll. The jobs-to-applicants ratio stood at 1.32, unchanged from March, labour ministry data showed. For a table on the jobless data, go to the internal affairs ministry's website: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/roudou/index.html(Note: The jobs-to-applicants ratio and new job offers can be seen in Japanese on the labour ministry's website)Reporting by Kentaro Sugiyama; Writing by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Strong leg muscles may be linked with better outcomes after heart attack, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Growing evidence shows that building muscle strength can have benefits for your heart, even leading to better outcomes after a heart attack. Kamiya said that after a heart attack, medically known as a myocardial infarction, the heart can go through a process called myocardial remodeling or cardiac remodeling, in which fibrous tissue accumulates, causing an enlargement of the heart. But emerging evidence suggests that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation can alter the course of such remodeling in a way that improves heart function. “Cardiac remodeling is the main cause of the onset of heart failure after myocardial infarction,” Kamiya said. But more can be learned about why some people may be more affected after a heart attack than others, said Dr. Shaline Rao, director of heart failure services at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, who was not involved in the new study.

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