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Known then as Masako Owada, she worked long hours and had a rising career as a trade negotiator. Much has changed for Japan’s Foreign Ministry — and, in some ways, for Japanese women more broadly — in the ensuing three decades. Since 2020, women have comprised nearly half of each entering class of diplomats, and many women continue their careers after they marry. For years, Japan has promoted women in the workplace to aid its sputtering economy. But many women still struggle to balance their careers with domestic obligations.

Persons: Masako Owada, Crown Prince —, — Naruhito, Japan’s Foreign Ministry — Organizations: Crown, Japan’s Foreign Ministry, Private Locations: Japan

Taro Akebono, a Hawaii-born sumo wrestler who became the sport’s first foreign grand champion, has died. He died of heart failure in early April while receiving care at a hospital in Tokyo, according to a statement from his family that was distributed by the United States Forces in Japan. Born Chad George Ha’aheo Rowan in Hawaii, Akebono became Japan’s 64th yokozuna, or grand champion sumo wrestler, in 1993, the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to win the sport’s highest title. He went on to win a total of 11 grand championships. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons, according to the U.S.

Persons: Taro Akebono, Chad George Ha’aheo Rowan, Akebono, Motoko Rich Organizations: United States Forces, U.S . Forces Locations: Hawaii, Tokyo, Japan

Taro Akebono, a Hawaii-born sumo wrestler who became the sport’s first foreign grand champion and helped to fuel a resurgence in the sport’s popularity in the 1990s, has died in Tokyo. When he became Japan’s 64th yokozuna, or grand champion sumo wrestler, in 1993, he was the first foreign-born wrestler to achieve the sport’s highest title in its 300-year modern history. He went on to win a total of 11 grand championships, and his success set the stage for an era during which foreign-born wrestlers dominated the top levels of Japan’s national sport. Akebono, who was 6-foot-8 and 466 pounds when he was first named yokozuna at 23, towered over his Japanese opponents. Painfully shy outside the dohyo, as the sumo ring is known, he was known for using his height and reach to keep opponents at a distance.

Persons: Taro Akebono Organizations: United States Locations: Hawaii, Tokyo, Japan

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is transforming the small Japanese farm town of Kikuyo into a key node in Asia’s chip supply chain. TSMC, as the company is known, dominates the global semiconductor business. At its home base in Taiwan, TSMC sits at the center of a web of factories, suppliers and engineering firms. In February, TSMC opened a factory, known as a chip “fab,” for fabricator, on a ridge overlooking Kikuyo. The Japanese electronics giants Sony, Denso and Toyota, major buyers of TSMC semiconductors, are investing huge sums in TSMC’s Japan subsidiary.

Persons: TSMC Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Sony, Toyota, TSMC’s Locations: Kikuyo, Taiwan, Japan, TSMC’s Japan

Shin Joon Hwan, an ecologist, walked along a road lined with cherry trees on the verge of blooming last week, examining the fine hairs around their dark red buds. The flowers in Gyeongju, South Korea, an ancient capital, belong to a common Japanese variety called the Yoshino, or Tokyo cherry. Mr. Shin’s advocacy group wants to replace those trees with a kind that it insists is native to South Korea, called the king cherry. “These are Japanese trees that are growing here, in the land of our ancestors,” said Mr. Shin, 67, a former director of South Korea’s national arboretum.

Persons: Shin Joon Hwan, ”, Shin Locations: Gyeongju, South Korea, Tokyo

☆ Goldman Sachs now expects the Bank of Japan to hike rates Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs now expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates for the first time in 17 years at its March meeting this week, bringing forward its previous forecast for an April decision. Ota said he expects the BOJ to abolish its yield curve control policy, which the central bank employs to target longer-term interest rates, by buying and selling bonds as necessary. Still, he expects the central bank will "not explicitly commit" to the size of its Japanese government bond purchases or the cessation of its ETF purchases. While the central bank has effectively loosened its yield curve control policy over longer term interest rates over the past 16 months, it has kept interest rates at -0.1% and still maintains an upper limit for 10-year Japanese government bond yield at 1% as a reference. While BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda meets with his other eight board members eight times a year, the central bank updates its economic outlook only four times: in January, April, July and October.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Tomohiro Ota, Ota, Kazuo Ueda Organizations: Bank of Japan Locations: Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan

☆ Racial Profiling in Japan Is Prevalent but Unseen, Some Residents Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Victoria Kim | Hisako Ueno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It’s not that there is anything bad about your hair, the police officer politely explained to the young Black man as commuters streamed past in Tokyo Station. It’s just that, based on his experience, people with dreadlocks were more likely to possess drugs. Alonzo Omotegawa’s video of his 2021 stop and search led to debates about racial profiling in Japan and an internal review by the police. For him, though, it was part of a perennial problem that began when he was first questioned as a 13-year-old. “In their mind, they’re just doing their job,” said Mr. Omotegawa, 28, an English teacher who is half-Japanese and half-Bahamian, born and raised in Japan.

Persons: It’s, Alonzo Omotegawa’s, they’re, ”, Omotegawa, “ Locations: Tokyo, It’s, Japan

The population continues to shrink, with births last year plunging to a nadir. The country’s politics appear frozen as one party holds a virtual lock on power no matter how scandal-tainted and unpopular it becomes. This is Japan, where all bad news is relative. There are few signs of the societal discord you might expect in a place with trend lines like Japan’s, such as accumulating garbage, potholes or picket lines. That equanimity reflects a no-need-to-rock-the-boat mind-set: “Shouganai” — “it can’t be helped” — is something of a national refrain.

Persons: ” Locations: Japan

☆ Japan’s Economy Slips Into Recession and to No. 4 in Global Ranking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Hisako Ueno | Daisuke Wakabayashi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Japanese economy contracted at the end of last year, defying expectations for modest growth and pushing the country into a recession. Japan’s unexpectedly weak economy in the fourth quarter was the result of a slowdown in spending by businesses and consumers who are grappling with inflation at four-decade highs, a weak yen and climbing food prices. The end of the year also marked a moment that had been expected: Japan’s economy, now slightly smaller than Germany’s, fell one notch to become the world’s fourth-largest economy. On an annualized basis, gross domestic product fell 0.4 percent in October through December after a revised 3.3 percent decline in the previous three-month period. Economists had been forecasting fourth-quarter growth of around 1 percent.

A Toyota unit used software to measure horse power output that made “values appear smoother with less variation,” Toyota, the parent company, said in a statement. The vehicles “meet engine output standards,” and there is no need to stop using the engines or vehicles, the company said. The company named the affected models and engines, but did not say how many vehicles it would stop shipping. Still, Toyota decided to stop shipping the 10 models that use three diesel engines at issue. Then, it reported that Japan’s government was investigating Daihatsu, the subsidiary, for safety problems that dated back decades.

Organizations: Toyota, Daihatsu Locations: United States

A U.S. military aircraft crashed near a small island off the coast of southern Japan on Wednesday with six people onboard. Japan’s Coast Guard said that at least one of those onboard had been confirmed dead. The aircraft, a CV-22 Osprey operated by the U.S. Air Force, crashed close to 3 p.m. near Yakushima, according to a spokesman for the Japanese Coast Guard, which is conducting a rescue operation. It was initially thought that eight people were aboard the craft. The crash came just three months after three U.S. Marines died in another Osprey accident during a training exercise in Australia.

Persons: Hiroyuki Miyazawa, Hiroki Shimano Organizations: U.S, Japan’s Coast Guard, U.S . Air Force, Japanese Coast Guard, Marines, Osprey Locations: Japan, Yakushima, Australia, Kagoshima

"Going forward, the market will focus on U.S. and Chinese economic indicators and U.S. crude oil inventory levels to assess global demand trend," Ueno said, adding that investors will also consider a weakening U.S. dollar, which will provide support for oil prices. The oil market has dropped almost 20% since late September as crude output in the U.S., the world's top producer, held at record highs, while the market was concerned about demand growth, especially from China, the No. U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles likely rose last week, while distillates inventories were seen dropping, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday. A weekly report from the American Petroleum Institute is due later on Tuesday, and from the Energy Information Administration is due on Wednesday. On the supply side, the OPEC+ are likely to extend or even deepen oil supply cuts into next year, eight analysts have predicted.

Persons: Brent, Tsuyoshi Ueno, Ueno, Goldman Sachs, Yuka Obayashi, Stephen Coates Organizations: cnsphoto, REUTERS, Walmart Inc, OPEC, West Texas, Reuters, Organization of, Petroleum, NLI Research, Traders, Walmart, American Petroleum Institute, Energy, Administration, Thomson Locations: Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Russia, U.S, OPEC, timespreads

Three weeks ago, the view from Iwo Jima showed open ocean. Now there’s a tiny new island right offshore, billowing smoke as it grows and offering a rare glimpse at how volcanic islands emerge. The new island is the product of an unnamed undersea volcano that began erupting on Oct. 21, less than a mile from Iwo Jima, the island in Japan where American and Japanese forces waged a fierce battle during World War II. No injuries or damages have been reported on Iwo Jima, hundreds of miles from Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, since the ongoing eruption began. The eruption is offering an eye-opening real-time view of a rare geological phenomenon.

Persons: Yuji Usui Organizations: Japan Meteorological Agency Locations: Iwo Jima, Japan, Tokyo

☆ The Japanese government is starting to 'really invest' in EV charging: Mercedes-Benz Japan CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe Japanese government is starting to 'really invest' in EV charging: Mercedes-Benz Japan CEOKintaro Ueno, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Japan, discusses the market for electric vehicles in the country.

Persons: Kintaro Ueno Organizations: EV, Benz, Mercedes Locations: Benz Japan

TOKYO (AP) — An executive at Japanese publishing house Kadokawa was found guilty Tuesday of bribing a former Tokyo Olympics organizing committee member. Toshiyuki Yoshihara, charged with paying 69 million yen ($463,000) to Haruyuki Takahashi, was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for four years. The punishment was suspended because Yoshihara had expressed remorse, and his wife had promised to watch over him, Nakao said. At the center of the scandal is Takahashi, a former executive at advertising company Dentsu, who joined the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee in 2014, and had great influence in arranging sponsorships for the Games. Maniwa, accused of depositing the money to Takahashi’s account, was given a suspended sentence in June.

Persons: Toshiyuki Yoshihara, Haruyuki Takahashi, Yoshihisa Nakao, Yoshihara, Kadokawa, ” Nakao, Nakao, “, ”, denting, Yasuhiro Yamashita, Takahashi, Sun, Kyoji Maniwa, Maniwa, Hironori Aoki, Shinichi Ueno, Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Kadokawa, Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo Games, Kadokawa Group, Japanese Olympic, Tokyo Olympic, Games, Aoki Holdings, Daiko, Inc, Paris Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Sapporo, paris

☆ Japan's re-defined intervention trigger may slow, but not derail, yen bears
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A man looks at an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan October 4, 2023. While money flow data suggest there was no intervention, the price action was enough to keep yen bears at bay. Rather, the remarks by Kanda were likely a fresh warning shot to markets that authorities could step in any time - even if yen moves were moderate, they say. Intervention isn't the best tool to arrest steady yen declines anyway, said former currency diplomat Hiroshi Watanabe. "There's no point intervening when yen moves are gradual," Watanabe told Reuters.

Persons: Issei Kato, Masato Kanda, that's, Kanda, Tokyo's, Atsushi Takeuchi, They're, Daisaku Ueno, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Hiroshi Watanabe, Watanabe, Leika Kihara, Tetsushi, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: U.S ., Nikkei, REUTERS, Tokyo, Authorities, Bank of, U.S . Federal Reserve, Treasury, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, United States

☆ Dollar set for best quarter in a year; yen-watch rumbles on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. "We've had resilience in the U.S. economy, in the jobs market, inflation ticking higher and, obviously, the rise in oil prices. "We're not really expecting to see any rate cuts for quite some time, well toward the back end of 2024. Markets are looking ahead to the next data points, starting with key U.S. personal consumption data due later on Friday. The yen last traded at 149.125 to the dollar, which eased 0.13% on the day.

Persons: Florence Lo, Fiona Cincotta, We're, Tony Sycamore, we've, Sycamore, Thomas Barkin, Yasunari Ueno, Brigid Riley, Gerry Doyle, Neil Fullick, Kevin Liffey Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Treasury, City Index, Federal Reserve, IG, Richmond Fed, Mizuho Securities, Sterling, National Statistics, COVID, Thomson Locations: U.S, City, Tokyo

☆ Dollar off 10-month high, yen still under intervention watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar held off a 10-month high on Friday as markets headed into the end of the quarter, giving the yen slightly more breathing room at the end of the week amid intervention concerns. The yen remains in focus as it trades near the 150 level, which is viewed as potentially spurring intervention from Japanese authorities. Against the dollar, the Japanese currency last traded at 149.34 yen . Elsewhere, the euro stood at $1.05625, down 0.04% so far in Asia after climbing off this week's multi-month low of $1.0488. Investors will be looking ahead to Friday's CPI data out of the euro zone for clues into the state of the bloc's economy.

Persons: Tony Sycamore, we've, Sycamore, Thomas Barkin, Yasunari Ueno Organizations: Federal Reserve, Treasury, IG, Richmond Fed, Mizuho Securities Locations: U.S, Asia

It was the tail end of another long, hot Tokyo summer, and salarymen across the city were looking at their wardrobes with dread. Every year from May to September, Japan’s famously conservative corporate workers and government employees set aside their stiff, dark suits for more casual attire. Out go the neckties and starched shirts; in come short-sleeved polos and linen shirts, even the occasional Hawaiian. Uncomfortable though they may be, Japanese offices offer a model for how countries around the world can reduce greenhouse gas emissions that have contributed to record-breaking heat waves and extreme weather events. This August was the hottest ever recorded in Japan, according to its meteorological agency, and daily highs in Tokyo remained above 32 degrees Celsius, or 90 degrees Fahrenheit, into the latter part of September.

Persons: Japan’s Locations: Tokyo, Japan

The president of one of Japan’s most influential entertainment agencies resigned after an independent investigation confirmed the company’s founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had sexually abused young men in his care since the 1970s. His reputation as a hitmaker associated with some of Japan’s most popular boy bands protected Mr. Kitagawa from scandal, even after his death in 2019 at age 87. Under immense scrutiny, Johnny & Associates announced in May that it was forming an internal investigative panel to “prevent the recurrence” of future abuse. At a news conference on Thursday, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Mr. Kitagawa’s niece, acknowledged the results of the investigation and apologized on behalf of herself and the company. She also announced she had resigned as the company’s president on Wednesday.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Kitagawa’s Organizations: Johnny & Associates Locations: Japan

☆ Japan finance minister offers no clues on intervention as yen weakens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken June 15, 2022. Some market players were surprised by the lack of determination to keep the yen from falling beyond 145 yen to the dollar. Traders are watching for any signs of intervention by Japanese officials to shore up the ailing currency. However, Japanese officials have rarely escalated verbal warnings since last month against speculators trying to sell off the yen. The weak yen has driven up import bills for fuel and foods, depriving households of purchasing power and prompting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to scramble for measures to subsidise gasoline retail prices and to mitigate rises in utility bills.

Persons: Florence Lo, Shunichi Suzuki, Suzuki, Japan's, Daisaku Ueno, Fumio Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Tom Hogue, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japanese Finance, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, Authorities, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Japan

Seafood is having a bad week in East Asia, which is bad news for a region where it’s a major part of the diet. Experts say Japan’s discharge into the ocean of treated radioactive wastewater from the ruined Fukushima nuclear power plant, which began on Thursday, does not and will not pose health risks to people who eat seafood. On Thursday, the Chinese government widened a ban on seafood imports to include all of Japan instead of only some regions. The wastewater release has been heavily politicized and fueled deep anxiety over seafood in both China and South Korea, leaving some wondering whether sushi, sashimi and other products were still safe. At Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul on Friday, fish vending associations had put up banners urging consumers to not give in to paranoia.

Locations: East Asia, Japan, China, South Korea, Seoul

☆ Japan Begins Releasing Treated Radioactive Water at Fukushima
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Motoko Rich | More About Motoko Rich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Within Japan, fishermen’s unions fear that public anxiety about the safety of the water could affect their livelihoods. BackgroundEver since a huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011 led to a meltdown at the Fukushima plant, Tepco, as the power company is known, has used water to cool the ruined nuclear fuel rods that remain too hot to remove. As the water passes through the reactors, it picks up nuclear materials. What’s NextThe first release of 7,800 tons of treated water is expected to last about 17 days. To compensate fishermen who lose business due to public anxiety, the Japanese government is allocating 80 billion yen ($552 million).

Persons: Yoon Suk, Miharu, Hisako Ueno Organizations: Japan, Tepco, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA Locations: China, South Korea, Japan, Tokyo

The renewed discussion hasn’t done much to revive the prospects of Japan’s own Communist Party, however. Mr. Saito is not a fan of the group, which he sees as well-meaning but stale. And even in rich nations, he does not call for people to give up their creature comforts. He recently moved into a three-story home in an upscale neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo and drives a compact Toyota. Achieving degrowth communism, he believes, is less about personal choices and more about changing overarching political and economic structures.

Persons: Saito, Mahbub ul Haq Organizations: Communist Party, Chinese Communist Party, Toyota, United Nations Locations: Soviet Union, Tokyo, G.D.P

☆ A baby giraffe was born without spots, a Tennessee zoo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The calf is a reticulated giraffe, one of four giraffe species. The zoo said she might be the “only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet.” (The last spotless giraffe in captivity was likely a calf born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 1972, CBS News reported.) And underneath each spot is a “sophisticated system of blood vessels,” according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on sustaining and growing the wild giraffe population across Africa. Zoo founder Tony Bright said that the weeks-old calf is casting a “much-needed spotlight” on giraffe conservation. The new calf joins a growing herd at Bright’s, following another baby giraffe that was born just weeks before.

Persons: CNN —, she’s, Tony Bright Organizations: CNN, Bright’s, Tokyo’s Ueno, CBS News, Denver Zoo, Giraffe Conservation, Labor Locations: Tennessee, Limestone, Tokyo’s, Kenya, Africa

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