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☆ Shigeichi Negishi, Japanese inventor of first karaoke machine, dies aged 100
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Shigeichi Negishi, the entrepreneur who invented the world’s first karaoke machine, has died aged 100. Negishi, whose 1967 “Sparko Box” prototype is among several devices credited with ushering in Japan’s karaoke craze, died from natural causes in January. His death, which was made public last week, was confirmed to CNN by Shiro Kataoka, managing director of the All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association. “When I asked the factory engineer, he said, ‘It’s easy,’” Negishi recalled in an account published by the All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association, an industry body for Japan’s karaoke operators. Subsequent developments, including the introduction of video karaoke and networked karaoke systems, helped the phenomenon spread across Asia and the world in the following decades.

Persons: Shigeichi Negishi, Shiro Kataoka, Negishi, ‘, ” Negishi, Leon Harris, Matt Alt, Yoshio Kodama’s, ”, “, I’d, Association’s, ” Shigeichi Negishi, Hiroko Yoda, Daisuke Inoue, Inoue Organizations: CNN, Japan Karaoke, Association ., Association, “ Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Asia

☆ Japanese inventor who built the first karaoke machine after a colleague mocked his bad singing has died
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewWe have one man to thank (or blame) for the many nights we've spent yelling our favorite hits down a microphone: Shigeichi Negishi. The Tokyo-based entrepreneur, who invented the world's first karaoke machine, has passed away aged 100. Farewell to another legend: Shigeichi Negishi, inventor of karaoke, has died age 100. And so, in 1967, the world was graced with its first karaoke machine: the Sparko Box. Online retailers of karaoke hardware continue to thrive, led by Ace Karaoke and Karaoke Warehouse in the States.

Persons: —, we've, Negishi, Atsumi Takano, Matt Alt, Shigeichi, ZOpLdSisb2, Daisuke Inoue, Alt, Lady Gaga, Shigeichi Negishi Organizations: Service, Business, Japan Karaoke, Association, Getty Japan, Buffalo Wild Wings, Ace, Apple Locations: The Tokyo, Japan

☆ Toyota says president and chairman of its Daihatsu unit will resign in wake of safety-test scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Daihatsu Motor Co. Boon CILQ vehicle, right, and a Toyota Motor Corp. Passo vehicle are displayed during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, April 11, 2016. Toyota Motor said on Tuesday both the president and chairman of Daihatsu Motor will step down almost a year after the small-car unit said it had rigged collision safety-tests. The scandals at the three companies triggered a rare apology of Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda last month. Daihatsu's chairman, Sunao Matsubayashi, will also step down and will not be replaced, Toyota added.

Persons: Boon, Akio Toyoda, Masahiro Inoue, Soichiro, Sunao Matsubayashi Organizations: Daihatsu, Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota, Hino Motors, Toyota Industries Locations: Tokyo, Japan, America, Caribbean

As one of the first countries to the west of the international dateline, Tokyo is a full 17 hours ahead of Las Vegas. The two friends who secured tickets to Saturday’s last show said they started out as NFL fans and became “Swifties” after Kelce and Swift’s romance began. Roke Hiro (left) say they are originally NFL fans and became Swifties after Kelce and Swift began dating. Prior to her win of the coveted award, Swift was tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, who along with her all previously won album of the year three times. Speaking at the Tokyo concert on Wednesday, she said she had planned to announce the new album at the Grammys if she won anything – and announce it in Tokyo if she didn’t win.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, Travis Kelce, that’s, Kelce, Hiro, Swifties, Roke Hiro, Saki Toi, Ari Novianti, “, ”, Levi Myers, Seiko Inoue, Tricia Mears, ” “ Travis Kelce, He’s, ” Tricia Mears, CNN Swift, Welch, Patrick Smith, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, she’s, – Organizations: Tokyo CNN —, Bowl, Kansas City Chiefs, dateline, Chicago Bears, NFL, CNN, Chiefs, AFC, Baltimore Ravens, T, “, Department Locations: Tokyo, United States, Japan, Las Vegas, Saitama, Indonesia, Kansas, Baltimore , Maryland

Japanese national flag is hoisted atop the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. If the BOJ pulls interest rates above zero for the first time in years, banks' lending margins could rise. Steve Donzé, deputy head of investment at Pictet Asset Management in Tokyo, said he had also been buying Japanese bank stocks. BOND PAINJapanese inflation means bond investors could suffer. But investors are cautious about this so-called yield curve control policy ending as the BOJ is forced to tighten monetary policy.

Persons: Issei Kato, Shigeka Koda, Koda, Steve Donzé, Junichi Inoue, Janus Henderson, James Halse, Warren Buffett, David Hogarty, Jon Day, Grégoire Pesques, Amundi, Pictet's Donzé, Naomi Rovnick, Kevin Buckland, Dhara Ranasinghe, Jane Merriman Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, LONDON, Asia Investment, Kosaido Holdings, Kyushu Financial, Pictet, Management, Platinum Asset Management, Global, Bank of America, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Dublin, Newton Investment Management, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, Singapore, Sydney, United States, Europe, London

☆ 'I quit my high-paying tech job': 10 people share what finally drove them away from big tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Some left behind prestigious roles to pursue their passions, while others quit tech due to burnout. Some left behind their glamorous roles to pursue their passions, and some quit tech due to burnout. Read more: I quit my six-figure tech job because I couldn't work abroad. Mayuko Inoue left her tech job due to panic attacksMayuko Inoue is a former iOS software engineer at Patreon and Netflix. In 2022, he left Meta to start Taro, a community to help other engineers achieve similar career success.

Persons: Meta would've, —, Eric Yu, pinky, Yu, Read, Sergio Najera, Najera, I've, Mayuko Inoue, overexerting, Inoue, that's, Michael Lin, Lin, he'd, — he's, Jerry Lee, Lee, Rahul Pandey, Meta, Taro, Pandey, Mitchie Nguyen, Nguyen, Dayana Sabatin, Sabatin, I'm, it's, Jonathan Javier, Javier, It's Organizations: Meta, Service, Netflix, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Cisco Locations: Redding , California, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Spain, Morocco, Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Silicon, Europe, Asia, Seattle, Los Angeles

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

☆ ANA CEO looks to boost fleet with Boeing 787, launch low-cost airline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Air travel is slowly recovering in Japan post pandemic with inbound passenger traffic coming back stronger while outbound leisure demand is "still weak", he added. While the fear of getting infected is still putting off some passengers from travelling overseas, a weaker yen versus the dollar is making it costlier for Japanese travellers and hurting outbound demand, Inoue said. While limited flights between the U.S. and China are resulting in some additional inbound demand for ANA as passengers travel through Tokyo, inflationary trends in the U.S. are expected to further crimp outbound travel, he said. ANA said last year it plans to launch a new international low-cost carrier in late 2023 or early 2024, focused on the Southeast Asian market as tourism revives post pandemic. ANA expects to launch Air Japan by spring 2024, Inoue said.

Persons: Shinichi Inoue, Inoue, Aditi Shah, Jason Neely, David Evans Organizations: All Nippon Airways, ANA, Boeing, Monday, International Air Transport Association, U.S, Japan, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Japan, China, Tokyo, U.S

☆ At BOJ's helm, MIT-educated Ueda to put theory into practice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

At MIT, he studied economics under Stanley Fischer, whose students include former U.S. Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke and former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi. He is a good listener and a consensus-builder, rather than a leader with a strong view on the direction of monetary policy, they say. "His style is to discuss monetary policy based on facts and evidence," said Tetsuya Inoue, who was Ueda's staff secretary when he was a central bank board member. In a column published in July, Ueda warned against raising rates prematurely in response to cost-push inflation - a sign he would be in no rush to tighten monetary policy. Upon approval by parliament, Ueda will assume the top BOJ post on April 9 and chair his first policy-setting meeting on April 27-28.

"His style is to discuss monetary policy based on facts and evidence," Inoue told Reuters in an interview on Monday. "Unlike Kuroda, Ueda won't immediately turn things around after assuming the post. "He'll likely let economic data guide policy decisions." If he were to become governor, Ueda could introduce a new monetary policy framework that could include a revamped type of forward guidance, Inoue said. "If he were to become governor, Ueda will likely put emphasis on maintaining financial system stability," he added.

The remains of as many as 10,000 Koreans who died in forced labour, digging mines or building dams, are still in Japan, according to South Korean government estimates. Japan says it has identified 2,799 remains of Korean wartime labourers. Japan's foreign ministry said it had been in communication with South Korea about wartime labour issues but could not disclose details. "There's momentum now, and the Japanese and Korean governments are trying to reconcile their differences." Reporting by Sakura Murakami in Ube, Japan and Ju-min Park in Daegu, South Korea; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ BOJ may have crafted new tool for post-YCC era - analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The BOJ maintained ultra-low interest rates on Wednesday, including a 0.5% yield cap, but crafted a new policy tool to defend the ceiling and keep yields across the curve from rising too much - without having to ramp up its bond purchases. Specifically, the BOJ amended rules for an existing market operation tool, so it can pump funds extending up to 10 years in variable rates to financial institutions against collateral. Unlike its bond-buying operation, the fund-supply tool allows the central bank to push down borrowing costs with a wall of money - without having to worry about drying up bond market liquidity with its massive purchases, analysts say. "With this new tool, the BOJ may have prepared for when it ends YCC and begins normalising monetary policy," Inoue told Reuters on Thursday. "If the BOJ sees the need to set a new policy rate for shorter-maturity yields after ditching the 10-year yield target, this fund-supply operation could come in handy," he said.

☆ Analysis: BOJ bullishness on wages suggests days of super-low rates are numbered
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Kuroda likely put YCC on life support so his successor can strategise an orderly exit, said former BOJ official Nobuyasu Atago. He said the bank could raise the 0.5% yield cap to as high as 1% around mid-year and ditch negative rates by year's end. The parent of casual clothing giant Uniqlo says it will raise wages as much as 40%. "If the BOJ ends negative rates, that would widen the spread between deposit and lending rates so would definitely be positive for us," he said. With YCC creaking under market pressure, the BOJ may not be able to wait too long.

☆ Yen holds on to gains as traders digest BOJ surprise policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The currency market is still digesting the BOJ's policy tweak, said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The BOJ decision comes as investors fret about a slowing world economy, sky-high inflation and other central banks' moves to lift interest rates. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who will step down in April, stressed the adjustment was not a prelude to a bigger tweak to the yield curve control policy and an eventual exit from ultra-easy monetary policy. The next policy decision the BOJ takes will likely be a major one, such as changing long-/short-term policy rate targets or terminating yield curve control altogether, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. The Antipodean currencies were wobbly after suffering big losses against the yen as rising Japanese yields threatened to kill flows into usually crowded carry trades.

☆ As yen tumbles, gadget-loving Japan goes for secondhand iPhones
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Miho Uranaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Salaryman Kaoru Nagase wanted a new phone but couldn't justify the price of a iPhone 14, which starts at 119,800 yen ($814). Instead, he bought a used iPhone SE 2 in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district for less than a third of that. "At more than 100,000 yen the iPhone 14 is too expensive and I just can't afford it. But in an annual regulatory filing last month, it said Japan sales fell 9% in the year ended September 24 due to the yen's weakness. With Japan open again to foreign tourists, the secondhand iPhone market is getting another boost.

☆ Drinking tea may lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, mounting research shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Mounting evidence suggests that drinking several cups of tea per day has numerous health benefits, including lowering one's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and overall mortality. The risk of developing diabetes went down by 1% for each additional daily cup. The study also revealed an association between drinking multiple cups of tea and a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Antioxidants in tea could reduce inflammationThe health benefits of drinking tea may have to do with polyphenols, compounds found naturally in plants that provide antioxidants. Inoue-Choi's study did not, however, find any association between drinking tea and a reduced risk of death from cancer.

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