DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Japan current account in the black for 5th month as trade balance swings to surplus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Tokyo Skytree and Mount Fuji are seen from the I-link Town observatory in Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo on July 2, 2023. Japan's current account balance logged the fifth straight month of surplus in June as the trade balance swung to a surplus, government data showed on Tuesday, easing some concerns about any decline in purchasing power of the world's third largest economy. The current account surplus stood at 1.51 trillion yen, or $10.6 billion, in June, Ministry of Finance data showed. That marked an expansion of about 1 trillion yen from the same month a year earlier and compared with economists' median forecast for a surplus of 1.4 trillion yen in a Reuters poll.

Organizations: Mount, of Finance Locations: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture

☆ CNBC Daily Open: The sun rises on Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Philip Fong | Afp | Getty ImagesThis report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. What you need to know todayU.S. markets on holidayU.S. markets were closed yesterday for the Fourth of July holiday, while futures were little changed on Tuesday night. Inflation exceptionalismThe U.K. is the only G7 country where inflation is still rising, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The sky's the limitAround 30% of the flights operated by U.S. airlines were delayed between June 24 through July 2.

Persons: Philip Fong, Abu Dhabi's, Xi Jinping, aren't, Niño, El Niño Organizations: Tokyo, Mount, Afp, Getty, CNBC, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, U.S, aren't fazed, World Meteorological Organization Locations: Mount Fuji, Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture, Tokyo, China, Beijing, U.S

☆ Japan business sentiment improves in second quarter, Bank of Japan's tankan survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tokyo Skytree (R) and Mount Fuji are seen from the I-link Town observatory in Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo on July 2, 2023. Japanese business sentiment improved in the second quarter as raw material costs peaked and the removal of pandemic curbs lifted factory output and consumption, a central bank survey showed, a sign the economy was on course for a steady recovery. Companies expect to increase capital expenditure and project inflation to stay above the Bank of Japan's 2% target five years ahead, the quarterly "tankan" showed, offering policymakers hope that conditions for phasing out their massive monetary stimulus may be gradually falling into place. Strong capital expenditure also led to brighter sentiment among machinery makers," said Atsushi Takeda, chief economist at Itochu Economic Research Institute. "The tankan confirmed our view that Japan's economy is on track for a moderate recovery."

Persons: Atsushi Takeda Organizations: Mount, Bank of Japan's, Itochu Economic Research Institute Locations: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture

☆ How Hokusai’s Art Crashed Over the Modern World
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jason Farago | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

One of the most influential figures in European modern culture never set foot in Europe. But a few years after his death in 1849, when the “black ships” of Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into what’s now Tokyo Bay, Japan’s markets were forcibly opened, and Hokusai’s woodblocks started to flutter over the ocean. In France, in Britain, and soon in America, a whole new kind of art would emerge: born in Tokyo, spanning the whole world. Beautiful and bloated by turns (but well worth the trip), it makes ample use of the MFA’s unparalleled collection of Japanese art. Here you will see more than 100 of Hokusai’s prints, paintings and manga — literally “whimsical sketches” of bathers and courtesans and birds and beasts, which Hokusai published in 15 best-selling volumes.

Persons: Katsushika, Matthew Perry, Hokusai’s woodblocks, Hokusai Organizations: Mount Fuji, Museum of Fine Arts, Mount, Fuji Locations: Europe, Edo Japan, what’s, Tokyo, France, Britain, America, Boston, American

☆ Asia inflation has peaked, region's growth to overtake U.S. and Europe, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Citing reasons for his optimism, he said Asia is expected to deliver healthier growth rates while the West lags behind. Asia inflation 'not as intense'"We're definitely expecting growth in these two economies to be constrained by the fact that they have had this significant inflation problem," Ahya said in reference to the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. inflation rate has been holding well above the Fed's 2% annual target. Chetan Ahya Chief Asia Economist at Morgan StanleyChina's consumption 'on track'Another driver of Asia's growth is China's projected recovery in the second half of the year. "We're expecting China's recovery to broaden out in second half of this year," Ahya said.

Persons: Kazuhiro Nogi, Morgan Stanley, Chetan Ahya, Ahya, We're Organizations: Mount Fuji, Afp, Getty, Federal Reserve, Asia, Nurphoto, People's Bank of China Locations: U.S, Europe, Asia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Central, China, Jakarta

☆ Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan: What it’s like to stay at the world’s oldest hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Minobu, Japan CNN —Tucked deep in the mountains of Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan has tatami floors, kimono-sporting staff and signs in handwritten calligraphy. But its popularity received a huge boost in 2011 when the Guinness Book of World Records designated Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan as the oldest hotel in the world. The front entrance of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan. Courtesy Nishiyama Onsen KeiunkanLearning to let goStandard rooms at Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan have three sections: two sitting areas and one living space. To solve this, he took over the original shares of the business and created the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Limited company.

Persons: Japan CNN —, that’s, Fujiwara, Naruhito, ”, Michiyo Hattori, Mayumi Maruyama, they’re, Kenjiro Kawano, CNN Kawano, Kawano, “, Kawano couldn’t, ” Kawano Organizations: Japan CNN, World Records, Mount, ”, Staff, CNN, Keiunkan Limited Locations: Minobu, Japan, Yamanashi, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Mount Fuji, It’s

☆ As Rahm Emanuel Pushes Japan on Gay Rights, Conservatives Bristle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Motoko Rich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since taking up his post as U.S. ambassador to Japan last year, Rahm Emanuel has lavished his host country with enthusiastic tweets about riding the world-class bullet trains and subways, hiking Mount Fuji or sampling local delicacies and festivals. But a recent string of messages about gay and transgender rights, culminating in a video Mr. Emanuel released on Twitter earlier this month, has drawn considerable ire among conservatives in Japan. Critics say the ambassador has overstepped the bounds of diplomacy and crossed into unwanted interference in domestic policy. As Japanese lawmakers debated a contentious bill declaring that there “should be no unfair discrimination” against the gay and transgender community, Mr. Emanuel marshaled a group of 15 foreign ambassadors in Tokyo to record a four-minute video nudging Japan to embrace L.G.B.T.Q. Japan is the only Group of 7 country that has not legalized same-sex unions.

Washington CNN —A pair of Democratic lawmakers from California have asked President Joe Biden to once again raise the case of a US Navy officer jailed in Japan with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. Lieutenant Alkonis’ case remains stalled in the Japanese system,” the pair wrote. Biden raised the Alkonis case with Kishida during the prime minister’s visit to the White House in January, and the two countries agreed to establish a working group to solve the problem. “I’m not doing that good,” he wrote in a letter dated April 30, which was shared with CNN. “Lieutenant Alkonis’ service records make clear that he is an extraordinary officer, and we believe he deserves better,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

“I’m not doing that good,” Lt. Ridge Alkonis wrote in a letter dated April 30, which was shared with CNN. “The walls and bars seem to be making my cell even smaller as of late.”“I feel closer to an animal than a human being now,” Ridge Alkonis wrote. “That was the most dejected I’ve ever heard him,” his wife, Brittany Alkonis, told CNN on Thursday. As such, despite her hope for positive movement coming out the G7 trip to Hirsoshima, Brittany Alkonis said she does not have high expectations of a resolution. But based on Japan’s response, it doesn’t seem that they do think it’s a big deal,” Brittany Alkonis said.

☆ Watch planes take off in Japan — from an onsen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Emi Jozuka | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Opened last December, the Hotel Villa Fontaine Premier & Grand Haneda Airport has 1,717 rooms and is directly connected to Haneda International Airport Terminal 3. Tokyo has also announced plans to receive up to 60 million overseas visitors to the country by 2030. And as inbound tourism recovers, Haneda – which has been crowned the world’s most punctual mega-airport – hopes to ride that wave. Developers want to expand those routes to greater swathes of Japan as part of broader plans to help revitalize the country’s regions, according to Katsuyuki Tou, general manager of the Haneda Airport Garden. Tou explained that visitors to the multipurpose complex can already get a taste of what Japan offers.

☆ Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route: Japan's 20-meter-deep snow corridor reopens for visitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A giant snow corridor near the otherworldly Mount Tateyama, one of Japan’s three sacred mountains, is reopening to travelers on April 15. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route offers stunning views of the Japanese alps. The opening of the Yuki no Otani walk also marks the resumption of traffic through the entire Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route at the end of winter. Tateyama Kurobe Alpine RouteTravelers can opt to stay in one of the mountain accommodations on offer. Travelers visiting the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route are advised to wear winter clothing and gear suitable for trekking or mountaineering.

☆ I'm an Air Force mechanic. It's a very stressful job, but I love it — here are the best and worst parts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Paul Krantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Raymond Pendergraph has served all over the world as an E6 technical sergeant in the US Air Force. My dad was in the military, so moving around and living on Air Force bases was part of my life growing up. My first duty station was at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. International assignments brought me to South Korea, Japan, and ItalyI spent a year working on Osan Air Base in South Korea. In the military, working hours really depend on your positionPeople working in administration or finance have pretty standard, set schedules.

☆ Airfares across Asia are sky-high this year. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But passengers in Asia Pacific are currently grappling with bigger price jumps than other regions, highlighting the uneven global recovery. Economy fares to Asia from North America and Europe are set to rise 9.5% and 9.8% this year from last year, respectively, Amex GBT forecasts show. “In the markets where restrictions have been the last to lift, and hence [flight] capacity last to be restarted, the difference in fares is the highest,” said Aitken. Despite China’s reopening, outbound flight capacity “is currently only at 15% to 20% of pre-Covid levels,” according to Trip.com (TCOM) CEO Jane Sun. The restrictions have remained, and those most heavily impacted are between Asia and North America or Europe.

☆ Hoping to beat the tourist crowd on your trip to Japan? That ship has sailed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Abigail Ng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

I thought I managed to beat the tourist crowds on my recent trip to Japan. Visitors gather on a terrace near the Kiyomizu-dera to watch the sunset and autumn leaves in Kyoto, Japan. In the months before those rules were lifted on Oct. 11, there were fewer traffic jams and queues, said Aw. Tokudaw's Aw said bookings with her company remain strong for the year-end period, at around 85% of pre-Covid levels. Travel, however, told CNBC Travel that its customers from Singapore have made bookings all the way through to April.

☆ Japan manufacturers' mood sours again, higher costs dim outlook - Reuters Tankan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: A factory area is seen in front of Mount Fuji in Yokohama, Japan, January 16, 2017. The monthly poll, which tracks the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) closely-watched tankan quarterly survey, found manufacturers’ mood expected to deteriorate again over the coming three months while service-sector mood was seen rebounding further. “There are concerns about worsening profits due to import costs boosted by a weak yen on top of rising raw materials and energy costs,” said a manager of a food-processing firm. The BOJ’s last survey showed on Oct. 3 big manufacturers’ mood worsened in July-September for a third straight quarter as high material costs dim recovery prospects for the fragile economy. The Reuters Tankan index readings are derived by subtracting the percentage of respondents who say conditions are poor from those who say they are good.

☆ Could the U.S. Have Ended World War II With a ‘Demonstration’ Bomb?
▼ + stars: | 1945-07-16 | by ( Evan Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

To end World War II, was it necessary to drop atomic bombs on two Japanese cities, killing roughly 200,000 people? Instead, couldn’t the U.S. have vividly shown the power of its new weapon by blowing up a deserted Japanese island—or maybe the top of Mount Fuji—to shock Japan into surrendering? In the movie “ Oppenheimer ,” the suggestion of staging a demonstration comes up only briefly, almost in passing. The full story is more complicated and surprising, and it has meaningful implications for the alarming spread of nuclear weapons today.

Persons: “ Oppenheimer Organizations: Mount Fuji Locations: Japan

Search resuls for: "Mount Fuji"

16 mentions found