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☆ NTT Docomo forms capital tie-up with Monex to strengthen financial business
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo said it formed a capital tie-up with fintech firm Monex Group (8698.T) on Wednesday to build a new financial services business centred on managing its customers' assets. Monex's brokerage unit Monex Inc will form an intermediate holding company in which Docomo will take a 49% stake and make its consolidated subsidiary, Docomo said. Docomo will buy shares of the intermediate holding company from Monex Group for 46.56 billion yen ($312.00 million) and subscribe to a third-party allotment of shares worth 2 billion yen, Monex said. ($1 = 149.2300 yen)Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Docomo, Monex, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: NTT Docomo, Monex Group, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Japan finance minister reiterates warning on currency market moves
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks with the media after a meeting of G7 leaders on the sidelines of G20 finance ministers' and Central Bank governors' meeting at Gandhinagar, India, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Tuesday authorities were watching the currency market closely and stood ready to respond, repeating a warning against speculative moves as the yen hovered near a one-year low against the dollar. The yen slid to within a hair of 150 per dollar, near a level that prompted intervention a year ago and putting traders on watch for action by the Japanese authorities. Speaking at a regularly scheduled press conference, Suzuki said authorities were watching market moves with a high sense of urgency. Suzuki said that, generally speaking, rises in long-term rates push up borrowing costs, and authorities are therefore closely watching the impact of moves in long-term rates and how they may affect households and businesses.

Persons: Shunichi Suzuki, Amit Dave, Suzuki, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Chang, Ran Kim, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Central Bank governors, REUTERS, Rights, Japanese Finance, Thomson Locations: Gandhinagar, India, Ukraine

☆ Japan startup develops 'Gundam'-like robot with $3 mln price tag
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( 杉山聡 Chris Gallagher | Chris Gallagher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] CEO Ryo Yoshida poses for a photograph with ARCHAX, a giant human-piloted robot developed by his start-up Tsubame Industries Co., in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato Acquire Licensing RightsYOKOHAMA, Japan, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Tokyo-based start-up Tsubame Industries has developed a 4.5-metre-tall (14.8-feet), four-wheeled robot that looks like "Mobile Suit Gundam" from the wildly popular Japanese animation series, and it can be yours for $3 million. The 3.5-ton robot, which will be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show later this month, has two modes: the upright 'robot mode' and a 'vehicle mode' in which it can travel up to 10 km (6 miles) per hour. "Japan is very good at animation, games, robots and automobiles so I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one," said Ryo Yoshida, the 25-year-old chief executive of Tsubame Industries. Yoshida plans to build and sell five of the machines for the well-heeled robot fan, but hopes the robot could one day be used for disaster relief or in the space industry.

Persons: Ryo Yoshida, Issei Kato, Yoshida, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chris Gallagher, Miyu Ito, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: Tsubame Industries, REUTERS, Rights, Japan Mobility, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan, Rights YOKOHAMA

☆ Japan Display ends partnership talks with China's HKC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Japan Display (6740.T) said on Friday it has ended talks with China's HKC Corp over co-operation on next-generation display technology and will limit collaboration to high-end automotive displays. The talks, launched in April, were aimed at building display-making plants in China using Japan Display's eLEAP OLED technology with mass production to start in 2025. The companies could not agree on the licensing fee HKC was to pay for Japan Display's technology, while China's economic slowdown and HKC's recent withdrawal of its initial public offering to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange likely affected the talks, the Nikkei business daily reported earlier. Separately, Japan Display said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the local government in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui to build panels there and is targeting a final agreement by year-end. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Sam Nussey; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: China's, Kantaro Komiya, Sam Nussey, Chang, Ran Kim, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: China's HKC Corp, Japan, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Anhui

☆ BOJ chief warns of highly uncertain wage, price outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The key to the outlook for monetary policy is whether strong wage growth and consumption, rather than cost pressures from rising import costs, become the key driver of inflation, Ueda said. Ueda said the BOJ was "not fully convinced" that wage hikes would keep accelerating, as many companies seemed undecided on their wage strategy for next year and beyond. That's why we are supporting demand and the broader economy with easy monetary policy," he added. While stressing the need to keep ultra-loose policy for now, Ueda said it was "extremely important" to weigh the benefits and costs of its policy. On the yen's recent falls, Ueda said the BOJ was keeping a close eye on their impact on economic and price developments.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Kim Kyung, Ueda, Shingo Torii, Leika Kihara, Chang, Ran Kim, Sam Holmes, Ed Osmond Organizations: Japan, REUTERS, Ueda, Bank of Japan, Panasonic, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Ueda OSAKA, Osaka

☆ Japan says it continues to seek release of Astellas worker detained in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Japan is continuing its efforts to seek the prompt release of an employee ofAstellas Pharma (4503.T) who has been detained in China since March, Japan's top government spokesman said on Thursday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was speaking at a press conference after Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that Beijing was expected to decide soon on whether to formally arrest the Japanese businessman, whom it detained on suspicion of espionage. Reporting by Kaori Kaneko Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Kaori Kaneko, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: Astellas Pharma, Kyodo, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Japan's, Beijing

☆ Japan's weak machinery orders, other batch of soft data raise BOJ challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | Thomson Reuters | Kantaro Writes About Everything Japan'S Economic Indicators To North Korea'S Missiles To Global Regulation On Ai Companies. His Previous Stories Have Been Published In The Associated Press | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Core orders, the leading indicator of Japanese business spending, were down 1.1% in July from the previous month, the data showed. Orders from manufacturers fell 5.3% in July, the largest decline in eight months, due to weak demand for computers from industries including electric machinery, auto and chemicals. Orders from "core" service-sector firms excluding shipping and electric utilities grew 1.3%. The government maintained its weak view on machinery orders, saying they are "stalling", highlighting the bumpy road ahead for Japanese business and its broader economy. In July, Japan's exports fell for the first time in nearly 2-1/2 years, while the industrial output contracted more than expected.

Persons: Chisato Oshiba, Fumio Kishida, reshuffling, Kantaro Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: ", Dai, Research, Manufacturers, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Japan

☆ North Korea fires two ballistic missiles with leader Kim away in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Sept 13 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese Coast Guard said on Wednesday, just hours before leader Kim Jong Un was expected to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia. It was the first such launch to occur while Kim was abroad for a rare trip, analysts said. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that Japan had lodged a protest against North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing. The nuclear-armed North has conducted regular launches of everything from short-range and cruise missiles to massive intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that can strike the continental United States. In 2018 and 2019 he visited China, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and Russia in nine separate trips, but his current visit in Russia is the first since then.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kim didn’t, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim, Tom Hogue, Christian Schmollinger, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan's Coast Guard, North, United Nations, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, South, Russia, Japan, Beijing, United States, China, Moscow, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ Japan's new cabinet reflects PM's focus on gender, defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during the leaders talk of the ASEAN-Indo Pacific Forum (AIPF) in Jakarta, Indonesia September 6, 2023. Top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said the role of defence minister went to Minoru Kihara, a pro-Taiwan politician who has visited the island in the past and belongs to a Japan-Taiwan interparliamentary group. Kihara will also oversee the bolstering of Japan's military as part of a plan to double defence spending over five years by 2027. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and will be sensitive to any shift in Japan's stance on the democratically governed island. "Even if the foreign and defence minister posts change, there won't be any change or impact on Japan's diplomatic policy."

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Adek Berry, Yoko Kamikawa, Hirokazu Matsuno, Minoru Kihara, Kihara, Takashi Kawakami, Shigenobu Tamura, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro, Clarence Fernandez, Stephen Coates Organizations: ASEAN, Pacific, Rights, Liberal Democratic Party, Takushoku University, LDP, NHK, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Tokyo, China, East Asia, United States

☆ Japan says swarms of tourists defiling sacred Mt Fuji
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Mariko Katsumura | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Visitors are seen at the fifth stage on the slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain 3,776 metres (12,388 ft), in Fujiyoshida, Japan, September 9, 2023. Mt Fuji, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures in eastern Japan, has always been popular with local and overseas tourists. "It's uncontrollable and we fear that Mt Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it," he said. Mt Fuji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site 10 years ago, further boosting its popularity. "Any Japanese person would want to climb Mt Fuji at least once in their life," said 62-year-old Jun Shibazaki, who arrived on a tour.

Persons: Mariko Katsumura, Masatake Izumi, Shibazaki, Chang, Ran Kim, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Mt Fuji, Mt, UNESCO, International Council, World Heritage, Thomson Locations: Mount, Fujiyoshida, Japan, Yamanashi, Shizuoka

☆ Japan's Johnny Kitagawa sex abuse scandal forces shake-up at J-pop agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The niece of Johnny Kitagawa, the late J-pop magnate at the centre of a sexual abuse scandal that has shocked Japan, said on Thursday that she had stepped down as the head of the talent agency her uncle had founded. As more Japanese media took up the story, lawmakers voiced outrage, while the United Nations' human rights experts also criticised the talent agency for its handling of the allegations. At a press conference televised live by most broadcasters, Kitagawa's niece Julie K. Fujishima said she had stepped down as president on Tuesday. Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former member of the popular 1980s boy-band Shonentai, was the new head of the agency, Fujishima said. But the scandal blew up this year as more victims came forward after the BBC's report, leading to demands for stricter laws to prevent child abuse and a formal apology from the agency.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Kitagawa's, Julie K, Fujishima, Noriyuki, Higashiyama, Francis Tang, Kantaro Komiya, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: BBC, United Nations, Johnny, Associates, Johnny's Juniors, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, East Asia

☆ Read Your Way Through Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Han Kang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

It consists of bizarre, supernatural tales — kings born from eggs, a magic flute that hushes the storms to sleep. “The Story of Hong Gildong,” also from the Joseon dynasty, was recently translated into English by Minsoo Kang. After starting with sparkling childhood memories in Kaesong — now in North Korea — the narrative shifts to Seoul in the midst of the Korean War. What should I read before I go to Seoul? And novels such as “Concerning My Daughter,” by Kim Hye-jin, translated by Jamie Chang; “My Brilliant Life,” by Ae-ran Kim, translated by Chi-Young Kim; and “Your Republic Is Calling You,” by Kim Young-ha, also translated by Chi-Young Kim, reflect the ambience of Seoul.

Persons: Samguk, Ilyon, Kumo, Kim Sisup, Hong Gildong, ”, Minsoo Kang, Gildong, Heo Gyun, Yu Young, Stephen J, Epstein, Kim Hyesoon, Don Mee Choi, Lee Jangwook, Sun Kim, Tsering, Shim Bo, Chung Eun, Brother Anthony of Taizé, Kim Yi, Ji Yoon Lee, Johannes Göransson, Kim Min Jeong, Soeun Seo, Jake Levine, “, Ha Seong, Janet Hong, Bora Chung, Anton Hur, Sang, Hur, Choi Eunyoung, Sung Ryu, Kim Hye, Jamie Chang, Kim, Young Kim, Kim Young Organizations: Chi Locations: Ancient Korea, Korean, Wan, —, North Korea, Seoul, Noon, ”, Big City

☆ Nissan to delay new SUV production by 6 months in Mexico due to stolen mold -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The brand logo of Nissan Motor Corp. is displayed during a press preview of the company's new Ariya all-battery SUV, ahead of the world premiere, at Nissan Pavilion in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan July 14, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor (7201.T) will delay the start of production of its next "Kicks" SUV model in Mexico by about six months after some mold components were stolen at a local supplier, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Tuesday. Production of the remodelled "Kicks" had been due to start in December, but will now likely begin around June 2024, the paper said. Nissan builds the Kicks at its Aguascalientes plant in Mexico for sale in the North American market. The model accounted for 8% of its U.S. sales last year, with about 54,000 units sold, the Nikkei said.

Persons: Issei Kato, Chang, Ran Kim, Mariko Katsumura, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Nissan Motor Corp, Nissan, REUTERS, Rights, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan, Mexico, Aguascalientes

☆ Japan to allocate $140 mln more to help fisheries after China's import ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese imports of seafood are seen in a supermarket in Hong Kong, China July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday the government would allocate an additional 20.7 billion yen ($141.41 million) to support the fisheries industry after China's total import ban of Japanese aquatic products. The ban followed the start of Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last month. The government had previously set up two funds worth 80 billion yen to help develop new markets and keep excess fish frozen until they can be sold when demand recovers, among other measures. With the additional funding, from budget reserves, support would total 100.7 billion yen, Kishida said.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Kaori Kaneko, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China

[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

[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. Some 900 workers at the flagship Seibu store in the bustling district of Ikebukuro are protesting the sale of Sogo & Seibu, a unit of retail giant Seven & i (3382.T), to U.S. fund Fortress Investment Group. This one-day strike - the first at a major Japanese department store in 61 years - followed months of negotiations between Sogo & Seibu management and the workers' union, and comes amid a labour shortage in Japan. Other Seibu and Sogo department stores were open for business as usual. 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, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Wakana Shuto, Stephen Givens, it's, 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

☆ Japan sees rare strike as workers at landmark department store protest sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Mariko Katsumura 清水律子 | Mariko Katsumura | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The slogan on the banner in the centre reads, 'Sogo & Seibu, strike solidarity'. This one-day strike - the first at a major Japanese department store in 61 years - followed months of negotiations between Sogo & Seibu management and the workers' union. Other Seibu and Sogo department stores were open for business as usual. "Considering the industry's difficulties, the conditions at Sogo & Seibu are not unique." Sogo & Seibu has been in the red for the last four years and has some 300 billion yen in debt.

Persons: Satomi Saito, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Daimaru, Wakana Shuto, Ritsuko Shimizu, Mariko Katsumura, Kaori Kaneko, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Sogo, Seibu, company's, Kyodo, Workers, Fortress Investment Group, Yodobashi Holdings, Yodobashi, Hankyu Hanshin, Rikkyo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, TOKYO, Ikebukuro, Sogo

☆ Japan's July factory output slumps, raises pressure on manufacturers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Japan's factory output fell more than expected in July, signalling a rocky start to the second half of the year for manufacturers as worries mount over growth in China and the global economy. Industrial output fell 2.0% in July from the previous month, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) showed on Thursday. Output of electronic parts and devices fell 5.1%, while that of production machinery decreased 4.8%, driving the overall decline. Among production machinery, output for semiconductor manufacturing equipment fell by 16.4%. Other data showed Japanese retail sales expanded 6.8% in July from a year earlier.

Persons: Issei Kato, Masato Koike, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ministry, Economy, Trade, Industry, Toyota, Honda, Manufacturers, Sompo, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan, China

☆ Sogo & Seibu sale to go ahead, triggering rare workers' strike in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Seven & I Holdings is seen at its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan December 6, 2017. The union intends to carry out its threat for a strike at the flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo on Thursday, according to a union member. A person with direct knowledge of Seven & i's plan said its board would meet on Thursday to officially decide on the sale. The union received no reply and would therefore carry out the strike on Thursday at the flagship store, where about 900 union members are employed, he said. Fortress had initially planned to spend around 250 billion yen ($1.71 billion) on the acquisition but is likely to have lowered that price to about 220 billion yen, the source said.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Fortress, Ritsuko Shimizu, Kantaro, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Holdings, REUTERS, Seibu, Fortress Investment, Labour, UA, Sogo's, Sogo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ North Korea conducts missile launch into sea after US bomber drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, July 19, 2022. The launch comes a day before South Korea and the U.S. wrap up 11 days of combined military drills, which Pyongyang has denounced. The B-1B bombers conducted separate air drills with warplanes from South Korea and Japan earlier on Wednesday. North Korea's ballistic missiles are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions that have imposed strict sanctions on the nuclear-armed country. Kirby said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had recently travelled to North Korea to try to convince Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia.

Persons: Kim Hong, John Kirby, Kirby, Sergei Shoigu, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Chang, Ran Kim, Josh Smith, Alison Williams, Alex Richardson, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, United Nations, White House, Russian, Korean, . Space Force, . U.S, South Korean, Korea, Thomson Locations: Gijungdong, North Korea, Panmunjom, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, TOKYO, U.S, Korea, United States, Pyongyang, Japan, Russia, The U.S, ., Tokyo, Seoul

☆ In Japan, a third of today's 18-year-olds may not have children - study
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) estimated in a report that 33.4% of women born in 2005 would be childless. The number of children in Japan has been falling for more than four decades as the appetite for marriage and parenting has waned and financial worries have grown, surveys show. That trend could itself be causing a vicious cycle of fewer children begetting fewer children, said Takuya Hoshino, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. As people have fewer children, they are able to spend more on each child than families have in the past. That drives up the average cost of raising a child for the broader population, putting some people off from having children, he said.

Persons: Eita Sato, Aoi Hoshi, Issei Kato, Fumio Kishida, Anna Tanaka, Miho Iwasawa, Iwasawa, Takuya Hoshino, IPSS, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chang, Ran Kim, Robert Birsel Organizations: Junior High School, REUTERS, Rights, National Institute of Population, Social Security Research, Kyodo, Reuters, Dai, Research, Thomson Locations: Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, one's

☆ Japan says may take China to WTO over Fukushima-driven seafood import ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Japan would take "necessary action (on China's aquatic product ban) under various routes including the WTO framework". Filing a WTO complaint might become an option if protesting to China through diplomatic routes is ineffective, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi said separately. Japan's National Police Agency has received 225 reports of harassment calls to date, Jiji News reported, and the government said it was seeking help from telecommunications companies to block the calls. NTT and other phone companies including KDDI (9433.T) and SoftBank Corp (9434.T) are discussing measures following the government's request. "It is extremely regrettable and concerning about the large number of harassment calls that have likely come from China," Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said during a news conference.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Nishimura, Kantaro Komiya, Mariko Katsumura, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, World Trade Organization, Economic, Japan's National Police Agency, Jiji News, NTT Communications, Nippon Telegraph, Telephone, NTT, SoftBank Corp, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, WTO

☆ Seven & i department store unit union to announce strike - NHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Seven & I Holdings is seen at its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A labour union of Seven & i Holdings (3382.T) department store subsidiary Sogo & Seibu will notify management that it plans to strike in opposition to a planned sale of the unit, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday. Japan-based Seven & i, operator of the world's largest convenience store chain, agreed last year to sell Sogo & Seibu to U.S. fund Fortress Investment Group. But the deal has been delayed amid opposition from workers, and company management cancelled a meeting for Friday last week where it was to decide on the sale, Kyodo had reported. Reporting by Rocky Swift Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: Holdings, REUTERS, Rights, Seibu, NHK, Fortress Investment, Kyodo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ North Korea denounces 'gang bosses' of US and allies amid drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Naval Command of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on the occasion of the Navy Day, in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and obtained by Reuters on August 29, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The United States, South Korea and Japan staged joint naval missile defence drills off the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, as North Korea denounced the "gang bosses" of Washington and its allies for increasing the risk of nuclear war. The three nations staged exercises in international waters off South Korea's southern Jeju island to improve their ability to detect and track targets, and share information in the event of provocation by Pyongyang, South Korea's military said. The drills come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for "radically" modernising the weapons and equipment of his country's naval forces, criticising an increased presence of U.S. strategic assets in the region. South Korea and the United States last week began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Soo, hyang Choi, Kantaro Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim, Grant McCool, Michael Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: Naval Command, Korean People's Army, Navy, North, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, South Korea, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, South Korea, Japan, Washington, Jeju, Pyongyang, South, Camp David , Maryland, U.S, Republic of Korea, Korea, SEOUL, TOKYO

☆ North Korea launches space rocket months after failed satellite attempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A smartphone screen shows J-Alert warning messages regarding North Korea appearing to have fired a missile and that residents of Okinawa prefecture should take cover indoors, in Chatan, Okinawa prefecture, Japan August 24, 2023. Two days ago North Korea said it would launch a satellite between Aug. 24-31. But the North's May 31 bid to launch a "Chollima-1" satellite rocket went wrong, with the booster and payload plunging into the sea. It was not immediately clear if North Korea had used the Chollima-1 again, or a new system. The secretive North considers its space and military rocket programmes a sovereign right, and analysts say spy satellites are crucial to improving the effectiveness of its weapons.

Persons: Issei Kato, Hirokazu Matsuno, We've, Elaine Lies, Chang, Ran Kim, Josh Smith, Joyce Lee, Hyunsu Yim, Phil Stewart, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Thomson Locations: Korea, Okinawa, Chatan, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, Rights SEOUL, TOKYO, North Korea, Tokyo, Pyongyang, U.S, Seoul, Washington

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