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Japan's vice minister of finance for international affairs, Masato Kanda, poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo, Japan January 31, 2022. Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs at Japan's Ministry of Finance (MOF), also said that if excessive moves occurred in the currency market, the government would take steps such as raising interest rates or intervening in the market. "We will firmly take appropriate steps when necessary," Kanda told reporters during an ad hoc news conference. Various factors determine currency rates and long-term interest rates are "only one factor", Kanda said. "Relatively speaking, global funds are still flowing into the dollar, yen and Swiss franc and pound, with many people describing the moves as 'textbook-style' moves," he said, referring to safe-haven flows.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Issei Kato, Kanda, Tetsushi, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Finance Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, Swiss, Japan's Ministry of Finance, International Monetary Fund, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Israel, Palestinian

☆ Honda, Mitsubishi Corp sign pact to optimise use of EV batteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Honda's electric vehicle (EV) e:NP2 is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Honda Motor (7267.T) and trading house Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) have signed a pact to explore new businesses using electric vehicle (EV) batteries, the companies said on Thursday. "Honda will not only sell EVs, but take a proactive approach to energy management, where EV batteries will be utilised as an energy source," its chief executive, Toshihiro Mibe, said in a statement. Honda will begin sales of the EV model in Japan in 2024. The deal would eventually pay off in lower electricity bills for customers and better use of battery material, the companies said.

Persons: Aly, Honda, Toshihiro Mibe, Satoshi Sugiyama, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Honda, Mitsubishi Corp, EV, Thomson Locations: Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, China, Japan, EVs

☆ Many factors to consider if FX moves are 'excessive' -Japan finmin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during the presidency press conference at the G7 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors, at Toki Messe in Niigata, Japan, Saturday, May 13, 2023. Shuji Kajiyama/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday there were many factors to consider in determining whether moves in the foreign exchange market were "excessive", adding that there were no changes in how the government would deal with them. Investors often think excessive volatility can be measured over a period of one day or so. "There's no change in the government stance," Suzuki said, when asked about intervention and what defines an excessive move. The minister added that authorities should make a comprehensive judgment on what constitute excessive moves, taking various factors into account.

Persons: Shunichi Suzuki, Shuji, Masato Kanda, Suzuki, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Satoshi Sugiyama, Jacqueline Wong, Jamie Freed Organizations: Toki, Rights, Japanese Finance, Thomson Locations: Niigata, Japan

☆ Japan's inflation adjusted wages extend declines in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Japan's real wages in August declined for a 17th straight month, government data showed on Friday, as persistent price hikes continued to outpace salaries. Separate data on Friday showed Japan's consumer spending also shrank for the sixth consecutive month in August, squeezing consumers' purchasing power even as major companies offered their biggest pay increases in three decades. The consumer inflation rate officials use to calculate real wages, which includes fresh food prices but excludes rent, slowed to 3.7%, the lowest in 11 months. Base salary growth in August climbed 1.6% year-on-year, from a revised 1.4% gain in the previous month, the data showed. "As import prices settle down, the growth rate of consumer inflation is also expected to gradually narrow, and real wages will also recover," Koike said.

Persons: Masato Koike, Fumio Kishida, Sompo's Koike, Koike, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro, Christian Schmollinger, Sam Holmes Organizations: Global, Bank of Japan, Sompo, Ministry of Health, Labour, Welfare, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Base

☆ 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 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's factory activity extends declines in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Japan's factory activity fell at the fastest pace in seven months in September, a survey showed on Monday, as worsening global economic conditions continued to weaken demand. Output in September was the lowest since June while the decline in new orders was the steepest since February, S&P Global Market Intelligence data showed. "Depressed economic conditions domestically and globally weighed heavily on the sector," said Usamah Bhatti, economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, which compiled the survey. The yen has come under pressure in recent months, weighed by the Bank of Japan's ultra-loose monetary policy that has inflated the costs of imported goods and squeezed manufacturers. The pessimistic headline figure followed government data published last week that showed Japanese factory output remained flat in August.

Persons: Usamah Bhatti, Satoshi Sugiyama, Sam Holmes Organizations: Jibun Bank, P Global Market Intelligence, Bank of Japan's, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Jibun Bank Japan, China, Taiwan

TOKYO (AP) — Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio of Hayao Miyazaki, will become a subsidiary of Nippon Television Network Corp., both sides said Thursday. Nippon TV said it will send executives to support Ghibli’s management, while honoring its creative independence so it can focus on animation and other artistic projects. Ghibli and Nippon TV have collaborated in the past, since “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” aired on TV in 1985. Nippon TV has also helped produce various Ghibli works, starting with Miyazaki’s 1989 “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” It also helped set up the museum devoted to Ghibli works in Tokyo. He has produced an extensive range of animation works enjoyed by adults as well as children, including “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Ponyo.”___Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Persons: Hayao Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Suzuki, Yoshikuni Sugiyama, Sugiyama, Goro, “, ”, ” Miyazaki, ” ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Nippon Television Network Corp, Nippon, Ghibli, Nippon TV Locations: Tokyo

☆ Feeling the heat: 44% of Japan firms see earnings hit from extreme weather - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( David Dolan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Satoshi Sugiyama/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Some 44% of Japanese companies see extreme weather events around the globe hitting earnings, a Reuters survey showed, highlighting the impact of scorching heat waves and torrential rains on firms in the world's third-largest economy. Disaster-prone Japan is no stranger to extreme weather events, including typhoons, floods and blistering heat. "Infrastructure is likely to be disrupted due to extreme weather conditions, which could result in emergency spending and lower productivity," wrote a manager at a company in the transport sector. The monthly Reuters Corporate Survey of 502 large and medium-sized non-financial Japanese firms, in which 248 responded, showed a majority of non-manufacturers had already felt or expected to feel the effects of extreme weather on their earnings. Flooding has been a particular headache for Japanese companies.

Persons: Satoshi Sugiyama, Japan Inc's, Fumio, David Dolan, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Mitsubishi Motor, Rights, Reuters Corporate Survey, Reuters, Nikkei Research, Investment, Thomson Locations: Kurashiki, Japan

☆ Japan real wages fall for 16th straight month in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People walk at an office building at a business district in Tokyo, Japan, February 29, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Japanese real wages extended their fall to a 16th consecutive month in July, government data showed on Friday, as salaries failed to keep up with rising prices. Inflation-adjusted real wages, a barometer of consumers' purchasing power, slid 2.5% in July from a year earlier following a 1.6% slump in the month before. The consumer price index officials use to calculate real wages, which includes fresh food prices but excludes owners' equivalent rent, remained flat at 3.9%. Workers at major Japanese companies saw an almost 4% increase in wages this year, according to a survey by business lobby Keidanren.

Persons: Yuya, Fumio Kishida, Satoshi Sugiyama, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Global, Bank of Japan, Workers, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

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

☆ 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

KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 31 (Reuters) - North Korea conducted a simulated "scorched-earth" nuclear strike on targets across South Korea, state media reported on Thursday, in reaction to allied exercises that it said amounted to plans for a preemptive nuclear attack by the United States. ROK is the initials of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, hours after the U.S. deployed B-1B bombers for allied air drills. South Korea's presidential office convened a security meeting after North Korea's late-night launch, which followed its second failed attempt last week to put its first spy satellite into orbit. Japan will intercept North Korea's missiles if they fly over Japan's territory, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.

Persons: North Korea's, Fumio Kishida, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim Jong, Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Kantaro Komiya, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Satoshi Sugiyama, Stephen Coates, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean People's Army, North, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, ROK, U.S, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Republic of Korea, Japan, Pyongyang, U.S, Korea, Seoul, Kantaro, Tokyo

☆ 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

☆ What happened to shut down Toyota's production in Japan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WHAT HAPPENED TO SHUT DOWN TOYOTA'S PRODUCTION IN JAPAN? Toyota's production has been recovering this year, so the outage could be potentially more costly than the 2022 shutdown. Toyota's production in Japan - about a third of its global output - averaged about 13,500 vehicles a day in the first half of the year, Reuters calculations showed. WHAT IS TOYOTA'S PRODUCTION AND SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? Toyota's system of lean production and just-in-time parts delivery has been adopted across the auto industry and widely studied.

Persons: Taichi Ono, Wiggly, Koji Sato, Akio Toyoda, Tesla, Daniel Leussink, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kevin Krolicki, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Kojima Industries, Lexus, Daihatsu, Hino, TOYOTA, ITS, Thomson Locations: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, JAPAN, United States

☆ Toyota to halt operations at all Japan assembly plants due to system failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Employees of Toyota Motor Corp. work on the assembly line of Mirai fuel cell vehicle (FCV) at the company's Motomachi plant in Toyota, Aichi prefecture, Japan May 17, 2018. Toyota was looking into the cause of the problem, a spokesperson said, adding it was "likely not due to a cyberattack". Toyota suspended operations at 12 of its plants from Tuesday morning, with two remaining online. Production in Japan was up 29% in the first half of the year, the first such increase in two years. Toyota's operations ground to a halt last year when one of its suppliers was hit by a cyberattack.

Persons: Issei Kato, Satoshi Sugiyama, Miyoung Kim, Kevin Krolicki, David Dolan, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota, Daihatsu, Hino, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Toyota, Aichi prefecture, Japan, China, Tokyo

☆ Toyota to restart Japan production on Wednesday after system failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummaryCompanies Toyota suspends production at all 14 domestic assembly plantsSystem failure preventing Toyota from ordering partsCause under investigation, not likely to be a cyberattackPlants make up third of Toyota world output -Reuters calculationStock closes down 0.2%TOKYO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor (7203.T) will restart operations at its assembly plants in Japan on Wednesday, after a production system malfunction brought domestic output to a halt at the world's biggest-selling automaker. The plants together account for about a third of the automaker's global production, Reuters calculations showed. Toyota's domestic production had been on the rebound after a series of output cuts it blamed on semiconductor shortages. Its Japan output averaged about 13,500 vehicles daily in the first half of the year, Reuters calculations showed. Toyota is a pioneer of just-in-time inventory management, which keeps down costs but means supply chain snarls put production at risk.

Persons: Seiji Sugiura, Satoshi Sugiyama, Miyoung Kim, Kevin Krolicki, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Christopher Cushing, Mark Potter Organizations: Toyota, Daihatsu, Hino, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Analysts, Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, Toyota Industries, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, , Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, China

Only one of 22 economists, or 5%, expected the BOJ to start unwinding its ultra-easy policy this year, the Aug 15-23 poll found, significantly down from 50% in a July survey. Four said the BOJ will start unwinding in January-March 2024, five chose April-June, six selected July-September and another six opted for October-December. A separate question showed 73% of economists expecting the BOJ to end YCC next year, up from 50% in July. A question about when the BOJ ends its negative short-term interest rate policy showed 41% of economists anticipating it in 2024, down from 54% in a May poll. Economists raised their projection for Japan's fiscal 2023 GDP growth to 1.8% from 1.1% in the previous poll.

Persons: Issei Kato, Takumi Tsunoda, YCC, Kazuo, Ueda, Hiroshi Namioka, Kantaro Komiya, Satoshi Sugiyama, Susobhan Sarkar, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Shinkin Central Bank Research Institute, D, Management, U.S, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

New Governor of Bank of Japan Kazuo Ueda meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at prime minister?s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, April 10, 2023. The discussions took place in the wake of the dollar's recent ascent above 145 yen, a level that in September 2022 triggered Japan's first yen-buying operation since 1998. "There wasn't anything in particular discussed today," Ueda told reporters after the meeting, when asked whether the two held talks on recent exchange-rate volatility. Ueda also said he explained to Kishida the Bank of Japan's decision last month to loosen its grip on long-term interest rates. It was the second such meeting since Ueda assumed the top BOJ post in April.

Persons: Bank of Japan Kazuo Ueda, Fumio Kishida, Kimimasa, Ueda Yen, Kazuo Ueda, Japan's, Ueda, Haruhiko, Shunichi Suzuki, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chang, Ran Kim, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS Acquire, Ueda, Bank of, Soaring U.S, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ Japan PM to meet fishing industry leaders over Fukushima water
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 20, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will on Monday meet fishing industry representatives in a bid to convince them of the safety of treated radioactive water due to be released from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. The water has been treated to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, a hydrogen isotope that must be diluted because it is difficult to filter. Despite such assurances, the prospect of more than a million tons of water being pumped into the Pacific from the nuclear plant owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company (9501.T) has raised alarm. Japanese Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura is due to meet the same fishing industry leaders before the Kishida meeting.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Satoshi Sugiyama, Elaine Lies, Muralikumar Organizations: Japan's, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Citizens, Japanese Industry, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Tokyo, China, South Korea

Japan's Former Prime Minister and current Vice-President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Taro Aso, speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei, Taiwan August 8, 2023. "I believe that now is the time for Japan, Taiwan, the United States and other like-minded countries to be prepared to put into action very strong deterrence," he said in remarks streamed online. He added that clearly showing the will to defend Taiwan was a form of deterrence. Aso is the most senior Japanese political official to visit Taiwan since 1972. In 2021, Aso, then deputy prime minister, called any invasion of Taiwan by China a "threat to Japan's survival" and said Japan and the U.S. would defend Taiwan together should such an incident happen.

Persons: Taro Aso, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Aso, Japan's, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Sakura Murakami, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro, Ben Blanchard, Chang, Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Liberal Democratic Party, REUTERS, Japanese, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Japan, United States, Taiwan Strait, China, U.S, TOKYO

☆ Japan braces for Typhoon Khanun's winds and heavy rainfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

City skyline and harbour are seen at sunrise in Tokyo, Japan July 24, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A swath of Japanese regions, including central areas, are bracing for Typhoon Khanun to approach near southwestern Japan on Tuesday, as the country's meteorological agency warns of damage from strong winds and heavy rainfall. The storm was hovering about 160 kilometres (99 miles) east-northeast of the city of Amami in southwestern Japan and moving slowly north as of 9 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Khanun has gradually lost its strength but still packs winds of 108 kph (67 mph), with gusts of up to 144 kph. "Due to the slow movement of the typhoon and its prolonged impact, total rainfall may greatly exceed the normal monthly rainfall for August in the Pacific Ocean side of Kyushu and western Japan, and in the Tokai region," the JMA said.

Persons: Maxim, Khanun, Satoshi Sugiyama, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Japan Meteorological Agency, JMA, Mazda Motor Corp, West Japan Railway Co, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Amami, Japan's Nagasaki, Khanun, South Korea, Shikoku, Kyushu, Western Japan, Tokai, Hakata, Osaka, Nagasaki

☆ No more ice cream with Mt Fuji: Japan train line phases out snack carts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Passengers on Japan's super-fast bullet trains have long enjoyed ordering coffee, ice cream or boxed lunches from staff pushing a snack cart, savouring the treats as they whipped past landmarks such as Mount Fuji. But faced with a looming labour shortage and a trend for more people to buy food before boarding the train, on-board snack cart services between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka will reach the end of the line on Oct. 31. The online response was despondent, with "Super-Cold Shinkansen Ice Cream" trending 5th on the X platform formerly known as Twitter and "In-Train Service" 6th within hours of the announcement. "I remember that I enjoyed the ice cream every time I got on the train, and when I jumped on the last train without eating, I was saved by the sandwiches sold there," one user said. "While cost reductions are important for a company, on-board snack cart services are also important for the enjoyment of the traveller's experience," another user wrote.

Persons: Satoshi Sugiyama, Elaine Lies, Christina Fincher Organizations: Mount, Central Japan Railway, Tokyo, Twitter, Passengers, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Osaka, Japan

☆ Typhoon Khanun eases off Japan's Okinawa, but islands brace for return
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A screengrab from a handout video shows an aftermath of a typhoon along a street in Nakagami, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan August 3, 2023. TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Typhoon Khanun barely moved on Friday in the East China Sea, with predictions that it will approach Japan's Okinawa islands again, raising fears of sustained damage in areas already battered by heavy rain and strong winds over the past two days. In northern Taiwan, land warnings were lifted on Friday and businesses and schools that were shut on Thursday due to the typhoon reopened. In the capital Taipei, more than 200 trees and street signs were downed, but no major damage was reported. Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Yimou Lee in Taipei; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Khanun, Satoshi Sugiyama, Yimou Lee, Sonali Paul Organizations: Yuma Nagahama, REUTERS, TOKYO, Japan Meteorological Agency, Okinawa Electric, Naha Airport, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Nakagami, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, Yuma, Handout, East China, Okinawa, Okinawa's Miyako, Japan's, Naha, Taiwan, Taipei, Tokyo

☆ 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

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