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☆ Japanese chipmaker Rapidus considers listing for capex needs -Kyodo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 3 (Reuters) - Japanese microchip maker Rapidus estimates that it needs about 2 trillion yen ($14.71 billion) for technological development, for which it will seek mid to long-term assistance from the government, the company's chairman told the Kyodo news agency. The company also requires an additional 3 trillion yen to fund mass production and is considering listing to raise capital for that purpose, Rapidus chairman Tetsuro Higashi said in the interview published on Wednesday. Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said last week the government plans to give 260 billion yen in additional subsidy on top of a 70 billion yen funding. Rapidus is planning to build a cutting-edge two-nanometre chip factory in Japan's northern major island of Hokkaido. "Going public is a major means of forming the foundation of the company" as a way to raise 3 trillion yen, Higashi said in the interview.

☆ Beyond Kyoto: Japan recommends 11 lesser-known spots to visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Japan wants travelers to go beyond the country's iconic tourist sites — and consider spending their yen in lesser-known locations. CNBC Travel takes a look at what each of the 11 spots has to offer travelers — whether or not they're wealthy. Koichi Kamoshida | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIse-shima is arguably the "model destination" most ready to welcome the JTA's wealthy targets. Kagoshima, Aso and UnzenThe island of Kyushu in western Japan feature everything from active volcanoes to glimpses of samurai culture. Okinawa and AmamiIn 2021, Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa's main island, and Iriomote Island were given joint UNESCO Natural World Heritage status for their biodiversity and endemic wildlife.

☆ G7 vows to step up moves to renewable energy, zero carbon
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Japan won endorsements from fellow G-7 countries for its own national strategy emphasizing so-called clean coal, hydrogen and nuclear energy to help ensure its energy security. The stipulation that countries rely on "predominantly" clean energy by 2035 leaves room for the continuation of fossil-fuel-fired power. The G-7 nations account for 40% of the world's economic activity and a quarter of global carbon emissions. The document crafted in Sapporo included significant amounts of nuance to allow for differences between the G-7 energy strategies, climate advocates said. "I think energy security is being exaggerated in some cases," Kerry said, pointing to Germany's progress in embracing renewable energy.

☆ Japan says evacuation warning for North Korea missile was not a mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) - The Japanese government said the emergency evacuation warning it issued and later retracted against residents of the northern island of Hokkaido after a North Korean missile launch on Thursday morning was appropriate and not an error. "We did not correct the information issued by the J-Alert" emergency broadcasting system, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference. He said the North Korean missile disappeared from Japan's radar immediately after detection, and a further analysis found that there was no possibility of its landing in Japan's territory, leading to the lifting of the evacuation warning. "The J-Alert warning was issued to inform citizens of the danger of a falling missile to prioritise citizens' safety," Matsuno said. Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Kaori KanekoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it has tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-18 aimed at boosting the country's nuclear counterattack capability, state media reported. North Korea fired what appeared to be a new model ballistic missile on Thursday, South Korea said, triggering a scare in northern Japan where Hokkaido residents were told to take cover, though there turned out to be no danger. Developing a solid-fuel ICBM has long been seen as a key goal for North Korea, as it could help the North deploy its missiles faster in the event of a war. The latest launch came days after North Korean leader Kim called for strengthening war deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" manner to counter what North Korea called moves of aggression by the United States. North Korea has criticised recent U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises as escalating tensions and has stepped weapons tests in recent months.

☆ North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea between Koreas, Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on April 13, Seoul's military said, prompting Japan to order residents of the northern Hokkaido region to take shelter as a precaution. North Korea launched a ballistic missile that landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, prompting Japan to order residents on an island to take shelter as a precaution. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staffs said the North Korean missile launched from near the capital Pyongyang flew toward the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japan said the missile landed in the water but did not immediately give a more exact landing location. Last October, Japan issued a similar evacuation order when a North Korean intermediate-range missile flew over Japan in a launch that demonstrated the potential to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

☆ Japan lifts evacuation alert for missile after emergency warning system error
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) - The Japanese government lifted an evacuation order for residents of the northern island of Hokkaido, saying an emergency warning system erroneously predicted that a missile launched from North Korea would fall near the island. Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan to add $2.3 billion subsidy to Rapidus for Chitose chip plant, media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan's industry ministry is finalising a plan to provide state-backed chip maker Rapidus an additional 300 billion yen ($2.27 billion) in funding to build a semiconductor plant in the northern island of Hokkaido, a local paper reported on Saturday. Rapidus, which in February picked Chitose, near Sapporo, as the site for a cutting-edge two-nanometre chip factory, previously secured an initial 70 billion yen funding from the government. The additional grant will be used to help Rapidus build a prototype line scheduled to launch in 2025, the Hokkaido Shimbun paper said, citing multiple unidentified sources. The Japanese government is also offering up to 476 billion yen in subsidies to a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW) plant in Kyushu, in which Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and Denso Corp (6902.T) each have a minority stake. ($1 = 132.3100 yen)Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] Delivery trucks are parked at a parking area along the highway in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan April 6, 2023. On April 1, 2024, the government will limit truck drivers' annual overtime to 960 hours, among other reforms officials say are meant to improve the job's notoriously gruelling conditions and make it more attractive. The global consultancy Roland Berger expects a 20% decline in the number of Japanese truck drivers in the decade to 2030. Fierce competition and high fuel prices mean truck drivers are squeezed too despite an acute labour shortage. That would make it difficult for small companies to hire to make up for the lower number of legal working hours per driver.

☆ Japan is running out of space to bury chickens killed over bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Japan has lost so many chickens to bird flu, it’s now running out of land to bury them. All 26 had reported experiencing avian flu outbreaks recently. Japan previously slaughtered nearly 9.9 million in fiscal 2020 over another bird flu crisis, its last record high. In Japan, egg prices reached a 10-year high of 235 yen ($1.8) last month, according to Rabobank. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force personnel head to a chicken ranch to roll out preventive measures against avian flu in the city of Chitose, Hokkaido on March 28.

☆ Florida aquarium to release orca after more than 50 years in captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A killer whale jumps out of the water in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonMarch 30 (Reuters) - A Florida aquarium has reached a deal with animal welfare advocates to release Lolita, a 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) killer whale held in captivity for more than half a century, officials said on Thursday. The plan to return Lolita to her natural habitat requires federal approval, according to the newspaper. The Seaquarium's previous owner, SeaWorld Entertainment Inc (SEAS.N), phased out killer whale shows in 2016. Killer whales are highly social mammals that have no natural predators and can up to 80 years.

☆ Asteroid discovery suggests ingredients for life on Earth came from space
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] The carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu is seen from a distance of about 12 miles (20 km) during the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 mission on June 30, 2018. Scientists said on Tuesday they detected uracil and niacin in rocks obtained by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft from two sites on Ryugu in 2019. Scientists long have pondered about the conditions necessary for life to arise after Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago. "It was directly sampled on the asteroid Ryugu and returned to Earth, and finally to laboratories without any contact with terrestrial contaminants." The U.S. space agency NASA during its OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples in 2020 from the asteroid Bennu.

☆ For toothed whales, sound production is all in the nose
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers on Thursday offered a comprehensive explanation for sound production by toothed whales - loud clicks for echolocation, and softer burst pulses and whistles for communication. The researchers used sound-recording tags on sperm whales, false killer whales and bottlenosed dolphins to study sound production in the wild. The sounds made by toothed whales differ from the haunting "singing" by filter-feeding baleen whales. "Toothed whales don't sing like baleen whales," Madsen said. During the course of evolution, toothed whales have lost their vocal folds, but evolved an entirely new set of sound sources in the nose."

☆ Rapidus picks northern Japan's Chitose as semiconductor plant location
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Japan's state-backed Rapidus said on Tuesday it would build its semiconductor plant in Chitose, a manufacturing hub on the nation's northern island of Hokkaido. The factory and a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) plant under construction on the southern island of Kyushu are the key pillars of Japan's strategy to boost its capability to make more advanced chips and shield itself from supply chain snarls. Rapidus Chairman Tetsuro Higashi told Reuters this month that the company would need about 7 trillion yen ($51.4 billion) of mostly taxpayer money to begin mass producing advanced logic chips around 2027. Chitose, a city of about 100,000 people, already hosts a wide range of factories run by major manufacturers including silicon wafer maker SUMCO Corp (3436.T) and auto components maker Denso Corp (6902.T). ($1 = 136.1500 yen)Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Mayu Sakoda; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rapidus to build chip factory in Chitose, northern Japan -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Japan's state-backed chip venture Rapidus plans to build its first factory in Chitose city on Japan's northernmost major island of Hokkaido and is likely to make an announcement as early as next week, TV Tokyo reported on Tuesday. Chitose, a city of approximately 100,000 people in southwestern Hokkaido, already hosts manufacturing facilities of silicon wafer maker SUMCO Corp (3436.T), among others. A Rapidus spokesperson said nothing has been decided yet on the location. Rapidus told Reuters earlier this month that it would need about 7 trillion yen ($52 billion) of mostly taxpayer money to begin mass-producing advanced logic chips in around 2027.read more($1 = 134.8100 yen)Reporting by Kaneko Kaori, Mayu Sakoda and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Alex Richardson and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea Launches ICBM, Raising Tensions in Region
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jiyoung Sohn | Dasl Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL—North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, escalating tensions in the region as the U.S. and South Korea prepare for joint military exercises. The missile was fired eastward Saturday shortly before 5:30 p.m. local time from the Sunan area in the outskirts of North Korea’s capital city of Pyongyang. It was in the air for a little more than an hour, reaching an altitude of more than 3,500 miles. It traveled a distance of about 560 miles before landing in the sea about 155 miles west of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, according to South Korean and Japanese defense officials.

☆ Rapidus considering building chip factory in Hokkaido, northern Japan-TV Tokyo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Japan's state-backed chip venture Rapidus is considering building a chip factory in Hokkaido, northern Japan, TV Tokyo reported on Wednesday. Rapidus will likely make a formal decision on new factory site by as early as end-February, according to the report. A spokesperson of the chip venture confirmed that Hokkaido governor will visit its headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday to discuss plant building. Japan has said it will invest an initial 70 billion yen ($525 million) in Rapidus, a venture led by tech firms including Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and NEC CorpRapidus told Reuters earlier this month that it would need about 7 trillion yen ($54 billion) of mostly taxpayer money to begin mass producing advanced logic chips in around 2027. ($1 = 133.2700 yen)Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lovers From Around The World, Caught on Film
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Pia Peterson Haggarty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When pandemic lockdowns hit in 2020, photographers and artists Ance Priedniece and Jack Gunn felt like life had been put on pause. “I suppose it was this loneliness and the separation of loved ones that sparked thoughts on love around the world." Eric and Sonosan. Photograph by Chiharu and Wataru Yaginuma in Hokkaido, Japan.

TOKYO, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The popularity of Japan's crisp powder snow among foreign skiers, surging back into the country, is luring more to seek the thrill of pristine backcountry slopes - sometimes with deadly impact. Japan's snow, prized among skiers for dryness caused by local atmospheric conditions, is a big draw. The head of Japan's National Governors Association last week said a national system of safety measures is now essential. BACKCOUNTRY CULTUREThe reputation of Japanese snow took off after the Nagano Olympics. Japan wants to welcome foreign skiers, but they need to know the reality of the risks involved, said Kenji Kubota, a researcher with the Japan Rescue Organization.

☆ Russia rules out talks with Japan on fishing near disputed islands
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 29 (Reuters) - Russia said on Sunday it will not hold annual talks with Japan on renewing a pact that allows Japanese fishermen to operate near disputed islands, saying Japan has taken anti-Russian measures. The islands, off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories and have been at the core of decades of tension between the neighbours. Japan, a major U.S. ally, imposed sanctions on dozens of Russian individuals and organisations soon after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year. On Friday, it tightened sanctions on Russia in response to Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities. Russia and Japan have not formally ended World War Two hostilities because of their standoff over the islands, seized by the Soviet Union at the end of the war.

☆ Russia backs banning of maps disputing official 'territorial integrity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman walks past a building with Russian flags placed on its wall in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 24, 2022. REUTERS/Anton VaganovJan 8 (Reuters) - Russia's government extended support to a legislative amendment that would classify maps that dispute the country's official "territorial integrity" as punishable extremist materials, the state-owned TASS news agency reported on Sunday. The amendment to Russia's anti-extremism legislation stipulates that "cartographic and other documents and images that dispute the territorial integrity of Russia" will be classified as extremist materials, the agency reported. The new amendment, TASS reports without citing sources, emerged after its authors pointed out that some maps distributed in Russia dispute the "territorial affiliation" of the Crimean Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. Ukrainians and their government have since often objected to world maps showing Crimea as part of Russia's territory.

☆ Japan's 'anti-Russian course' makes treaty talks impossible - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Japan's "anti-Russian course" makes peace treaty talks impossible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in comments published by the state TASS news agency on Tuesday. "It is absolutely obvious that it is impossible to discuss the signing of such a document (a peace treaty) with a state that takes openly unfriendly positions and allows itself direct threats against our country," Rudenko told TASS in an interview. "We are not seeing signs of Tokyo moving away from the anti-Russian course and any attempt to rectify the situation." Russia withdrew from its talks with Japan in March last year, following Japanese sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Japan reacted angrily to the talks, calling Moscow's move "unfair" and "completely unacceptable".

☆ Wealthy Chinese, Fed Up at Home, Find a Haven in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Miho Inada | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OTARU, Japan—A growing number of affluent Chinese are coming to Japan to live, according to real-estate brokers and people in the Chinese community here, in an indication of social and political tensions back home. Hideyuki Ishii, a real-estate broker on the northern island of Hokkaido, says he has been inundated recently with requests from Chinese nationals who want to buy property that they can use as a foothold to move to Japan.

☆ Those traveling to Japan right now are 'mostly rich people,' says Japan Association of Travel Agents
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThose traveling to Japan right now are 'mostly rich people,' says Japan Association of Travel AgentsTadashi Shimura of Japan Association of Travel Agents says Hokkaido and Okinawa are popular destinations for foreign tourists.

☆ Japan awaits same-sex marriage ruling crucial to future LGBTQ rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Plaintiffs hold hands each other after a district court ruled on the legality of same-sex marriages outside Sapporo district court in Sapporo, Hokkaido, northern Japan March 17, 2021, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Of two cases on the issue decided in Japan, one ruled banning same-sex marriage was "unconstitutional" and the other held the opposite. That adds weight to the expected decision by the Tokyo district court - already influential because of the capital's outsized influence on the rest of Japan - as it will establish a trend, lawyers and activists say. Eight people are involved in the case to be decided on Wednesday, saying the ban on same-sex marriage contravenes Japan's constitution and demanding damages of 1 million yen ($7,200) each. Though partnership certificates from municipalities now cover about 60% of the population in Japan, including Tokyo, they do not give same-sex couples the same rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

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