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☆ Breakfast with Ohtani: In Japan, watching this World Series may be the national pastime
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Rustin Dodd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

At World Series Media Day on Thursday, no one was a bigger draw than Ohtani. Ninomiya, 59, grew up in the city of Oita, obsessing over books about Japanese baseball history. The comings and goings of Mamiko Tanaka and Ohtani are regular fodder for Japanese morning shows. In Japan, Ohtani is the face of countless advertising campaigns. Ohtani’s presence — along with starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto — could help the Japanese World Series audience approach those heights.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, Tatsuo Shinke, Ohtani, Shinke, Emiko, ” Shinke, “, She’s, Katharine Lotze, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, doesn’t, ”, Robert Whiting, —, Rahm Emanuel, Chicago ”, Jordan, ” Emanuel, Whiting, Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Nomo, Japan — Whiting, Suzuki, Yu Darvish, Tomoki Negishi, I’ve, ” Negishi, Masanori, Negishi, I’m, Chen Liang, Ninomiya, ” Ninomiya, ” Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara, Mizuhara, It’s, Mamiko Tanaka, Stringer, Hiroshi Kitamura, William & Mary, Aaron, Judge, Fernando, Tatis, Ronald, Acuna, Foster Griffin, Griffin, ” Griffin, Ryan Yamazaki, Bobby Valentine, Yoshinobu Yamamoto —, Rob Manfred, “ Smart, ” Yamazaki, Shigeru Ishiba, Machiko Kondo, Kondo, Ichiro, ” Whiting, she’s, Andy McCullough, Sam Blum, Dan Goldfarb, Jayne Kamin Organizations: Mint, Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani’s Dodgers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, Padres, National League, Nikkei, Yankees, Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s Pacific League, Ninomiya, UCLA, NHK, Hokkaido, Ham Fighters, Angels, MLB, Pacific, William &, Kansas City Royals, Yomiuri Giants, Mets, Chiba Lotte Marines, Baseball, WBC, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Athletic, Fuji, United Nations Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Ohtani, United States, America, American, U.S, Chicago, —, Ōta, Oita, ”, Hokkaido Nippon, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, South Korea

☆ Japan's Nomura triples profit in first quarter as end of deflation spurs wealth management
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A pedestrian walks past illuminated signage for Nomura Securities Co., a unit of Nomura Holdings Inc in Tokyo, Japan. Nomura Holdings, Japan's largest brokerage and investment bank, reported a 195% jump in first-quarter profit on Tuesday as the rally in global markets and return of domestic inflation bolstered demand for its wealth management services. Nomura said net profit in the April-June period was 68.9 billion yen ($446 million) versus 23.3 billion yen a year earlier. Pre-tax income in the wealth management segment grew 84% compared to the same period the previous year to reach its highest since the 2015/16 financial year. Nomura has a dominant position in wealth management in Japan and the business accounted for roughly half its pre-tax profit in the previous financial year.

Persons: Nomura, Takumi Kitamura, Kitamura Organizations: Nomura Securities Co, Nomura Holdings Inc, Nomura Holdings, Investment Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ ‘Sleeping giant’ MotoGP awakens in Qatar, with eyes on US – and a little help from rapper Pitbull and AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jonathan Hawkins | Becky Anderson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Bagnaia rides during the second free practice session ahead of the 2023 French Grand Prix. The 2024 season will also see the debut of a US based-team, Nashville’s Trackhouse Racing, which is co-owned by musician Pitbull. Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty ImagesThe American sees the Sprints as a gateway to the main race for new fans. He says the newly refurbished Qatar facility, which also hosts F1, is a boon for the participants, too. “The race at night is something that was [the Qataris’] idea 20 odd years ago, and they did it.

Persons: Daniel Rossomondo, “, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ”, Rossomondo, Mirco Lazzari, Francesco ‘ Pecco, Bagnaia, Marc Márquez, Álex, Jorge Martín, Pedro Acosta, Márquez, Jean, Francois Monier, Nashville’s, Pitbull, ” Rossomondo, Dorna, ” Marc Márquez, Toshifumi Kitamura, it’s Organizations: CNN, NBA, Qatar –, MotoGP, Ducati, Honda, Warner Bros Discovery, TNT Sports, ” MotoGP, Getty, “ Riders, Warner Bros . Locations: Qatar, Americas, Murcia, AFP, United States, American, Europe

☆ Japan's Message for Donald Trump: Don't Cut a Deal With China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

Trump, who reached a trade agreement with Beijing in 2019 that later expired, has not mentioned any potential deal with China during his campaign for the 2024 nomination. Two Japanese foreign ministry officials said they fear that Trump may be prepared to weaken U.S. support for nearby Taiwan in pursuit of a deal with China. A Trump aide told Reuters that no recent meetings have taken place between Trump and Japanese officials. "If he is going to cut a deal with China, Japan needs to try and get ahead of the curve and understand its potential role to support its interests in both the U.S. and in China," said Machida. Robert O'Brien, Trump's former national security adviser, also has connections with Japanese officials, two of the sources said.

Persons: John Geddie, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, America's, Donald Trump, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden's, Trump, Xi, Kim Jong Un, they're, Ado Machida, Machida, Shinzo Abe, Aso, Japan's, Shigeo Yamada, Mike Pence, Jim Mattis, Mike Pompeo, Michael Green, Bill Hagerty, Yamada, Hagerty, Robert O'Brien, Trump's, O'Brien, Shigeru Kitamura, Biden, Tsuneo Watanabe, John Bolton, Watanabe, Yukiko Toyoda, Kaori Kaneko, Sakura Murakami, David Brunnstrom, Tim Reid, Ben Blanchard, Laurie Chen, Liz Lee, David Crawshaw Organizations: Trump, Republican, Group, North, Reuters, Fox News, U.S, Steel, Japan's Nippon Steel, U.S ., Liberal Democratic Party, . Studies, University of Sydney, Japan's U.S, Taiwan, Peace Foundation Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Asia, China, Beijing, Tokyo, Iowa, New Hampshire, U.S, Taiwan, Washington, Trump, Taipei

☆ Blinken to visit South Korea as North Korea, Russia deepen ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Seoul visit comes as the United States and South Korea, along with Japan, have condemned what they say is the supply of arms and military equipment by North Korea to Russia. North Korea is preparing to launch a spy satellite after having failed twice this year to put one in orbit. South Korea's spy agency said last week North Korea was in the final stages of preparations for the launch after apparently receiving technical assistance from Russia. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is also due to visit South Korea this week on a trip that will include Indonesia and India. In Washington, U.S. and South Korean officials held talks on North Korea's illicit cyber activities that they say fund its unlawful weapons programs, South Korea's foreign ministry said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Yoko Kamikawa, Toshifumi, military's Vandenberg, Defense Lloyd Austin, Austin, Soo, Choi, Ed Davies, Michael Perry Organizations: Japanese, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, South Korean, SpaceX, U.S, Defense, Blinken, United, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights SEOUL, Seoul, Russia, Blinken's, Asia, India, Israel, United States, South Korea, North Korea, Washington, North, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Korea, Moscow, Russia's, South, Indonesia, North Korean, Pacific, Washington , U.S, United Nations

☆ 19 Best Gifts for the Tea Lovers in Your Life
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Sarah Rose | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

For people who also drink coffeeSugar Wish The Coffee & Tea Sugarwish $45 at SugarwishThis Sugarwish coffee and tea gift box is a great option for anyone who loves coffee just as much as they love tea. Desains suggests a porcelain tea pot clad in stainless steel to keep a quality tea warm for hours. Alternately, make a tea concentrate by doubling the amount of tea leaves in hot tea, then pouring it over ice. For a twist on matchaIppodo Tea Genmaicha Green Tea $15 at AmazonIf you love matcha but want to try something new, you might enjoy this Genmaicha green tea from Ippodo Tea. It’s lighter than matcha and is made by blending green tea leaves with roasted rice, so it has a distinct flavor.

Persons: Sarah Rose, ”, “, Abigail St, Clair, St, Maria Uspenski, Tea Forte, Marmalade, Winter, Steve Schwartz, Ui, Kristen Chase, There’s, Ottilie Cunningham, Fortnum, Mason, Alex Monroe, Franck Desains, Waris, Elisabeth Noel Jones, Joshua Kaiser, Milwaukee’s Rishi, —, Cindy Sherman, Madame de Pompadour, French King Louis XV, Heidi Johannsen Stewart, Van, Brandon Friedman, Obama, ” Friedman, “ Matcha, Catherine Jue, Tekuno, Emeric Harney, Harney, ORLA KIELY, Ravi Kroesen, Smith, Orla Kiely, Jessie Dean, Katie Kitamura Organizations: Tea Bella Tea Company, Art, Mariages Freres, Desains, Amazon The, MET, Bellocq, Metropolitan Museum of, Amazon, 187th, Tea, Asheville Tea Company Locations: China, Tampa , Fla, Clair, Darjeeling, it’s, Boulder, Colo, chai In India, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Paris, Brooklyn, U.S, Iraq, Afghanistan, Dallas, San Francisco, New York, Portland ,, North Carolina

☆ Nomura quarterly profit doubles on Japanese stock market strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nomura's dominant position in Japan, where the stock market is trading at 33-year highs, helped it offset lethargic dealmaking and sluggish trading overseas. July-September profit came in at 35.2 billion yen ($235 million), rebounding from last year when a sharp downturn in global financial markets battered its asset management and investment banking businesses. This year, Japanese firms have been increasingly willing to embark on fundraising - either via equity or debt markets. As a result, Nomura's investment banking business saw a 19% increase in net revenue due to robust equity offerings and active dealmaking in Japan. "Encouraged by the strong stock market, Japanese companies are becoming more proactive in making investments for growth," Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura told a media briefing.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Takumi Kitamura, LSEG, Makiko Yamazaki, Jamie Freed, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Nomura Securities, REUTERS, Rights, Nomura Holdings, U.S . Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Fishermen and residents of Fukushima and five other prefectures along Japan’s northeastern coast filed a lawsuit Friday demanding a halt to the ongoing release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant melted after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed its cooling systems. “The intentional release to the sea is an intentional harmful act that adds to the (nuclear plant) accident," said another lawyer, Hiroyuki Kawai. He said the ocean is a public resource and it is unethical for a company to discharge wastewater into it. China banned all imports of Japanese seafood in response to the release, while Hong Kong and Macau suspended imports from 10 prefectures including Fukushima.

Persons: Kenjiro Kitamura, Hiroyuki Kawai, Fumio, Kishida Organizations: TOKYO, —, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Nuclear, Authority, TEPCO, International Atomic Energy Agency, Groups Locations: Fukushima, Tokyo, China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Indonesia

☆ The Wide World of Puppetry Converges on New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Laurel Graeber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Saturday, the festival will host a round-table discussion with Lee’s troupe, the Mettawee River Theater Company. “What I want people to experience while they’re here is that the world is whatever you decide to make it for yourself,” said Matthew Sorensen, who curated the shows of Lee’s work. And everywhere, Lee gave castoffs new life: Piano keys serve as puppet teeth, and can lids as eyes. An open mailbox becomes the head and jaws of a dragon; the ribs of a baby carriage form its body. Many, she added, illustrate Lee’s method of taking “what’s just right there” and “exploring what it can do.”

Persons: Lee, Henry Hudson, Brendan Schweda’s “ Barnacle Bill, ”, “, Ralph Lee’s, Ralph Lee, Matthew Sorensen, Kitamura ”, Casey Compton, Lee’s, “ what’s Organizations: Theater Company

☆ No Place Is Home, for the Immigrant Hero of This Debut Novel
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Katie Kitamura | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It becomes clear that there is a narrative explanation for the radical passivity of our protagonist. At first his nature seems akin to a reflective surface, a mirror held up to a world without sense. Instead, at home nowhere in particular, least of all in his own mind and persona, he sheds the constituent parts of his being, piece by piece. What initially seems like passivity becomes a kind of surrender, not least to the lure of obliteration. “I would never be able to find out why my life had been the way it was.

Persons: Cary Grant’s, ”, “, ” Binyam Locations: Unflappable, North, Northwest

☆ Japan's Nomura Q1 profit soars on strong domestic stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We had a market tailwind," Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura told a media briefing. Nomura's April-June profit came in at 23.33 billion yen ($163.42 million) versus 1.696 billion yen a year earlier, when fears of slowing global economic growth hit financial markets and forced investment portfolio writedowns at the Japanese firm. In contrast to the strong gains at the retail business, Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, posted a pretax profit of just 2.1 billion yen, down sharply from 25.3 billion yen a year earlier. The Bank of Japan's relaxation of its cap on bond yields last week could also be "a major tailwind" to its business, as it is likely to increase market volatility, he said. ($1 = 142.7600 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Takumi Kitamura, Nomura's, Kentaro Okuda, Kitamura, Makiko Yamazaki, Himani Sarkar, Mark Potter Organizations: Nomura Holdings Inc, of, Energy, NTT Group, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ The world’s most powerful passports for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The jiggling and jostling atop the global passport rankings for 2023 just got a little more interesting. And while Asia has long dominated the top of the leaderboard in the index created by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, Europe is bouncing back. The US, meanwhile, has dropped a further two places to eight spot, with access to a mere 183 destinations visa-free. The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ranks 199 passports worldwide. Estonia, Iceland (182 destinations)The worst passports to hold:Three countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 30 or fewer countries.

Persons: Japan’s, It’s, Cristian H, Kaelin, ”, Greg Lindsay, Japan's, TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA, Arton Capital’s, Armand Arton, that’s Organizations: CNN, Henley & Partners, Henley, International Air Transport Association, Partners, Citizens, Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Institute, Getty, United Nations, United Arab Emirates Locations: Japan, Singapore, Asia, London, Europe, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, UAE, Canada, AFP, Arton, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian, Territories, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Ireland, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Malta , New Zealand, Australia, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Iceland

☆ Some of the Books That Hernan Diaz Owns Surprise Even Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Scott, Deborah Eisenberg, Paul Yoon, Ottessa Moshfegh, Michael Ondaatje, Louise Erdrich, Colson Whitehead, Sigrid Nunez, Jean Strouse, Lorrie Moore. The novel contains four different books, written by different fictional authors in disparate genres and styles. “Trust” closes with a personal diary that is also a sort of a prose poem and a love letter to modernism. While writing this, I read and revisited authors as different as Jean Rhys, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Dawn Powell, Theodor Adorno and Gertrude Stein. Wodehouse section of my library and can report that I’ve read 29 of his books.

☆ Nomura's Q3 profit grows despite investment banking slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T), Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank, reported an 11% rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, as a partial stake sale in an affiliate offset a slump in investment banking. Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, logged a pretax loss of 1.9 billion yen ($14.58 million), its first loss since the April-June quarter of 2021. read moreEven as Nomura's investment banking business was underpinned by relatively solid dealmaking activity in Japan, it confirmed layoffs of bankers in Europe and Asia. Kitamura said the company would stick to its strategy of beefing up its investment banking business, however. ($1 = 130.3400 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Subhranshu Sahu and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAfter the dollar rose to 151.94 yen , its highest since 1990, the intervention drove the greenback down more than 7 yen to a low of 144.50 yen. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) intervened in several stages from around 9:35 p.m. (1235 GMT), one source said. Japan's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, also declined to say whether the MOF had intervened. Many market players doubt whether Tokyo can reverse the yen's downtrend with solo intervention, even with Japan's $1.33 trillion in foreign reserves. Japan bought a record 3.6 trillion yen ($24 billion) in the September action, Tokyo money market brokerage firms estimated.

After the dollar rose to 151.94 yen , its highest since 1990, the intervention drove the Japanese currency down more than 7 yen to a low of 144.50 yen. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe Ministry of Finance (MOF) intervened in several stages from around 9:35 p.m. (1235 GMT), one source said. Speaking to reporters shortly after the yen spiked, Japan's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, declined to comment on whether the MOF had intervened, according to Jiji news agency. Many market players doubt whether Tokyo can reverse the yen's downtrend with solo intervention, even with Japan's $1.33 trillion in foreign reserves. Japan bought a record 3.6 trillion yen ($24 billion) in the September action, Tokyo money market brokerage firms estimated.

☆ HSBC hires Goldman Sach's Ma to lead North Asia global banking
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermidHONG KONG, Sept 27 (Reuters) - HSBC has appointed Goldman Sachs partner Christina Ma as its head of global banking for North Asia, according to a memo seen by Reuters. Ma will join the bank after 21 years with Goldman Sachs , most recently as its head of Greater China equities. He will leave HSBC on Nov. 1 after 27 years with the bank. Ma will remain based in Hong Kong, and starts her new role in the first quarter of 2023, the memo said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Scott Murdoch; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken September 22, 2022. Almost a quarter of Japanese manufacturers' production is carried out overseas, according to the latest trade ministry data. The weak yen drives up the cost of acquiring businesses overseas, although that could be less of a concern for many cash-rich Japanese firms. At the same time, the weak yen makes Japanese companies cheaper targets for foreign buyers. For retailers, the weak yen has been particularly painful, as it drives up costs, including for energy and food.

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