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☆ Analysis: Kuroda's abrupt policy tweak opens door for bigger shift next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Waiting until next year would have forced the BOJ to combat intensifying market speculation of a near-term policy shift, or act when a deep U.S. recession could hit Japan's economy, they say. "When uncertainty is so high over the outlook for U.S. monetary policy, it probably wants to have a free hand on when next to act." POLITICS KEY TRIGGERThe abrupt timing of Tuesday's move also reflects growing political pressure for the BOJ to shift away from a policy narrowly focused on its 2% inflation target, the sources say. Hours before he met Kishida, Kuroda explained in parliament a framework on how the BOJ could exit ultra-easy policy in the future. Another dovish board member, Asahi Noguchi, also said earlier this month it "won't be surprising" for the BOJ to shift monetary policy.

☆ Kirin seeks more North American craft beer factories after strong growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Miho Uranaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Kirin Holdings (2503.T), Japan's second-largest brewer, is looking to buy factory facilities in North America to maintain strong growth in the region's craft beer market, its chief executive said. Kirin has seen sales volumes in the North American craft beer market climb by double-digit percentage figures since acquiring Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing in 2019 and Bell's Brewery in Michigan in 2021. "Our craft beer business in North America is on a roll," CEO Yoshinori Isozaki said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. North American craft beer is also now the company's most profitable segment among global businesses that span everything from whisky to probiotic health drinks, he added, without disclosing profit margins. Kirin had craft beer sales of about 60 billion yen ($454 million) in the year ended in March, accounting for 3% of global sales.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ As Kuroda bows out, Bank of Japan's rising hawks eye end to unloved yield cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

PUBLIC DISCONTENTAfter a tumultuous year for the world's third-largest economy, Japan's central bank and its leadership face a critical moment. While ruling out the need to ditch the yield cap now, Takata recently said he saw positive developments in wage growth. "The BOJ must start worrying about the possibility of inflation accelerating more than expected," he told Reuters, adding the BOJ may abandon its yield cap as early as next year. Such a reaction was seen in March when the BOJ was forced to pledge unlimited bond buying to defend its yield cap from speculative market attacks. "That's why the BOJ won't provide advance signals and remove the yield cap in a single step."

☆ BOJ to keep ultra-low rates, hold fire until global outlook clearer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Markets are rife with speculation that the BOJ will adjust its policy when Kuroda's second, five-year term ends in April. CONTENT WITH STATUS QUOAmid uncertainty over the global outlook and pace of Japanese wage rises, the BOJ is content with maintaining the status quo for now, the sources said. The BOJ expects the inflation rate to slow below its target next year because cost pressure will dissipate. Any chance of a BOJ policy adjustment will disappear if the Fed fails to tame inflation without pushing the U.S. economy into deep recession, analysts say. "But the BOJ will probably find it hard to phase out stimulus if the global economy is in bad shape," he said.

☆ Investors revive wagers on Bank of Japan policy change
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Junko Fujita | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Global investors are short-selling Japanese bonds and driving its other market yields higher, reviving bets that the Bank of Japan will need to tweak its ultra-easy monetary policy sooner rather than later. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has repeatedly stressed the need to persist with the bank's unique yield-curve-control policy, which makes Japan an outlier among major central banks aggressively tightening policy to combat inflation. Japan swaps vs yieldsKuroda has said policy will not change until the recent cost-push inflation is accompanied by higher growth in wages. "The central bank may tweak its YCC before March. There should be an event weight it doesn’t have at the moment," says Malcolm, while making clear UBS does not expect any policy change for at least another year.

☆ Japan wins plaudits for World Cup shocks and fans cleaning up in stadiums
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( John Sinnott | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Japan bids the World Cup farewell after its World Cup last-16 penalty shootout defeat by Croatia on Monday, but the team and its fans left lasting memories that won the Asian nation plenty of plaudits in Qatar and across the watching world. After the win over Germany, Japan’s players cleaned up their dressing room, leaving it looking immaculate. Japan supporters celebrate the team's World Cup Group E win against Spain. Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images‘Good vibes’Before Monday’s last-16 match against Japan, Croatia midfielder Lovro Majer had paid tribute to what the Samurai Blue had done at this World Cup. “We beat Germany and Spain – both World Cup champions,” said Japan coach coach Hajime Moriyasu, according to Reuters, after Monday’s loss to Croatia.

☆ Marketmind: Stop making sense
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] The Federal Reserve building is seen in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2022. "It makes sense to moderate the pace of our rate increases as we approach the level of restraint that will be sufficient to bring inflation down," Powell said. Perhaps not, but markets are moving ahead with an assumption we're nearly there. European futures indicate stocks in the region will spike higher, tracking Asian equities, which were tracking Wall Street. "To promote wage growth, the BOJ needs to patiently maintain its current monetary easing."

☆ Czech pubs tap tech in bid to save energy costs on beer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Czech pubs are turning to technology to reduce the cost of putting glasses of beer on the bar for thirsty locals. With Czechs among the biggest beer drinkers in the world, brewer Plzensky Prazdroj plans to install sensors which will collect data on beer flow, as well as tube and tap temperatures. Plzensky Prazdroj hopes that by making adjustments its pubs will save up to 30% of the energy needed for cooling and tapping their beer, a goal made more pressing by rising energy costs. The system uses Internet of Drinks solutions by start-up firm Smart Technology, which uses ultrasound metering and provides information on the amount of beer tapped, sanitation intervals and the state of the cooling system. At Prague's Katr pub, where the system is already in use, manager Michal Reznicek is hoping for an impact on rising costs, which are impacting beer, food and staff.

☆ Japanese prime minister under pressure over campaign expenditure report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday his office in western Hiroshima prefecture had found errors in receipts attached to a campaign expenditure report, after a magazine reported possible violations of election funding laws. The allegations are another blow to the prime minister, who has seen three cabinet minister quit within a month and whose public support is currently around 30% in recent polls, a level that may make it difficult for him to carry out his agenda. Weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun published a report on Tuesday saying Kishida's office had submitted 94 receipts in its campaign expenditure report with no addressee or description, which could amount to breaches of election funding laws. "I have instructed my office to make sure similar errors like this don't happen in the future," Kishida told reporters. The person in charge had filled in the items on the expenditure report but had overlooked adding the details into the attached receipts, he added.

☆ Sapporo Holdings investor 3D writes to external directors seeking overhaul -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Cans of Sapporo Holdings' beer are aligned during a photo opportunity at the company's lobby in Tokyo February 16, 2011. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoTOKYO (Reuters) - Sapporo Holdings Ltd investor 3D Investment Partners has reached out to the Japanese beer maker’s five external directors seeking major changes in an attempt to improve its performance, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. Unhappy with Sapporo’s low profit margins and return on equity, the Singapore-based fund has asked the five outside directors to postpone the announcement of a new business plan scheduled on Wednesday, among other requests, the paper said. 3D Investment Partners and Sapporo Holdings declined to comment on the report. In a letter to the directors dated Nov. 3, the fund noted that Sapporo Holdings had failed to meet its sales target during the past 15 years, and that its return on equity (ROE) averaged 2% in the past five years - far lower than rivals Kirin Holdings’s 14% and Asahi Group Holdings’s 11%, the Nikkei said.

☆ Sapporo Holdings investor 3D writes to external directors seeking overhaul, Nikkei reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Sapporo Holdings Ltd (2501.T) investor 3D Investment Partners has reached out to the Japanese beer maker's five external directors seeking major changes in an attempt to improve its performance, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. Unhappy with Sapporo's low profit margins and return on equity, the Singapore-based fund has asked the five outside directors to postpone the announcement of a new business plan scheduled on Wednesday, among other requests, the paper said. 3D Investment Partners and Sapporo Holdings declined to comment on the report. In a letter to the directors dated Nov. 3, the fund noted that Sapporo Holdings had failed to meet its sales target during the past 15 years, and that its return on equity (ROE) averaged 2% in the past five years - far lower than rivals Kirin Holdings's (2503.T) 14% and Asahi Group Holdings's (2502.T) 11%, the Nikkei said. Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Wages, not yen, key to when Japan shifts away from ultra low rates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Japan to finally see a positive wage-inflation cycle kick off," said one of the sources. Were the BOJ to tweak YCC, the most likely first step would be either to hike the 10-year yield target, or widen the implicit 50-basis-point band set around it. LOW RATES NOT FOREVERThe BOJ rules out using rate hikes to stem yen falls, as Japanese law gives the government, not the central bank, jurisdiction over exchange-rate policy. In April, dovish board member Asahi Noguchi said wages must rise by nearly 3% for the BOJ to tweak its ultra-loose policy. Yields on super-long bonds have risen to multi-year highs despite the BOJ's aggressive bond buying, casting doubt on the effectiveness of YCC.

A portrait of Shinzo Abe hangs above the stage during the state funeral for Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe on September 27, 2022 at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Several current and former heads of state visited Japan for the state funeral of Abe, who was assassinated in July while campaigning on a street. read moreIn one part of downtown Tokyo, protesters waved signs and chanted "No state funeral" to the tune of a guitar. DIVISIVE FIGUREJapan's longest-serving prime minister was a divisive figure who was dogged by scandals. read moreThe state funeral for Abe, who received a private funeral days after his assassination, was the first for an ex-premier since one in 1967 for former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.

☆ Japanese man sets himself on fire in apparent protest at former PM state funeral - media
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERSTOKYO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office on Wednesday in an apparent protest of the government's decision to hold a state funeral for former premier Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated earlier this year, TV Asahi reported. A letter opposing Abe's state funeral was found nearby, media added. His state funeral is set for Sept. 27, with some 6,000 people from Japan and overseas set to take part. The suspect in Abe's death has said the church bankrupted his mother and he felt the former prime minister supported it. Public sentiment was narrowly in favour of a state funeral at the time it was announced, shortly after Abe's death, but opinion has shifted sharply.

An employee carries Bira beer cans to deliver them to a customer at a liquor store in Mumbai, India March 23, 2018. Started in 2015, Bira is one of India's most popular craft beer makers. It competes with international brands such as Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) as well as Heineken-owned (HEIN.AS) United Breweries (UBBW.NS) in India's estimated $5 billion beer market. Kirin owns a stake in New York's Brooklyn Brewery, and its subsidiary owns U.S.-based craft beer makers New Belgium Brewing and Bell's Brewery. With five breweries in India, Bira says its beer is available in 500 towns and cities in 15 countries.

Researchers in Japan are working on masks that glow if they detect the coronavirus. The masks glow under ultraviolet light if they come into contact with the virus. The team has been using ostrich eggs to work on developing the masks. If the coronavirus is present, this will cause the filter to glow under ultraviolet light. In a small study of 32 people who all had coronavirus, all of their masks glowed under ultraviolet light.

☆ Накануне Олимпиады в Токио введут чрезвычайное положение
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-07 | by ( Mld Media Srl | Степанов Георгий | ) noi.md time to read: 1 min

Правительство Японии планирует объявить чрезвычайное положение в Токио для борьбы с новой пандемией коронавируса. По информации источников, чрезвычайное положение будет действовать до 22 августа, тогда как окончание карантина приходится на 11 июля. Решение было принято на заседании, которое состоялось 7 июля при участии премьер-министра Японии. Вероятно, чрезвычайное положение повлияет на решение о зрителях на Олимпиаде в Токио. Предыстория:Олимпийские игры в Токио (Япония) должны были состояться с 24 июля по 9 августа 2020 года, но их перенесли на 2021 год из-за пандемии коронавируса, несмотря на все приготовления.

Locations: Япония, Токио

☆ Unul dintre partenerii oficiali ai JO de la Tokyo cere anularea lor, din cauza pandemiei de COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-26 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Asociațiile de medici au protestat față de organizarea Jocurilor, investitorii au discutat despre avantajele pe care le au la dispoziție, iar oamenii de afaceri neobișnuiți precum Masayoshi Son au cerut anularea jocurilor. Câteva dintre cele mai importante cotidiene japoneze, precum Nikkei, Mainichi și Yomiuri, sunt, de asemenea, parteneri oficiali Tokyo 2020. Editorialul lui Asahi a fost larg distribuit intens pe rețelele de socializare. "Olimpiada se va desfășura, chiar și fără spectatori ... Odată ce începe, toată lumea se va bucura", a spus el. Puțin peste 5% din populație a fost vaccinată și a înregistrat aproximativ 719.000 de infecții și 12.394 de decese.

Persons: Asahi, Yamamoto, Shinzo Abe, Reuters Organizations: Partidul Liberal Democrat, Tokyo, Partidului Liberal Democrat Locations: Tokyo, Japonia

☆ Japonezii au ieşit în gară, ca să blocheze desfăşurarea Jocurilor Olimpice de la Tokyo
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-18 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Aproximativ 30 de protestatari s-au adunat cu pancarte şi au scandat împotriva susţinerii jocurilor olimpice într-o gară din Tokyo. Aceştia au reacţionat după ce preşedintele Comitetului Olimpic Internaţional, Thomas Bach, şi-a anulat vizita în Japonia după ce cazurile de infectări cu COVID s-au înmulţit. Hiroshi Hoshino, un protestatar în vârstă de 71 de ani spune că acest fapt demonstrează gravitatea situației, scrie Mediafax. ”Dacă Bach nu vine, asta înseamnă că este o situaţie în care nu pote să apară, asta atestă că suntem într-o situaţie de urgenţă”. Într-un interviu pentru CNN, CEO-ul companiei Rakuten a protestat împotriva decizie guvernului nipon de a permite disputatea Jocurilor Olimpice de Vară.

Persons: Aceştia, Thomas Bach, Hiroshi Hoshino, Bach, Nemulţumirea, CNN, Rakuten Organizations: Olimpic Internaţional, Mediafax Locations: Tokyo, Japonia, nipon

☆ Японцы вышли на улицы в знак протеста против проведения Олимпиады
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-18 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: +1 min

Японцы вышли на улицы, чтобы заблокировать проведение Олимпийских игр в Токио. Около 30 демонстрантов собрались с плакатами и скандировали лозунги против проведения Олимпийских игр на вокзале в Токио. Такая реакция жителей страны последовала после того, как президент Международного олимпийского комитета Томас Бах отменил свой визит в Японию из-за увеличения числа случаев заражения COVID. В Японии, по последним данным, зарегистрировано более 600 000 случаев заражения и более 11 500 случаев смерти. В интервью CNN генеральный директор Rakuten выразил протест против решения правительства Японии разрешить проведение летних Олимпийских игр.

Persons: Томас Бах, Хироши Хосино Organizations: Международный олимпийский комитет Locations: Токио, Япония

☆ Число японцев выступающих за отмену Олимпиады растет
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-17 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: +1 min

Больше всего противников летней Олимпиады среди пожилых японцев в возрасте старше 60 лет - 54%. По меньшей мере 43% японцев считают целесообразным отменить летние Олимпийские игры в Токио из-за ситуации с пандемией коронавирусной инфекции. В апреле и марте вариант отмены Олимпиады поддерживали 35 и 33% опрошенных соответственно. При этом количество жителей Японии, которые выступают за проведение Игр этим летом, сократилось за месяц в два раза с 28 до 14%. При этом количество жителей Японии, поддерживающих стремление правительства и оргкомитета провести Игры этим летом, сократилось за месяц в два раза с 28 до 14%.

Locations: Токио, Япония

☆ Primul caz de infectare cu coronavirus în cadrul ştafetei flăcării olimpice din Japonia
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-22 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Organizatorii Jocurilor Olimpice de la Tokyo au semnalat joi primul caz de infectare cu coronavirus în cadrul ştafetei flăcării olimpice care are loc în Japonia, în timp ce pandemia continuă să perturbe pregătirile în vederea acestui eveniment sportiv planetar, informează AFP.Responsabilii comitetului Tokyo-2020 au precizat că un bărbat în vârstă de 30 de ani, are a participat la ştafeta de pe insula Shikoku (vestul ţării), a fost testat pozitiv la Covid-19, fără a specifica însă rolul sau identitatea acestuia, scrie agerpres.ro Aceştia s-au angajat să colaboreze cu autorităţile medicale pentru "a lua măsurile de precauţie necesare în vederea organizării unei ştafete sigure a flăcării", după ce Jocurile Olimpice din capitala Japoniei au fost amânate cu un an din cauza pandemiei, urmând să debuteze acum pe 23 iulie.Acesta este primul caz raportat în legătură cu ştafeta flăcării olimpice, la care a fost interzis accesul publicului în unele zone, de teama răspândirii virusului.Oraşul Kyoto este ultimul care şi-a exprimat reticenţa puternică, mass-media locală anunţând că oficialii din acest oraş vor cere ca ştafeta să nu aibă loc pe drumurile publice.Potrivit ziarului Asahi, Kyoto ar putea propune organizarea ştafetei în interiorul Castelului Nijo, un sit inclus Patrimoniului Mondial UNESCO.Săptămâna trecută, flacăra a fost purtată pe un traseu închis, într-un parc din apropiere de Osaka, la care publicul nu a avut acces.Okinawa, din sudul Japoniei, Matsuyama, oraş din vestul Japoniei, au anulat de asemenea ştafeta flăcării olimpice, din cauza creşterii numărului de cazuri de Covid-19.Organizatorii insista asupra faptului că ştafeta, care implică aproximativ 10.000 de alegători care traversează cele 47 de departamente japoneze, poate avea loc în condiţii de siguranţă, în conformitate cu reguli antivirus foarte stricte. Aceştia au avertizat că părţi ale ştafetei ar putea fi suspendare dacă se adună prea mulţi spectatori într-un singur loc.Ştafeta a început pe 25 martie la Fukushima (nord-estul ţării),iar spectatorii nu au fost autorizaţi să asiste la ceremonia organizată înaintea startului şi nici la prima etapă.Japonia se confrunta în prezent cu un nou val de infectări cu Covid-19, iar o nouă stare de urgenţă ar putea fi declarată vineri în unele departamente, inclusiv Tokyo şi Osaka.

Persons: agerpres.ro, Aceştia Locations: Tokyo, Japonia, Shikoku, ţării, Japoniei, Kyoto, Nijo, Osaka, Matsuyama, Fukushima

☆ В Северной Корее начали использовать российскую вакцину
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-15 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: 1 min

Северная Корея закупила российскую вакцину от коронавируса «Спутник V», а также китайское диагностическое оборудование, включая термографы. Об этом японской газете Asahi рассказали источники в южнокорейской разведке и китайском бизнесе. Термографы были установлены на границе между Китаем и КНДР с целью постепенного возобновления экономической деятельности между странами, передает lenta.ru. О вакцинации лидера КНДР Ким Чен Ына пока не сообщалось. В Северной Корее намерены полностью убедиться в безопасности вещества перед тем, как высший руководитель страны сделает прививку.

Persons: Ким Чен Ына Organizations: Трудовая партия Locations: Северная Корея, Китай, КНДР, Корея

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