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☆ Arsenal in better position than City, says Guardiola ahead of Community Shield
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

City, who won their first Champions League title in June, will kick off their 2023-24 season against runners-up Arsenal on Sunday in the traditional curtain-raiser to the Premier League season. "The situation that we are in, we finished (last season) two weeks later than Arsenal and we start (this season) two weeks later. Arsenal have bought a really good player," Guardiola said. Guardiola reiterated his desire to keep England defender Kyle Walker, who has a year left on his City contract, amid interest from German giants Bayern Munich. Guardiola said Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol, who is set to join City from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, is undergoing his medical test.

Persons: Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish, Kim Kyung, Mikel Arteta's, Guardiola, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Rice, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Kyle, Bernardo, Silva, Josko Gvardiol, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Soccer Football, Yokohama F Marinos, Manchester City, Japan, Manchester, Arsenal, Community, City, Champions League, FA, Premier League, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, West Ham United, Chelsea, Ajax Amsterdam, England, Bayern Munich, LaLiga, Barcelona, Croatia, Bundesliga, RB Leipzig, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, London, West, Portuguese, Bengaluru

☆ China's July services activity expands at quicker pace - Caixin PMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/FilesBEIJING, Aug 3 (Reuters) - China's services activity expanded at a slightly faster pace in July, supported by a jump in business in the summer travel season, a private-sector business survey showed on Thursday, partly offsetting the drag from the weak manufacturing sector. The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 54.1 in July from 53.9 in June, marking an expansion of business activity across the services sector for the seventh straight month. The data was in contrast to an official survey on Monday which showed services activity has continued to soften. Caixin/S&P's composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services activity, fell to 51.9 from 52.5 in June, marking the seventh straight month of expansion. "The uneven recovery of the services and manufacturing industries has been a prominent issue," economist Wang said.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Wang Zhe, Wu, Wang, Ellen Zhang, Ryan Woo Organizations: REUTERS, P Global, Authorities, Caixin Insight Group, Companies, PMI, Thomson Locations: Beijing, BEIJING, Hangzhou

☆ Stocks fall, Treasuries gain after Fitch downgrades US rating
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/file photoHONG KONG, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Asian stocks traded lower while U.S. Treasury yields declined on Wednesday, after ratings agency Fitch unexpectedly downgraded the United States' top-tier sovereign credit rating. Asian stocks were also weighed by declines on Wall Street overnight. Fitch cut the United States by one notch to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration, a decision announced after the Wall Street close on Tuesday. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields declined by about 2 basis points to 4.025% in Tokyo. The United States publishes fresh data on jobless claims and unemployment later this week.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Fitch, Hong Kong's, HSI, Manishi Raychaudhuri, counterintuitively, Steven Ricchiuto, Brent, Xie Yu, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Treasury, United, Japan's Nikkei, AAA, Asia, BNP Paribas, Standard, U.S ., Mizuho Securities, West Texas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, United States, Asia, ., U.S, China

[1/6] German tourist Kevin Khani and Austrian tourist Georg Riedlbaur use an automated translation window at the Seibu-Shinjuku station in Tokyo, Japan, July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File photoTOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - As Japan enjoys a post-pandemic resurgence in tourism from around the globe, Seibu Railway is testing out an automated translation window to help confused foreigners navigate one of Tokyo's most complex transportation hubs. Kevin Khani was among foreign travellers who got turned around in the Seibu-Shinjuku station recently and found the VoiceBiz window helpful. Across the road from the Seibu station is Shinjuku's central Japan Railway (JR) station, which is the busiest in the world, with some 3.6 million people passing through daily. Weary from a 1 a.m. flight arrival, French tourists Isabelle and Marc Rigaud used the translation window to try to find their way from the Seibu station to the JR station.

Persons: Kevin Khani, Georg Riedlbaur, Kim Kyung, Harry Potter, Ayano Yajima, Toppan, Isabelle, Marc Rigaud, Tom Bateman, Rocky Swift, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Seibu, REUTERS, Japan, Seibu Railway, Seibu Holdings, Kansai International, Japan Railway, Thomson Locations: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, United States, Europe, Seibu, Alibaba

SEOUL, July 28 (Reuters) - SK Innovation Co Ltd (096770.KS), owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, said on Friday it expects refining margins to gradually improve in the second half thanks to favourable market conditions backed by solid travel season demand. Analysts said SK Innovation's refining business had been hit by declines in refining margins and oil prices, while its battery business had continued generating losses due to costs related to its newly set up U.S. battery plants. SK Innovation's battery unit SK On, which was split off last year, accounted for about 20% of the company's revenue in the second quarter. SK Innovation said it expects its battery unit's profitability to improve in the second half thanks to the U.S. tax subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act. Shares of SK Innovation were trading down 0.9%, versus benchmark KOSPI's (.KS11) 0.5% fall at 0210 GMT.

Persons: Refinitiv SmartEstimate, Kim Kyunghoon, 1,282.8300, Heekyong Yang, Joyce Lee, Jamie Freed, Kim Coghill Organizations: SK Innovation Co, refiner SK Energy, Analysts, SK Innovation's, SK, SK Innovation, Ford Motor, Hyundai Motor, Chief, SK On's, LG Energy, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North America, Europe

☆ Silkworm sashimi, cricket curry on menu as bugs make a comeback in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Almond tofu with beetle larvae is pictured at Take-Noko cafe in Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) - On a recent vacation in Tokyo, Takumi Yamamoto opted for a special lunch of cricket curry and silkworm sashimi, washed down with a water bug cider. In particular, the water bug cider was quite refreshing and delicious, like a green apple." While some consumers think eating insects is just gross, Japan has a rich culinary history of insects as food. The delicate "sashimi" is the left-over casing of silkworms, and the cider is infused with water bug extract and topped with a whole insect, said to taste like shrimp.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hoon, Takumi Yamamoto, Yamamoto, Entomophagy, Michiko Miura, Miura, Takeo Saito, Saito, Rocky Swift, Tom Bateman, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, United, Grasshoppers, Nippon Telegraph, Telephone, Takeo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Hoon TOKYO, Hyogo, United Nations, silkworms, Pasco

☆ Nidec's acquisitive CEO hails new Japan rules aimed at making takeovers easier
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Nidec Corp's logo is pictured at an earnings results news conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 25, 2018. Nagamori welcomed the prospect of Japan becoming more receptive to unsolicited bids. Because unsolicited bids are seen as taboo, Nidec has typically focused on buying and turning around money-losing companies, he said, but "that takes time". In corporate Japan, unsolicited bids have been seen as too adversarial. he said, referring to Nidec's tender offer price with an 80% premium.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Shigenobu Nagamori, Nagamori, Nidec, Makiko Yamazaki, Miho Uranaka, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ Without fanfare or PR, Japanese anime master Miyazaki's likely final film opens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman takes a picture of a movie poster for Oscar-winning Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's film "How Do You Live?" outside a movie theatre in Tokyo, Japan, July 14, 2023. "I was really excited to see a Miyazaki movie," said Michiru Miyasato, an 18-year-old student who came to the first showing at a central Tokyo cinema. In a first for Miyazaki's films, which include "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbour Totoro," this one also has an IMAX release. "So I was really, really looking forward to it."

Persons: Oscar, Hayao Miyazaki's, Kim Kyung, Hoon, Hayao Miyazaki, Michiru Miyasato, Yumiko Kokubo, Toshio Suzuki, Mononoke, Miyazaki, Rens Takahashi, Elaine Lies, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Ghibli, Miyazaki, NHK, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Hoon TOKYO

[1/3] Pedestrians are reflected on a window of a commercial building at closing hour at a financial district in Tokyo, Japan, November 22, 2017. The number of activist funds has trebled over the last five years to 69, according to data from IR Japan. Joining a hedge fund where you might lose your job tomorrow because you lost money or didn't raise funds is a very foreign world for such workers." "Many global hedge funds are opening up Tokyo offices and hiring talent" to support a growing investment focus, said Masa Yanagisawa, head of prime services Japan at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo. Hong Kong-headquartered activist hedge fund Oasis Management has hired people in Japan this year, including a former senior regulatory official it appointed to its advisory council.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Warren Buffett, Stefan Nilsson, Masa Yanagisawa, Goldman Sachs, Seth Fischer, FinCity.Tokyo, Keiichi Aritomo, Toby Bartlett, Goldman's Yanagisawa, UBP, Cedric Le Berre, Xie Yu, Makiko Yamazaki, Scott Murdoch, David Dolan, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Global, Nikkei, Funds, Oasis Management, Oasis, Citadel, Citadel Securities, Nasdaq, May, Angel, Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, TOKYO, Hong Kong, Singapore, Swiss, China, Taiwan, Sydney

[1/6] A chef cooks tofu as he prepares a dish before the opening for dinner hour at Ukai, a traditional Japanese restaurant, in Tokyo, Japan, July 6, 2023. "There's no doubt rising wages and bonuses are among factors prodding customers to come dine with us despite the price hikes," said Ukai manager Yuka Hoshino. It is also drawing the attention of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), which is shifting away from its view the recent cost-driven inflation will prove temporary. "Japan is seeing early signs of progress in achieving inflation accompanied by higher wages," another source said, a view echoed by two more sources. The BOJ is changing its tone on the drivers of inflation and how they see progress made in sustainably hitting 2% inflation.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hiroki Wakita, Yuka Hoshino, Kazuo Ueda, Teikoku Databank, Akihito Sato, Shohei Kanai, Ryozo Himino, Seisaku Kameda, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Research, Workers, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, French, Ginza

'NOT ENDORSEMENT'International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi speaks at an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, July 7, 2023. Grossi said the IAEA's report did not amount to an endorsement of the plan and that Tokyo must take the final decision to release the water due to start later this summer. We say this plan is consistent with the standards," Grossi said. Grossi said he understood the concerns because "nothing identical" to this release had happened before. Reporting by Sakura Murakami and John Geddie in Tokyo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Japan's, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Liu Senlin, Liu, Kim Kyung, Hoon, I'm, Sakura Murakami, John Geddie, Jacqueline Wong, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Global Times, IAEA, Atomic Energy Agency, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, China's, Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Marshall Islands, South Korea, Russia, Britain, U.S, Vietnam, Tokyo, Japan, Hoon Beijing, Korea

☆ South Korea to issue soon response to Japan's Fukushima discharge plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A discharge outlet being constructed to release Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water into the sea stands in the water, at the disabled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoSEOUL, July 5 (Reuters) - South Korea will issue its own response as soon as possible after the U.N. nuclear watchdog approved Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima plant into the ocean, a government official said on Wednesday. Seoul would give its assessment of IAEA's examination of Japan's wastewater discharge plan when it announces its own review, Park said. South Korea's Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun said on Tuesday the country will not lift a ban on Japanese food products from the area around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant until public concern over contamination ease. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, now in Japan, will visit South Korea from July 7 to 9 to explain the organisation's findings on Japan's planned discharge of water.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Japan's, Chung Hwang, keun, Rafael Grossi, Soo, Choi, Ed Davies Organizations: Processing, REUTERS, International Atomic Energy Agency, South Korea's, IAEA, Korea's Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, SEOUL, South Korea, Seoul, Tokyo

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonSINGAPORE/LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - The yen was under pressure against most other major currencies on Wednesday, even as Japanese authorities said they could intervene to prop it up, while the Australian dollar dropped after data showed inflation eased in May. The U.S. dollar rose to 144.26 yen on Wednesday, a fresh seven-month high, while the euro climbed to a 15-year high of 157.98 yen. Meanwhile, the Australian dollar fell to a three-week low of $0.6618 after the local consumer price inflation rate slowed to a 13-month low in May. It was last down 0.78% at $0.6634, and the neighbouring New Zealand dollar fell 1.17% to $0.6090, its biggest daily fall in a month. A measure of core inflation in Australia also cooled, in a sign interest rates might not have to rise again in July.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Masato Kanda, Lee Hardman, Jerome Powell, Andrew Bailey, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda, Ankur Banerjee, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jamie Freed, Emelia Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Hoon, U.S, MUFG, New Zealand, Traders, Bank's, U.S . Federal, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Hoon SINGAPORE, LONDON, Australia, Europe, U.S, Singapore

☆ US stock futures tip lower, yen stumbles and euro shines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Nell Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

“Maybe we’ll see some successes on inflation here and there, but it just won’t be enough,” said Rossiter. European inflation and rate hike hints from the Portugal meeting were also a focus for Tim Graf, head of EMEA macro strategy at State Street Global Advisors. “Recession probability models in the U.S. project a 55-70% to 65-70% probability we’ll get a recession in the next 12 months. Markets imply a 90% probability of an ECB rate hike to 3.75% in July and a peak around 4.0%. That underpinned the euro against the dollar at $1.095, while keeping it near a 15-year peak of 157.98 yen.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Kim Kyung, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda, ”, James Rossiter, Rossiter, Martins Kazaks, Tim Graf, they’re, we’ve, it’s, Graf, Masato Kanda, Brent Organizations: Federal, National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Nvidia, Wall Street Journal, Commerce Department, Treasury, European Central Bank, TD Securities, ECB, Street Global Advisors, U.S . Locations: China, Tokyo, Japan, Portugal, “, Europe, London, U.S

☆ Asia shares subdued, yen shunned as euro shines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

“The data indicated a firmer pace of residential, inventory, and equipment investment in the second quarter,” wrote analysts at Goldman Sachs. Markets imply a 90% probability of an ECB rate hike to 3.75% in July and a peak around 4.0%. That underpinned the euro at $1.0950, while keeping it near a 15-year peak of 157.97 yen. The dollar had hit a near eight-month top of 144.18 yen, before easing back to 143.96 as Japanese officials again protested against the yen’s weakness. Yet, a rally in the yen looks unlikely while the Bank of Japan maintains its super-easy monetary policy.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda, ”, Advantest, Goldman Sachs, “, Masato Kanda, Ueda’s, Carol Kong, Brent firmed Organizations: SYDNEY, National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, European Central Bank, ECB, ANZ, Wall, Journal, Nvidia, Nikkei, Chip, Tokyo, Federal Reserve, CBA Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Portugal, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Beijing, Washington, China, Europe

☆ Asia shares hesitant, yen slide stokes intervention risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Markets imply a 90% probability of a rate hike to 3.75% in July and a peak around 4.0%. The euro responded by climbing to $1.0957, while surging on the low-yielding yen to a 15-year peak of 157.97. The dollar rose to a near eight-month peak of 144.18 yen, before easing back to 143.87 as Japanese officials again protested the weakness in the yen. Yet, a rally in the yen looks unlikely while the Bank of Japan maintains its super-easy monetary policy. “So we now see a higher risk Japanese authorities will step into the market to prop up the JPY.”In commodities, gold steadied at $1,915 an ounce, after finding support at the recent three-month low of $1,909.99.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda, ”, Goldman Sachs, “, Masato Kanda, Ueda’s, Carol Kong, Brent firmed Organizations: SYDNEY, National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, European Central Bank, ECB, ANZ, Japan’s Nikkei, Nasdaq, Wall, Washington, Nvidia, Federal Reserve, CBA Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Portugal, U.S, Asia, Pacific, China, Europe

☆ Dancing cyborgs: Japanese researchers develop robot arms to 'unlock creativity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Staff members control the robot arm control unit which is synced with wearable robot arms "Jizai Arms" which Masahiko Inami of the University of Tokyo wears during its demonstration at the school's lab in Tokyo, Japan, June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - What would society look like if cyborg body parts were freely available for use like roadside rental bicycles? Masahiko Inami's team at the University of Tokyo have sought to find out by creating wearable robotic arms. A promotional video for the "Jizai Arms" shows two ballet dancers performing a routine with robotic arms protruding from their backs and torsos - human and machine moving in concert. Reporting by Anton Bridge and Tom Bateman; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Masahiko Inami, Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, Masahiko Inami's, Inami, Yasunari Kawabata, Anton Bridge, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Stephen Coates Organizations: Staff, University of Tokyo, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Tokyo residents find comfort in fluffy, street-strolling alpacas
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Chris Gallagher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Alpaca Fureai Land's Shinya Ide and Shion Ito walk alpacas Akane and Satsuki in the early morning in Tokyo, Japan June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, June 22 (Reuters) - The quiet of early morning streets in one downtown Tokyo neighbourhood is broken by joggers, parents with children in strollers - and a pair of alpacas, out for their daily constitutional walk. Manager Shinya Ide (no relation) says the secret to the 5-year-old alpacas' appeal is that looking at them is comforting, and petting them even more soothing. "Alpacas are naturally very nervous and timid animals, so when people approach them, they may spit or run away, making them difficult animals to interact with," he added. "But these two are trained and have naturally laid-back personalities, so they are accustomed to people now and interact well."

Persons: Land's Shinya Ide, Shion Ito, Akane, Satsuki, Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, joggers, Nana Ide, Shinya Ide, Chris Gallagher, Elaine Lies, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, strollers, South America

But there's very high uncertainty on next year's wage negotiations and the sustainability of wage growth," Governor Kazuo Ueda told a briefing. The BOJ's decision contrasts sharply with that of the European Central Bank, which raised borrowing costs to a 22-year high on Thursday. NOT ENTIRELY DOVISHBank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda speaks at a group interview with media in Tokyo, Japan, May 25, 2023. The yen's recent decline could also heighten calls from politicians for the BOJ to tweak YCC, as it squeezes households and retailers by pushing up raw material import costs. "But it may be forced to act if the yen weakens further and drives up import costs, angering the public.

Persons: Ueda, Kazuo Ueda, Kim Kyung, We've, Izuru Kato, Leika Kihara, Kantaro Komiya, Sam Holmes, Kim Coghill Organizations: Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, REUTERS, Companies, Totan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Bank, Tokyo, Japan

[1/10] Spectators watch a match at All Together Again Pro Wrestling event in Tokyo, Japan, June 9, 2023. AEW founder Tony Khan said 65,000 tickets have already been sold for the Wembley show, and "it would be a huge benefit to AEW if there is participation from New Japan Pro Wrestling and some of their top stars in the event." The scripted and often ridiculous spectacle of pro wrestling is a serious player in the entertainment sector. New Japan President Takami Ohbari said teaming with AEW would give the companies more of a fighting chance against a merged WWE and UFC operator Endeavor Group (EDR.N). "It's really mutually beneficial in terms of the global expansion for New Japan and also for AEW," Ohbari said.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, Tony Khan, Khan, Brandon Thurston, Wrestlenomics, grappler, Antonio Inoki, Takami Ohbari, AEW, It's, Ohbari, Rocky Swift, Miyoung Kim, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Elite, Wembley, World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, UFC, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Reuters, New, Garden, Endeavor, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Jacksonville , Florida, New Japan, Toronto, U.S, New York's, Britain

☆ For Gen Z in Japan, a smile is worth $55. Hour-long classes aim to teach students how to smile again without a mask.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Amanda Goh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After getting used to wearing masks, Gen Z Japanese students are taking classes to learn how to smile. A private, hour-long smiling lesson with Kawano costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon"People have not been raising their cheeks under a mask or trying to smile much," Kawano told the New York Times in early May. "People train their body muscles, but not their faces," Kawano told the Times. A private, hour-long lesson with her costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55, per Reuters.

Persons: Gen, Keiko Kawano, —, Himawari Yoshida, Kim Kyung, Kawano, Yoshida, Yamaguchi Organizations: Service, Reuters, Sokei Art School, REUTERS, New York Times, Kawano, Smile, IBM Japan, Times, NHK, Chuo University Department of Psychology Locations: Japan, Tokyo

[1/5] A student practices smiling with a mirror at a smile training course at Sokei Art School in Tokyo, Japan, May 30, 2023. Only 8% said they had stopped wearing masks altogether. Tellingly, roughly a quarter of the art school students who took the class kept their masks on during the lesson. Her trademarked "Hollywood Style Smiling Technique" method comprises "crescent eyes", "round cheeks" and shaping the edges of the mouth to bare eight pearly whites in the upper row. With a surge in inbound tourists, Japanese people need to communicate with foreigners with more than just their eyes, she added.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, Keiko Kawano's, Himawari Yoshida, Young, Kawano, Anton Bridge, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Sokei Art School, REUTERS, NHK, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

[1/5] TANAKA whose real name is Kim Kyung-wook, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, May 16, 2023. Now Kim exemplifies the changing attitudes of young Koreans as ties with Japan thaw. DEMAND REBOUNDThe quarrels are being left behind as the enthusiasm of young Koreans fuels a sharp rebound in demand for Japanese consumer products. That compared with a 90% drop in imports of Japanese beer in 2019, when the intensifying feuds made it an early target of a sweeping boycott. "China is clearly less preferred than countries like the United States and Japan," Kim said, citing Beijing's curbs on freedom in Hong Kong and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persons: TANAKA, Kim Kyung, Kim Hong, Ji, Jeong, Tanaka, idolises, I've, it's, Kim, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, James Kim, Hyonhee Shin, Heekyong Yang, Jimin Jung, Daewoung Kim, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, South, Korea's, Relations, Asahi Group Holdings, Costco, Hankook Research, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, South Korean, Japan, Tokyo, Korean, China, Russia, North Korea, United States, Hong Kong

☆ Very few U.S.-China flights are back despite the end of Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Previously, the only regular direct flights by Chinese carriers between mainland China and New York since the pandemic were from Shanghai and Guangzhou. Flights of Air China are parked on the tarmac of Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, March 28, 2016. watch nowIn March, Delta announced it resumed direct flights between the U.S. and China — from Shanghai to Seattle and Detroit. Overall, mainland China's international flights remains below 40% of 2019 levels, the Nomura report said. The analysts expect that level to pick up to 70% by the end of the year as international flights recover around the summer holiday season.

Persons: Nomura, Ting Lu, Kim Kyung Hoon Organizations: China, U.S, Air, U.S . Department of Transportation, Beijing Capital International Airport, Reuters, American Airlines, Delta Locations: BEIJING, U.S, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Variflight, Middle East, Iran, Beijing, Ukraine, Air China, New York, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Los Angeles, Delta, United, Seattle, Detroit

Japan's Kioxia and U.S. chipmaker Western Digital have been hit hard by plunging market demand and oversupply. Combining their flash memory businesses could boost competitiveness against rivals like South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS). Western Digital did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Kioxia, previously Toshiba Memory, was sold by Toshiba Corp (6502.T) in 2018 to a consortium led by Bain Capital for $18 billion. Kioxia and Western Digital were in merger talks in 2021 before the negotiations stalled over a series of issues including valuation discrepancies.

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