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☆ Shares of Japan's Nintendo, SoftBank and Sharp tumble after earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Nintendo dropped 6% after the maker of the Switch video game console reported lower sales and profit and cut its full-year outlook. Nintendo shares were on track for their biggest one-day loss since November. SoftBank shares fell 6.2% after it reported a quarterly loss, hit by its massive Vision Fund investment unit, which fell into the red for the fourth straight quarter. Nintendo is struggling with softer sales for the ageing Switch, while SoftBank has seen valuations weaken for its sprawling tech portfolio. "The Nintendo Switch is now a six-year-old console and demand is now exhausted," analyst Mark Chadwick said on Smartkarma.

☆ Paris Club creditors give assurances to back IMF bailout for Sri Lanka
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A woman buys vegetables from a vendor at a market in the rampant food inflation, amid Sri Lanka's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 30 , 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonFeb 7 (Reuters) - The Paris Club of creditors has given financing assurances to support the International Monetary Fund's approval of an extended fund facility for Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan president's office said on Tuesday. The financing assurances from the Paris Club, which includes Japan - Sri Lanka's second biggest bilateral lender - was previously reported by Reuters. "Members further expressed appreciation for the specific and credible financing assurances issued by India on Jan. 16, 2023 and its coordination with the Paris Club," the group's statement added. Sri Lanka has to restructure debt payments of about $13 billion on 11 international bonds.

[1/5] Hyper realistic flesh-like objects created by Masataka Shishido, also known as DJ Doooo, are displayed at his home, during a photo opportunity in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan January 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonFeb 6 (Reuters) - A Japanese DJ has found a new calling making freaky flesh-like accessories such as severed finger ink stamps, pendants with blinking eyes and purses with gaping mouths and stubble, inspired by horror movie special effects. "Once people learnt that it's an artwork with some specific function, they started saying that it's cute and interesting." He draws the designs by hand before a Tokyo studio called Amazing Studio JUR takes up to two months to turn the concept into reality. American rapper Lil Yachty posted a video of himself clutching one of his blinking balls on social media in 2021.

☆ Japan PM Kishida rebukes aide over same-sex couple outburst
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"His comments are outrageous and completely incompatible with the administration's policies," Kishida said in remarks aired by public broadcaster NHK. Kisihida said he may dismiss Arai, who later apologized for "misleading" comments made after Kishida had said in parliament that same-sex marriage needed careful consideration because of its potential impact on the family structure. Arai's comments are an embarrassment for Kishida as he prepares to host other leaders from Group of Seven nations in May. In a survey published by NHK in July 2021, two months before Kishida became prime minister, 57% of 1,508 respondents said they supported the legal recognition of same-sex unions. In November, a Tokyo court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage, but also said a lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights.

☆ Honda issues 'Do Not Drive' warning for 8,200 U.S. vehicles over air bag risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonWASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co (7267.T) on Friday issued a "Do Not Drive" warning for 8,200 model year Acura and Honda vehicles with unrepaired Takata air bag inflators in the United States. The urgent warning covers various 2001-2003 model year Honda Accord, Civic CR-V and Odyssey, Pilot and Acura 3.2CL and 3.2 TL vehicles with so-called "Alpha" inflators. More than 30 deaths worldwide - including at least 23 U.S. fatalities - and hundreds of injuries in various automakers' vehicles since 2009 are linked to Takata air bag inflators that can explode, unleashing potentially deadly metal shrapnel inside vehicles. NHTSA said last month a February death of the driver of a 2002 Accord in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was due to a faulty air bag inflator. In November, Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLA.MI) urged owners of 276,000 older U.S. vehicles to immediately stop driving after three crash deaths tied to faulty Takata air bag inflators were reported.

[1/2] Men walk past an electric board displaying Nikkei and other countries' indexes outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan January 16, 2023. After $14 trillion was wiped off world shares in 2022, $4 trillion has been added back this month. "Markets are in this Goldilocks-scenario of OK growth, slowing inflation and softer monetary policy," said Richard Dias, founder of London-based investment consultancy Acorn Macro. Major central banks have added almost 3,000 basis points to global borrowing costs in this tightening cycle to date. "We've had a monumental rally in government bonds based on expectations we've reached the peak in interest rates," he said.

☆ Tokyo booms for shareholder-relations advisers as activists raise pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Men walk past an electric board displaying Nikkei and other countries' indexes outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan January 16, 2023. At that company, activist shareholders have forced board changes, rejected the management's turnaround plan and prompted the company to consider going private to remove them. Shareholder relations advisers do that, too, and they say they are generally more focused on longer-term strategies. EY announced a foray into shareholder relations in Japan in December, with a full-service line-up from identification of shareholders to proxy solicitation. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corp said it would continue to expand its shareholder-relations support unit, Japan Shareholder Services Ltd (JSS), which now has about 80 staff members.

☆ Chinese EV giant BYD set for surge in 2022 profit as sales jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Chinese EV maker BYD's Seal is displayed at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan, January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoJan 30 (Reuters) - China's BYD Co , the world's biggest seller of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids, expects its 2022 net profit to be more than five times the amount it booked a year earlier, it said on Monday. With sales of 1.86 million cars, it expects a net profit of 16-17 billion yuan ($2.37-$2.52 billion) versus 3 billion in 2021, an exchange filing showed. The company said it had it achieved strong sales growth and significantly improved profitability and had "effectively relieved the cost pressure brought about by the rising upstreamraw material prices". ($1 = 6.7498 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh and Hong Kong newsroom; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan will continue to monitor COVID situation in China, govt says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Passengers of a plane from Dalian in China, head to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test area upon their arrival at Narita international airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan January 12, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Japan will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in China and deal "flexibly" with border control measures, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday. The comment came a day after the Chinese embassy in Japan said it had resumed the issuance of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens travelling to the country. China had stopped issuing visas for Japanese nationals earlier this month after Japan toughened COVID-19 border control rules for travellers coming directly from China. Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan's Foxconn taps former Nissan and Nidec heavyweight Seki for EV business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nissan Motor executive officer and vice-COO Jun Seki speaks during a news conference at Nissan Motor headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, December 2, 2019. Seki had been recruited to Nidec from Nissan by Nidec's hard-driving founder Shigenobu Nagamori in 2020 to help Nidec become a major player in components for next-generation automobiles. Seki spent three decades at Nissan, including a stint heading its China business. He was widely seen as a contender for chief executive, but was passed over for the current chief, Makoto Uchida. He left Nissan for Nidec not long after being charged with leading the automaker's turnaround plan.

☆ IMF: BOJ should let long-term yields rise, be ready to raise rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan should let government bond yields move more flexibly and be ready to raise short-term interest rates swiftly if "significant" upside risks to inflation materialise, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday. "Given the two-sided risks to inflation, more flexibility in long-term yields would help to avoid abrupt changes later. This would help better manage inflation risks and also help address the side-effects of prolonged easing," the IMF said. EYING THE EXITThe IMF said the BOJ could also consider options such as targeting a shorter-term yield or the pace of its bond buying. The BOJ doubled its allowance band for the 10-year yield in December to 0.5% above or below zero.

☆ Toyota names Lexus chief Koji Sato CEO as Akio Toyoda takes chairman role
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and Toyota's GAZOO Racing Company President Koji Sato attend an event for Toyota GAZOO Racing and LEXUS at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonCompanies Toyota Motor Corp FollowLexus FollowTOKYO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Thursday that Akio Toyoda will step down as president and chief executive to become chairman from April 1, and hand over the helm of Japan's biggest automaker to the company's top branding officer. Koji Sato, a 53-year-old who is also president of Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, will become the new CEO, the company said. He has held positions as the president of Lexus International and Gazoo Racing Company, Toyota’s motorsport brand, since 2020. He also took on an executive role at Toyota and became its chief branding officer in January 2021.

☆ IMF urges BOJ to let long-term yields rise, be ready to raise rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It's more to balance some of the impact on the real economy against the impact on financial markets," IMF Japan Mission Chief Ranil Salgado said on Thursday. "Given the two-sided risks to inflation, more flexibility in long-term yields would help to avoid abrupt changes later. This would help better manage inflation risks and also help address the side-effects of prolonged easing," the IMF said in a statement issued after the policy consultation. EYING THE EXITThe IMF said the BOJ could also consider options such as targeting a shorter-term yield or the pace of its bond buying. The BOJ surprised markets in December by doubling its allowance band for the 10-year yield to 0.5% above or below zero.

[1/2] Drivers push auto rickshaws in a line to buy petrol from a fuel station amid Sri Lanka's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 29, 2022. Regional rivals China and India are the biggest bilateral lenders to Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people that is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades. At the end of 2020, China EximBank had loaned Sri Lanka $2.83 billion which is 3.5% of the island's debt, according to an IMF report released in March last year. "The bank will support Sri Lanka in your application for the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to help relieve the liquidity strain," China's letter said. DEBT SUSTAINABILITYIn a letter directly addressed to the IMF, India said last week that the financing or debt relief provided by Export-Import Bank of India would be consistent with restoring debt sustainability under the IMF-supported program.

☆ India tells IMF it backs Sri Lanka's debt restructuring plan, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A medical worker talks to a vendor selling household goods and food for patients and their family members, outside Apeksha Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 11, 2022. Sri Lanka's finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sri Lanka owes India around $1 billion that will come under the debt restructuring plan, the source said. "Talks with bilateral lenders including India and China to restructure Sri Lanka's debt are progressing well and we are hopeful of finalising support from the IMF in the first quarter of 2023," Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesperson, Bandula Gunawardana, told reporters on Tuesday. The IMF has stressed the importance of joint talks involving three of Sri Lanka's main bilateral creditors - China, Japan and India.

After three years of strict and suffocating anti-virus controls, China in early December abruptly abandoned its "zero COVID" policy, letting the virus run freely through its 1.4 billion population. Several experts forecast more than one million people in China will die from the disease this year. TRAVEL RUSHBeijing's main rail station has been packed with passengers leaving the capital in recent days, according to Reuters witnesses. Meanwhile, daily arrivals in the gambling hub of Macau exceeded 55,000 on Saturday, the highest daily arrivals since the pandemic began. China's transport ministry has said it expects more than 2 billion trips in the weeks around the holidays.

☆ Back to the future: Toyota sets sights on old-car upgrades in zero-emissions drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and Toyota's GAZOO Racing Company President Koji Sato attend an event for Toyota GAZOO Racing and LEXUS at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonCHIBA, Japan, Jan 13 (Reuters) - In an eye-catching bid to show that cars can be clean while appealing to old-school petrolheads, Toyota Motor (7203.T) on Friday showcased zero-emission versions of its 1980s sports range, which still boasts a strong global fan base. Toyota President Akio Toyoda said remodelling existing cars needed to be explored as an option to achieve a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050. In Japan, only one in about 20 cars on the road are new, and older ones are mainly powered at least partly by gasoline. "It's important to leave a choice for cars that are already loved or owned by someone," Toyoda, a self-confessed car-lover and race-car driver, said at the event.

☆ South Korea hints at compensating victims of Japan's colonial forced labour
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan said it has secured initial donations from steelmaker POSCO (005490.KS) totalling 4 billion won ($3.2 million). Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Tokyo’s top spokesperson, declined to comment on Seoul’s compensation plan or its public hearing, saying they were domestic matters within South Korea. The foundation's chief, Shim Kyu-sun, said he would encourage South Korean companies to donate "from the perspective of social responsibility". National flags of South Korea and Japan are displayed during a meeting between Komeito Party members and South Korean lawmakers at Komeito Party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2019. Under the 1965 deal, South Korea was required to consider all pre-treaty compensation issues settled.

☆ BOJ considering raising inflation forecasts to near 2% target -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: A man walks past Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/(Reuters) -The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is considering raising its inflation forecasts in January to show price growth close to its 2% target in fiscal 2023 and 2024, Nikkei reported on Saturday. Upgrades to the BOJ’s inflation forecast would further fuel such speculation as Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has said the central bank could discuss the exit if achievement of its 2% inflation target in tandem with wage hikes comes into sight. The previous forecasts released in October were around 2.9%, 1.6% and 1.6%, respectively. The BOJ will release the latest quarterly growth and price outlook after its next policy meeting on Jan. 17-18.

[1/3] Drivers push auto rickshaws in a line to buy petrol from a fuel station amid Sri Lanka's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 29, 2022. India's foreign ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters on its plans and strategic aims in Sri Lanka. New Delhi has long been concerned about China's clout in its neighbourhood, including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. "And as far as Sri Lanka is concerned, we don't want to contribute to any escalation of tension between any countries." "Sri Lanka has clearly benefited from being the closest neighbour to the most powerful country in the region.

☆ U.S. awards defense contract of over $1 billion to Lockheed Martin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Lockheed Martin's logo is seen during Japan Aerospace 2016 air show in Tokyo, Japan, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonWASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. awarded defense contracts to companies on Friday, including one of over a billion dollars to Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the Department of Defense said in a statement. "This contract procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts necessary to maintain on-time production and delivery of 118 Lot 18 aircraft F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S Department of Defense participants, and Foreign Military Sales customers," the department said on the $1.05 billion Lockheed contract. Earlier this month, Lockheed Martin received a Defense Department contract worth $431 million to deliver new High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and support services for the U.S. Army and its foreign allies. Separately, Boeing Co (BA.N) was awarded a $497 million firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F helicopters, the department said on Friday, adding Dec. 30, 2025, was the estimated contract completion date.

☆ Sri Lanka's cancer patients struggle amid economic chaos
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The 32-year-old vegetable farmer was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and started receiving treatment earlier this year just as Sri Lanka's economy went into free-fall. Amid crippling fuel scarcity and weeks of unrest, Kumarasinghe said he was unable to travel the 155 km (96 miles) between his home and Sri Lanka's main cancer hospital on the outskirts of the country's largest city, Colombo, for treatment. Kumarasinghe is among hundreds of cancer patients who have had their treatment upended by Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. Hospitals countrywide have struggled to contend with severe drug shortages, which have worsened over the last eight months, a representative of Sri Lanka's largest doctors union told Reuters. Sri Lanka's health ministry and senior health officials did not respond to calls from Reuters.

[1/3] Examples of Japanese yen banknotes are displayed at a media event in Tokyo, Japan, November 21, 2022. Those positions took a hit when Tuesday's Bank of Japan policy shift allowed 10-year yields to almost double to 0.47%. On Wednesday the long end of Japan's yield curve actually rallied, with 30-year yields down 2.5 bps to 1.545%. "The 10-year yield is still very low ... maybe they will invest in the 20-year." In Australia, where Japan is also the largest foreign player in the bond market, 10-year yields are up about 20 bps.

☆ BOJ Governor Kuroda's comments at news conference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FILE PHOTO: Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda attends a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, January 21, 2020. Following are excerpts from BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s comments at his post-meeting news conference, which was conducted in Japanese, as translated by Reuters:REASON BEHIND THE BOJ’S DECISION“Overseas market volatility has heightened from around spring ... While we have kept the 10-year bond yield from exceeding the 0.25% cap, this has caused some distortions in the shape of the yield curve. It’s premature to debate specifics on changing the monetary policy framework or an exit from easy policy. “This change will enhance the sustainability of our monetary policy framework.

☆ Japan govt to consider revising joint statement with BOJ - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO (Reuters) -The Japanese government will consider revising next year a joint statement it signed with the Bank of Japan (BOJ) in 2013 that commits the central bank to meeting a 2% inflation target as soon as possible, sources told Reuters. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoThe revision, if made, would be done after a new BOJ governor is appointed in April, they said, a move that may heighten the chance of a tweak to incumbent governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s ultra-loose monetary policy. There is no consensus within the government on what changes could be made, as much will depend on the views of the new BOJ governor, said four government and ruling party officials with knowledge of the matter. “Given we’ll have a new BOJ governor, there will likely be a new statement,” one of the government officials said. Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday that the government is set to revise the joint statement to make the BOJ’s inflation target a more flexible goal, with some leeway.

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