A pair of US aircraft carriers and Japanese naval vessels conducted a joint drill in waters off the Korean peninsula Thursday, in an apparent show of force days after the latest North Korean ballistic missile test. The strike groups of USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan joined Japanese destroyers Hyuga and Ashigara for the … Read more
Japanese factory output rose 4.0 percent in April from the previous month, official figures showed Wednesday, bolstering data indicating the world’s third-largest economy is finally seeing moderate expansion. However, the figure was slightly down on market expectations of a 4.2 percent rise and came a day after data showed consumer demand remains weak despite years … Read more
Former women’s world number one Ai Miyazato said Monday that a crisis of confidence triggered her decision to retire from professional golf at the end of the current season. The Japanese 31-year-old, a nine-time winner on the American LPGA circuit, admitted her struggles dated back to 2012, when she claimed her last tournament victory. “It … Read more
The Canterbury Crusaders will pitch their unbeaten 13-match run against the in-form Otago Highlanders in an enticing Super Rugby showdown after yet another New Zealand rampage this weekend. The seven-time champions registered a 41-19 bonus-point victory over the hapless Melbourne Rebels to protect an 11-point lead at the top of the all-conquering New Zealand conference … Read more
Three-time champions South Korea beat Thailand 3-1 to reach the final of the mixed teams Sudirman Cup at Australia’s Gold Coast on Saturday. The South Koreans downed the Thais with a clutch of teenage players in the absence of their biggest names and will face either defending champions China or Japan in Sunday’s final. Sung … Read more
US President Donald Trump said Friday the “problem” of an increasingly belligerent North Korea would be “solved”, as he met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe just before the start of the G7 summit. “It’s a big problem, it’s a world problem,” he said in the Sicilian town of Taormina, just weeks after he called North … Read more
The World Boxing Association (WBA) has suspended two judges for six months after Frenchman Hassan N’Dam won the middleweight title on a split decision over Japan’s Ryota Murata last weekend. N’Dam controversially took the vacant world title in Tokyo on Saturday despite being knocked down by the 2012 Olympic champion Murata and suffering heavy punishment … Read more
Buoyant trading in New York saw Wall Street set fresh records on Thursday, with US stocks recording their sixth consecutive positive finish. European markets were mainly in negative territory, however, and oil shares suffered on investor disappointment following an OPEC decision not to deepen cuts in crude output or prolong them past March of next … Read more
Japanese well-wishers flocked to a Tokyo zoo Wednesday to get their last glimpse of a possibly pregnant panda before she goes into confinement. Eleven-year-old Shin Shin, who mated with male Ri Ri February, appeared imperiously unruffled by the attention as she sat munching on bamboo and playfully rubbed the husks on her furry belly in … Read more
Swelling hopes for a baby panda in Tokyo have bumped up the stock price of a Chinese restaurant chain in the area, with locals setting their sights on a flurry of tourists. Eleven-year-old Shin Shin, who was brought to Ueno Zoo from China, has been showing signs of pregnancy since last week after mating with … Read more
Workaholic Japan is known for long office hours and stressed out employees, but one company claims to have a cure: Cats. A total of nine fluffy felines eat, sleep and walk freely in the small office of IT firm Ferray in Tokyo. Hidenobu Fukuda, who heads the firm, introduced an “office cat” policy in 2000 … Read more
Despite several high-profile gaffes in their 2020 Olympic preparations, Tokyo 2020 organisers reckon choosing the Games mascots will be child’s play — so much so they’re leaving the decision to schoolkids. Japanese organisers announced Monday that the official 2020 mascots would be decided by a nationwide competition, in which members of the public will submit … Read more
Energy shares led a broad rally across Asian markets on Monday as oil prices were boosted by growing hopes that an OPEC-led output cut will be extended by another nine months. With the deal agreed between the crude cartel and key producer Russia set to finish at the end of June, there had been worries … Read more
Japan posted a trade surplus for the third straight month in April helped by a further rise in exports including to the United States, official data showed Monday. American President Donald Trump has vowed to root out “unfair” trade practices around the world and target countries, including Japan, that contribute to America’s nearly $50 billion … Read more
Like all working mums, Colleen Theriault has her hands full with her four-year-old son and a full-time career as head baker at a patisserie in the US state of North Carolina. But the 24-year-old is also an advocate for a budding movement that is breaking into the international fashion scene. Its models, like their initiative, … Read more
The head of the World Boxing Association (WBA) has demanded a rematch after Frenchman Hassan N’Dam won the middleweight title on a controversial split decision over Japan’s Ryota Murata. N’Dam took the vacant world title in Tokyo on Saturday despite being knocked down by the 2012 Olympic champion Murata and taking punishment for much of … Read more
Asia-Pacific nations will try to rescue a massive trade deal scuppered by the pullout of the United States, a source involved in discussions told AFP Friday, as delegates meet in Hanoi for key talks this weekend. US President Donald Trump abandoned the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in January calling it a “job killer” and throwing … Read more
A Japanese man has been arrested in Indonesia for allegedly trying to smuggle hundreds of reptiles out of the archipelago, including snakes, lizards and turtles, authorities and environmentalists said Friday. Katsuhide Naito, believed to be a major player in the wildlife-smuggling trade, was detained at Jakarta’s main airport as he was about to board a … Read more
Japan said Friday it scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese vessel sailing in disputed waters launched a drone, the latest bout of tension in a longstanding territorial row. The two countries are at odds over a group of small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea administered as the Senkakus by Japan but claimed as … Read more
A member of Japan’s royal family, Princess Mako, is to surrender her royal status by marrying a commoner. The 25-year-old eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito will become engaged to law firm worker Kei Komuro, also 25, whom she met while studying together. Japan’s imperial law requires a princess to leave the royal family after marrying … Read more