Japan

[ad_1] Winter bonuses at major companies in Japan in 2023 rose 0.78% from a year earlier to ¥849,545 on average, the labor ministry said Friday. The average increased for the second year in a row, though at a slower pace than the 7.77% growth marked in winter 2022 amid economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven of 21 sectors surveyed saw increases, including shipbuilders, with a 6.25% jump, and food […]

[ad_1] Chicago – Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga said Friday he is confident he can handle the challenge of Major League Baseball after signing a four-year deal worth $53 million with the Chicago Cubs.The 30-year-old lefthander, who spent the past eight seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Central League, donned his No. 18 Cubs jersey for the first time and delivered a message in English to supporters."Hey Chicago. What […]

[ad_1] Doha – Two-goal Akram Afif said Qatar had "forgotten about the World Cup" after the team got its Asian Cup campaign off to a winning start in the tournament's opening game on Friday.The hosts beat Lebanon 3-0 at the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, where a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final 13 months ago.Qatar suffered a disastrous 2022 World Cup on the pitch, making […]

[ad_1] Seema Misra was pregnant when she was wrongfully found guilty of stealing from the Post Office she ran in a small town southwest of London. Seven months later, including four spent in jail, she gave birth in the hospital wearing an ankle tag used to monitor released criminals.Misra is among the victims of arguably the biggest scandal in British legal history. Between 2000 and 2014 the Post Office, the […]

[ad_1] The roaring start to 2024 for Japanese equities looks to be on far more solid ground than last time stocks reached these lofty levels as investors bet the country is finally escaping deflation.Gains in Japan’s two main indexes have outpaced all other major markets during the first two weeks of trade, reaching fresh 34-year peaks. That’s stoking the bullish view that the bellwether Nikkei 225 Stock Average is primed […]

[ad_1] Kura Sushi USA is a sensation in the stock market and on social media, soaring to a billion-dollar market value and winning a cult following with robot servers and toy prizes at its restaurants. Yet a recent rocky stretch for the shares suggests that investors are starting to wonder whether Kura can live up to the excitement.The U.S.-based offshoot of the famous Japanese chain that uses touchscreen menus, robots […]

[ad_1] Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit earthquake-devastated areas in Ishikawa Prefecture on Sunday to assess the damage firsthand, the government said, as the death toll in the prefecture hit 220, with 24 people still missing Saturday. In his first trip to the quake-hit region on the Sea of Japan coast since a magnitude-7.6 temblor occurred on New Year's Day, Kishida will speak with local residents staying at evacuation centers […]

[ad_1] With COVID-19 outbreaks being whipped up for a fifth year, testing has emerged as a source of frustration once again.Whereas obtaining a test was often difficult in early 2020, now the abundance of cheaper rapid kits in grocery stores and home medicine cabinets has led to a new concern — they don’t seem to work."When people tell me that their rapid antigen tests never turn positive, they’re usually talking […]

[ad_1] Taipei – One of Asia’s most consequential elections this year has kicked off in Taiwan, as the self-ruled island’s 19.5 million eligible voters head to polls to choose their next president and legislative representatives in a pivotal election that could have significant geopolitical consequences for the Asia-Pacific region.The three main parties contesting what some have framed as a vote of “change versus continuity” are the ruling Democratic Progressive Party […]