Japan

[ad_1] KUALA LUMPUR – Japanese firms have decided to drop their plans to get involved in a high-speed rail project connecting Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, government and company sources said Thursday.The companies, including East Japan Railway, had hoped to utilize Japan's shinkansen system in the project but they have decided it will be too risky without the Malaysian government's financial support, said the sources, including those at the Japanese and […]

[ad_1] Though the publishing industry is still struggling to come out from under the cloud of the pandemic, with supply chain issues and cash flow problems plaguing all but the biggest presses, fans of Japanese literature have little need to worry about a lack of new releases. As I wrote in my 2023 list of upcoming must-read titles, readers have become spoiled for choice in recent years — and 2024 […]

[ad_1] The 225-issue Nikkei average reached its highest level since February 1990 on Thursday, with a weaker yen buoying exporters and caution over an impending hike by the Bank of Japan continuing to fade on the back of weak wage data. The Nikkei was up 1.94% at 35,110.52 by the midday close. The index is on track for a third straight day of gains and closing in on its largest […]

[ad_1] The government on Thursday designated the powerful earthquake that rocked Ishikawa Prefecture and other parts of central Japan on New Year's Day as a "disaster of extreme severity," boosting subsidies for reconstruction work in affected communities.Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government aims to boost its financial support for local authorities to implement measures such as the speedy reconstruction of roads and farmland, following the magnitude 7.6 temblor that left at […]

[ad_1] China's recent mediation of talks between Myanmar's ruling junta and three ethnic rebel groups in the country has highlighted a perceived absence of Japan's leadership in addressing the prolonged crisis there, which observers believe has reached a turning point since the 2021 coup.The mediation, which Beijing said brought a temporary ceasefire between the two sides in the country's northeast, raised questions about Japan's Myanmar policy that primarily deals with […]

[ad_1] Kawasaki – Sakie Yokota, 87, is increasingly fearful that time is ticking away, robbing her of the chance to once again see her daughter Megumi, who was abducted in Japan and taken to North Korea at the age of 13 some 45 years ago.For quite a while, she prioritized her busy schedule, dedicating much of her time to activities aimed at raising awareness about the abduction issue and urging […]

[ad_1] MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic will begin his quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown overall against a qualifier, while Naomi Osaka was handed a tough first assignment and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek faces a tricky test against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin as the draw was announced Thursday.Djokovic required treatment for a wrist problem during his United Cup defeat by Alex de Minaur […]

[ad_1] The Nuclear Regulation Authority has ordered its secretariat to thoroughly investigate the cause of damage to a nuclear power plant from the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1.The regulatory watchdog gave the order at a regular meeting on Wednesday.According to Hokuriku Electric Power, the quake measured an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale at the basement of the No. 1 reactor building […]

[ad_1] London – A Japanese technology giant is in the crosshairs of British lawmakers for building the faulty accounting software that led to what has been called the country's biggest ever miscarriage of justice.Fujitsu created the Horizon IT system that resulted in some 700 local post office managers being wrongly convicted for theft and false accounting between 1999 and 2005.The U.K. government, which plans to exonerate all victims, has warned […]