January trade deficit hits new high

Feb 21, 2012

January trade deficit hits new high

Japan logged a record ¥1.48 trillion trade deficit in January as an overseas slump, appreciating yen and a growing reliance on foreign energy slashed exporters’ profits and boosted imports, the Finance Ministry said Monday. The deficit ballooned 207.7 percent from January 2011 — the ...

Feb 16, 2012

‘Long-period’ quake warning urged

Experts reviewing the impact of “long-period ground motion” on tall structures such as high-rises following the March 11 earthquake are calling for creating a new system that would enhance warnings in the event of a major temblor and subsequent aftershocks. Unlike the direct impact ...

Feb 15, 2012

BOJ targets inflation of 1%, boosts easing

The Bank of Japan on Tuesday stepped up its monetary easing measures, breaking with precedent to announce an explicit consumer price inflation target of 1 percent, while plowing a further ¥10 trillion into its asset purchase program. The BOJ will continue its virtually zero ...

Feb 9, 2012

Plan for new marketplace on Tsukiji site gets mixed reviews

Moves by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to build a new marketplace on the site of the Tsukiji market have drawn mixed reactions, with some critics saying it is an attempt to bulldoze through the controversial relocation of the famed fish market to a new ...

Foreigners’ poor test grades force rethink on nurse tests

Jan 31, 2012

Foreigners’ poor test grades force rethink on nurse tests

Non-Japanese applicants hoping to become certified nurses could see the government’s notoriously rigorous exams get easier with the inclusion of English-language tests and a new set of communication exams based on basic Japanese. Non-Japanese hoping to become care workers took the certification test for ...

Nation logs its first trade deficit since 1980

Jan 26, 2012

Nation logs its first trade deficit since 1980

Japan suffered its first trade deficit in over three decades in 2011, a year that saw natural disasters and a nuclear crisis, a historic rise in the yen and a sharp drop-off in global demand stemming from the European financial crisis. According to Finance ...

Jan 25, 2012

BOJ downgrades ’11 growth forecast

The Bank of Japan on Tuesday revised downward its economic growth forecasts for fiscal 2011 from 0.3 to minus 0.4 percent, citing the impact of Europe’s sovereign debt issues and the yen’s appreciation. At its two-day Policy Board meeting, the BOJ also lowered its ...

Jan 24, 2012

Weak euro’s perks said few, unlike dollar’s

Having reached a historic high against the dollar last year, the sky seems to be the limit for the yen as it forges on against the euro. But pundits say the perks of the euro being below ¥100 are limited and that its impact ...

Nadeshiko Japan eyes London Olympic gold

| Jan 24, 2012

Nadeshiko Japan eyes London Olympic gold

Japan’s overtime defeat of the United States in the 2011 women’s World Cup soccer finals inspired a nation suffering from the March 11 disaster and ensuing nuclear crisis. This year will see the club dubbed Nadeshiko Japan attempt to repeat their success at the ...