Investors have fallen over each other in recent weeks to buy the yen on bets that interest rates are finally about to tip in Japan’s favor. They face a moment of truth as soon as Wednesday. The currency is holding onto an advance of about 5% against the dollar since just before it began surging … Read more
Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Japan – February 23, 2018; Top luxury shopping streets with multi colored neon signs. Ginza avenues are lined with shops of expensive brands and restaurants in the heart of Tokyo. It is half past five p.m. on Friday. People flock to Ginza for shopping, dinner and drinking with their friends. Ginza became … Read more
This story originally appeared on WIRED Japan and has been translated from Japanese. The northern hemisphere is entering yet another Covid wave—while much of the world acts as if the pandemic were over, cases are surging again. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded an uptick in positive Covid tests, emergency … Read more
Singapore is the world’s safest city for tourists, according to new research by Forbes Advisor. The study, which analyzed factors such as crime, healthcare quality and risks of natural disasters, ascribed safety scores from 0 to 100 — with the safest cities receiving the lowest scores. Based on the study’s assessment, Singapore scored 0 points. … Read more
Fourteen Japanese high school students have been taken to hospital after eating chips seasoned with one of the world’s hottest chillies while they were in class. The BBC reported that about 30 students ate the “super spicy” chips after one of the students brought them into school on Tuesday “for fun”. Soon after eating the … Read more
Stocks in Asia were muted in early Tuesday trading, following gains on Wall Street fueled by optimism surrounding a second Donald Trump term as the former US president chose his running mate. Equity benchmarks rose in Japan and Korea, while those in Australia were steady. Futures for Hong Kong stocks pointed to a decline. US … Read more
A man walks past an electronic board showing the rate of the Japanese yen versus the US dollar along a street in Tokyo on February 14, 2024. Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images A fresh market projection by the Bank of Japan on Friday hints at a possible intervention of around $22 billion into … Read more
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) greets Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during their bilateral meeting, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Japan Summit, at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on December 17, 2023. Franck Robichon | Afp | Getty Images Japan and Philippines’ defense pact signed on Monday seeks to counter China’s increasing … Read more
Sydney Building take from Cremorne Point. Brook Attakorn | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Tuesday, after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs overnight. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.11%, while the Topix rose 0.38%. South Korea’s Kospi inched up 0.06% as shares of heavyweight Samsung Electronics gained … Read more
Japan faces a shortage of almost one million foreign workers in 2040 if the government wants to achieve its economic growth goals as the population dwindles, an estimate from a state-backed think tank showed on Thursday. At the current pace, 5.91 million foreign people will be working in Japan in 2040, almost one million short … Read more
