Page 26 - Japan

Japan's ruling party headquarters attacked with firebombs, suspect arrested

A man threw several firebombs into the headquarters of Japan's ruling party in Tokyo Saturday, public broadcaster NHK and other Japanese media reported. There were no reports of injuries. Tokyo police declined to comment, noting the matter was still under investigation. The man, arrested on the spot, had driven his car into nearby fencing, the news reports said. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is increasingly unpopular with the public due to a ballooning money scandal involving dubious funding and suspected tax evasion. The party declined to comment on Saturday's attack, referring all queries to the police. Voting for the lower house of Parliament is set for Oct. 27. Some tarnished politicians lost the official backing of the ruling party but are running as independents. The party recently chose a new leader, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, hoping to present a new image. But polls show its popularity plummeting, although it's

RBI cracks down on shadow banks over high-interest loans, rule violations

The Reserve Bank of India ordered four shadow banks to stop sanctioning new loans because of high interest rate charges to customers

Aging farmers face extreme temperatures while harvesting Japan's rice crop

In the remote village of Kamimomi in Japan's western Okayama prefecture, a small group of rice farmers began their most recent harvest in sweltering heat, two weeks sooner than usual. The prefecture is called the Land of Sunshine because of its pleasant climate, but farmers working among the paddy fields and ancient rice terraces say that climate change is hurting the harvest of rice, long a cornerstone of Japan's diet. Last year, an exceptional heat wave took the water out of the rice, which became small and thin, rice farmer Joji Terasaka said. So I am worried about that this year because it will be just as hot." This year Japan experienced its hottest July on record, with temperatures reaching 2.16 C (3.9 F) higher than average, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The globe has seen a 1.2 C (2.2 F) rise in average temperature since preindustrial times, and scientists agree that warming needs to be capped at 1.5 C (2.7 F) to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

US fund urges Seven & i to allow due diligence on Couche-Tard buyout offer

Artisan has been among some of Seven & i's vocal foreign investors who have urged the company to focus on its core convenience store business

Eleven's turnaround plan needs heavy lifting to stop Couche-Tard's takeover

In Japan, 7-Eleven stores have become a cultural touchstone, known for a ready supply of fresh food and everything from toothpaste to socks

Campaigning kicks off for Japan's parliamentary election on October 27

Official campaigning for Japan's October 27 parliamentary election began on Tuesday with new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeking a mandate for his policies and for reforms after the governing party's political funds scandal. More than 1,300 candidates were expected to enter the races for the 465-seat Lower House before registration closes later Tuesday. Ishiba called the snap election after he took office as prime minister on October 1. As customary for Liberal Democratic Party leaders over the past decade, he was to start his campaign in Fukushima to renew his pledge to support the area's recovery from the 2011 nuclear disaster. With the early election, Ishiba is seeking to secure a majority in the lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two parliamentary chambers, before the congratulatory mood fades. The move has been criticized as prioritizing an election rather than policies and for allowing little debate. A majority for the ruling coalition would be 233 seats between his

Army chief Gen Dwivedi embarks on Japan visit to boost defence cooperation

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi is on a four-day visit to Japan with an aim to bolster defence cooperation between the two countries. During his visit from October 14-17, the Army chief will also visit Hiroshima, wherein he will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Park and pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue at the Peace Park. The visit marks a "significant step in bolstering defence cooperation between India and Japan," the defence ministry said in a statement here. On Monday, Gen Dwivedi will interact with Sibi George, India's Ambassador to Japan and would thereafter engage in a discussion on India-Japan relations at the Embassy of India in Tokyo. He will engage in dialogue with the senior military leadership of Japan at the defence ministry in Ichigaya on Tuesday. During his visit, the Army chief will hold meetings with Gen Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff, Joint Self Defence Force; Gen Morishita Yasunori, Chief of Staff, Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF);

PM Modi holds bilateral talks with counterparts from Japan, New Zealand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a "very productive" meeting with newly-appointed Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba here during which they discussed ways to enhance cooperation in different areas, including infrastructure, connectivity and defence. Separately, Prime Minister Modi also met his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on the margins of the ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane. Modi, who is in the Laotian capital on a two-day visit, met Ishiba on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and congratulated him on his new responsibility and wished him success in leading Japan to greater heights. "Had a very productive meeting with PM Ishiba. I'm happy to have met him just a few days after he became Japan's PM. Our talks included ways to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, connectivity, defence and more. Boosting cultural linkages was also discussed," Modi said in a post on X. Ishiba was appointed Japan's prime minister just last week. He replaced Fumio

Japan's Seven & i, facing a $47 bn Couche-Tard bid, to divest some assets

Operator of 'Seven Eleven stores'- numbering over 80,000 worldwide, has been under pressure from investors to divest from its large portfolio of peripheral businesses

BOJ highlights broadening wage, price gains but warns of potential risks

Governor Ueda has said the BOJ can afford to spend time scrutinising the fallout from US economic uncertainty in judging whether to hike rages

Japanese bonds yields rise in step with US peers after blowout jobs report

The two-year JGB yield was up 3.5 bps to a two-month high of 0.4 per cent

India to host four-nation Malabar naval exercise from Oct 8 to 18

India will host the four-nation Malabar naval exercise beginning Tuesday amid evolving security situation in the region. The navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan will carry out a series of complex naval drills during the 'sea phase' of the mega wargame. "Exercise Malabar 2024 is scheduled to take place from October 8 to 18, beginning with the Harbour Phase in Visakhapatnam, followed by the sea phase," the Indian Navy announced on Saturday. The Malabar exercise, which began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between the US and the Indian Navy, has evolved into a key multilateral event aimed at enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual understanding and addressing shared maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. The exercise will feature the participation of various Indian naval platforms, including guided missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, submarines, fighter aircraft and helicopters. "The exercise will focus on a broad range of activities

Japanese PM Ishiba asks cabinet to compile fresh stimulus package

The fresh package will include payouts to low-income households and subsidies to local governments

Japan's new PM expresses regret for governing party's slush fund scandal

New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba opened his first policy speech in office Friday by expressing deep regrets over the governing party's slush funds scandal that dogged his predecessor. Ishiba replaced Fumio Kishida on Tuesday with the paramount mission of quickly pacifying public anger over financial misconduct in the Liberal Democratic Party and regaining support ahead of an Oct 27 parliamentary election. I will achieve politics that is not for politicians but for the people, Ishiba said, pledging to provide sincere explanations and ensure that lawmakers abide by the rules. He set five policy pillars to uphold, including security, economy and disaster resilience. Ishiba said he will bolster Japan's military capability to defend itself from threats from China, Russia and North Korea under the framework of the Japan-US security alliance. He did not mention two goals he advocated before taking office making the Japan-US security alliance more equitable and establishing a .

Rapidly ageing population forces Japanese firms to lean on foreign workers

A shrinking and rapidly ageing population has forced Japan, which for centuries was mostly closed off to immigrants, to allow foreign workers to enter the country and potentially stay for good

BOJ policymaker calls for slow, cautious movement on interest rate hikes

The comments from Bank of Japan board member Asahi Noguchi come a day after Japan's new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said the economy was not ready for further rate hikes

In a World War II reminder for Japan, war-era bomb detonates at airport

Japan authorities confirmed that a Second World War-era 500-pound US bomb was responsible for the explosion at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan, and no further threat remains

Japanese investors' $4 trillion 'carry trade' begins to slowly unwind

In the first eight months of the year, Japanese investors snapped up a net ¥28 trillion ($192 billion) of the nation's government bonds, the largest amount for the time frame in at least 14 years

Not working on PM's 'Asian Nato' proposal, say Japanese ministers

Shigeru Ishiba made the proposal ahead of his victory in the ruling party leadership election on Friday, arguing that it would bolster security in Asia

Unstable markets, uncertainty require vigilance: BOJ Governor Ueda

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday urged the BOJ to maintain loose monetary policy, as the government strives to end economic stagnation