Page 43 - Japan

13 yrs since massive tsunami, Fukushima nuclear plant still sparks fears

Japan on Monday marked 13 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country's northern coasts. Nearly 20,000 people died, whole towns were wiped out and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was destroyed, creating deep fears of radiation that linger today. As the nation observes the anniversary, AP explains what is happening now at the plant and in neighbouring areas. WHAT HAPPENED 13 YEARS AGO? A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck on March 11, 2011, causing a tsunami that battered northern coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The tsunami, which topped 15 meters (50 feet) in some areas, also slammed into the nuclear plant, destroying its power supply and fuel cooling systems, and causing meltdowns at reactors No. 1, 2 and 3. Hydrogen explosions caused massive radiation leaks and contamination in the area. The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, says that the tsunami couldn't have been anticipated. Government and independent investigati

Japan's Q4 GDP revised up to slight expansion, economy avoids recession

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP grew 0.1%, compared with the initial reading of a drop of 0.1.% drop and a median forecast for a 0.3% rise

Slow US inflation retreat to bolster Fed Reserve's patience over rate cuts

Away from inflation, there are scant signs of stress in the economy. The latest jobs report pointed to moderating yet healthy employment growth that will keep consumer spending afloat.

EAM Jaishankar's Japan visit explores ways to strengthen global partnership

EAM Jaishankar held the 16th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue with Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoko Kamikawa, on March 7

Japanese 'Dragon Ball' manga legend Akira Toriyama passes away aged 68

Notable manga artist Akira Toriyama is best known for giving the world' Dragon Ball' hero, Son Goku, whose character continues to resonate with millions of fans everywhere

India will have political stability for next decade or even two: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday exuded confidence that India will have a stable government for 15 years, even longer, as he highlighted how long-term political stability helps a government make "bold" decisions. Jaishankar, speaking at the Nikkei Forum on India-Japan Special Strategic Partnership here, said a reformist and visionary leadership backed by a strong political mandate, which in a democracy means having a majority in Parliament, results in "bold decision making". The minister's comments were in response to a question about political stability in India and whether the upcoming elections will affect India's foreign policy. India in May this year heads for crucial general elections with more than 950 million citizens gearing up to exercise their right to choose the government. "Hundred per cent we will have 15 years of stable government. It could even be that of 20 years or longer," Jaishankar said in response to the question. "Every country, every society

Nissan may bring ultra-compact EV production in-house from 2028: Report

Nissan and Mitsubishi denied the plan

EAM Jaishankar, Secy-Gen of Japan's LDP discuss ways to strengthen ties

EAM highlighted that there will always be new complexities but equally fresh opportunities will also be there

India-Japan ties will draw strength from larger activities like Quad: EAM

Jaishankar is on a visit to Japan from March 6-8 for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Minister's Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa

India, Japan partners in world headed towards re-globalisation: EAM

India and Japan are natural partners in a world headed towards "re-globalisation", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, asserting that the two nations also share basic affinities, being democracies and market economies. Jaishankar is in Tokyo for the second leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan. Addressing the first Raisina Roundtable here, the minister said, "The world is heading for re-globalisation with the building of resilient and reliable supply chains and trusted and transparent digital transactions." Jaishankar said the "top 20 or 30 nations today are not what they were two decades ago. Even less so what they were four or eight decades ago.." "Not only are the countries that impact us different but so are relative weight, importance and capability. As a result, new balances are being sought and occasionally achieved," he said. "This drives the volatility that we currently characterise as the global order," he said. Talking about the changi

India, Japan global partners in world headed towards re-globalisation: EAM

India and Japan are natural partners in a world headed towards "re-globalisation", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, asserting that the two nations also share basic affinities, being democracies and market economies. Jaishankar is in Tokyo for the second leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan. Addressing the first Raisina Roundtable here, the minister said, "The world is heading for re-globalisation with the building of resilient and reliable supply chains and trusted and transparent digital transactions." The minister said the "top 20 or 30 nations today are not what they were two decades ago. Even less so. What they were four or eight decades ago." "Not only are the countries that impact us different but so are relative weight, importance and capability. As a result, new balances are being sought and occasionally achieved," he said. Jaishankar asserted that India and Japan are natural partners in the re-globalisation of the world as democracies

Sumitomo Wiring divests 4.4% stake in Samvardhana Motherson for Rs 3,633 cr

Japan's Sumitomo Wiring Systems on Wednesday divested a 4.4 per cent stake in Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd for Rs 3,633 crore through open market transactions. Sumitomo Wiring Systems (SWS) is one of the promoter entities in Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd (SAMIL). According to the bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Sumitomo Wiring Systems sold a total of 30 crore shares, amounting to a 4.43 per cent stake in SAMIL. The shares were offloaded within the price range of Rs 121.03-121.25 apiece, taking the combined deal value to Rs 3,633.20 crore. After the stake sale, the shareholding of SWS has declined to 9.72 per cent from 14.15 per cent in the company. The combined shareholding of the promoters and promoter group entities has declined to 60.35 per cent stake in Samvardhana Motherson International from 64.78 per cent. As of December 2023, SWS and its wholly-owned subsidiary HK Wiring Systems Ltd (HKWS) jointly held a 14.32 per cent

Jefferies' 7 predictions for the next 7 years for the Japanese markets

Nikkei 225 index hit the 40,000 mark for the first time ever on Monday, continuing its bull-run that saw the index reclaim its 1989 peak of 34,000 levels in February

Nikkei hits 40,000 mark; what's behind the bull-run in Japanese markets?

The Nikkie benchmark index has been experiencing an unprecedented rally, as it achieved an all-time high for the first time in 34 years last month

Top 10 companies command a third of India's market capitalisation

According to experts, if a company or sector dominates the market, there is a risk that the market could collapse if anything goes wrong with the sector or the company

EAM S Jaishankar's Japan, Korea visits to focus on semiconductor push

South Korea has the 2nd-largest share of the global chip market and manufactures 60% of global memory chips

Best of BS Opinion: Himachal: an old tale, Japan as number four & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Japan as number four

If the economy's fall to number four is not enough to wake Japan up, it will soon fall to number five

Three out of five large economies recorded slow growth, shows data

Some larger economies are doing better than others. The United States (US) and China in particular have shown a stronger growth rate in the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2023

Japan PM vows no more fundraising parties at hearing over funds scandal

Japan's beleaguered prime minister was set to stand before a political ethics committee on Thursday at Parliament in a bid to showcase his leadership. Fumio Kishida has fought against plummeting support ratings since his governing party's corruption scandal rocked the government. The scandal, considered the biggest in decades, centres on political funds raised through party event tickets bought by individuals, companies and organisations. It led to 10 people lawmakers and their aides being indicted in January. While Kishida himself is not the focus of the scandal and was not even invited to the hearing, the surprise announcement of his personal appearance broke a deadlock between the opposition lawmakers and his governing party on Wednesday when the five implicated attendants refused to go public, holding up a hearing and further tarnishing the party image. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's resistance to have a fully open session fuelled public criticism that Kishida's party i