FOCUS: Abe’s Asia-Pacific trip aimed at drawing Trump engagement in region

January 17, 2017

HANOI– Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tried to cement ties with key Pacific-Rim countries during his trip through Tuesday, apparently hoping to prompt incoming U.S. President Donald Trump to maintain U.S. commitment to the security and peace of the region amid China’s

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BOJ lifts assessments of 3 regional economies on stronger consumption

January 16, 2017

TOKYO– The Bank of Japan on Monday lifted its economic assessments of three of the country’s nine regions, including Tokai where Toyota Motor Corp. is headquartered, citing a pickup in consumer spending, while maintaining its evaluations of the remaining six regions.

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Japan, U.S. sign pact limiting legal protection of U.S. base workers

January 16, 2017

TOKYO– Japan and the United States signed on Monday a pact to effectively remove legal protection over some U.S. military base workers, hoping the move will deter base-linked crimes in Okinawa where the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan are

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Japan, Vietnam leaders meet with S. China Sea, TPP in focus

January 16, 2017

HANOI– Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc met Monday in Hanoi, where they are expected to discuss a coordinated response to China’s maritime expansion amid uncertainty about incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to the stability of the Asia-Pacific

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Japan sees sharp rise in number of foreign nursing care students

January 16, 2017

TOKYO– Japan’s nursing care schools have seen a marked increase in foreign student numbers following a legal amendment making it easier for prospective caregivers to acquire resident status in the rapidly graying country. The surge in foreign students training to become

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Boatmen found guilty over 2011 fatal capsizing

January 16, 2017

SHIZUOKA– A court found two boatmen and a tour company safety manager guilty Monday over a 2011 accident on the Tenryu River in Hamamatsu, deeming they should have foreseen the capsize that claimed five lives on the major Shizuoka Prefecture river.

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Closer Taiwan-Japan ties possible strategy under Trump presidency

January 16, 2017

TAIPEI– On Jan. 20, real estate mogul and television reality show host Donald Trump will become the 45th president of the United States, ending one of the bitterest and most tumultuous presidential campaigns in U.S. history. But if the electoral process

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Ski jumping: Takanashi misses 1st World Cup podium of season

January 15, 2017

SAPPORO– Japan’s Sara Takanashi missed her first World Cup podium of the season on Sunday, while Norway’s Maren Lundby won and Japan’s Yuki Ito was second. Competing in the eighth event of the young season, Takanashi, runner-up on Saturday in her

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