Japan

NIIGATA, Japan, May 12 (Reuters) - Finance leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies discussed the need to make global supply chains more resilient by reducing over-reliance on China, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Friday.

Japan, which is hosting a three-day G7 meeting to debate key global themes in the city of Niigata, has been leading fresh efforts to diversify supply chains away from China by building partnerships with low- and middle-income countries through investment and aid.

NIIGATA, Japan (AP) — The financial leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations meet in Japan beginning Thursday as a standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling and potential default looms as one of the biggest potential threats to the global economy, along with the war in Ukraine.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said one of her priorities in Niigata, a port city on the Japan Sea coast, is to emphasize the importance of resolving the standoff over the national debt in the world’s largest economy.

TOKYO, May 10 (Reuters) - China will be the elephant in the room at this week's meeting of Group of Seven (G7) finance leaders, who will seek to diversify supply chains away from the country -- but also try to get Beijing's cooperation in solving global debt problems.

The conflicting goals come on top of vulnerabilities the G7 rich democracies face due to their heavily reliance on China, which is the world's second-largest economy and the second biggest external holder of U.S. debt.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares declined in muted trading Wednesday as investors awaited an upcoming report on inflation in the United States, an important indicator for where interest rates and global growth might go in the coming months.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.5% in morning trading to 29,105.27. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched down nearly 0.1% to 7,257.60. South Korea’s Kospi slipped nearly 0.1% to 2,508.04. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.6% to 19,746.67, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.9% to 3,326.31.

TOKYO, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Japan's lower house of parliament during a plenary session on Tuesday passed a contentious bill to amend an immigration law allowing authorities to deport foreign nationals who apply for refugee status multiple times.

The controversial revision of the immigration law has been heavily criticized by organizations established to support asylum seekers.

TOKYO, May 7 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese police, yesterday served an additional arrest warrant, on the suspect, in an attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month, alleging he illegally manufactured explosives.

Ryuji Kimura, who allegedly threw an explosive towards Kishida, during a campaign event in western Japan’s Wakayama City, on Apr 15, was served the fresh warrant, on suspicion of making about 530 grams of gunpowder, between Nov, 2022 and Apr 15 this year, without permission, in violation of the gunpowder control law.

TOKYO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Japanese police on Saturday served an additional arrest warrant on the suspect in an attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month, alleging he illegally manufactured explosives.

Ryuji Kimura, who allegedly threw an explosive toward Kishida during a campaign event in western Japan's Wakayama City on April 15, was served the fresh warrant on suspicion of making about 530 grams of gunpowder around between November 2022 and April 15 this year without permission in violation of the gunpowder control law.

TOKYO (AP) — A strong, shallow earthquake hit central Japan on Friday afternoon, killing at least one person and injuring more than 20 others and disrupting plans for holidaymakers.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.5 and said it was centered at a depth of about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).

More than 50 aftershocks strong enough to be felt have been recorded since, including one at 5.8 magnitude on Friday night.

TOKYO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- One person was confirmed dead and 22 injured after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's central prefecture of Ishikawa and surrounding areas on Friday, local authorities reported.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the powerful temblor occurred at 2:42 p.m. local time (0542 GMT), at a depth of 12 km, registering an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the city of Suzu, located at the tip of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Tuesday with some markets closed or anticipating holidays and investors showing muted reaction to the latest historic U.S. banking failure.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up 0.2% to 29,175.44 in morning trading. Trading in Tokyo will be closed for Golden Week holidays the rest of the week. Trading was closed in Shanghai for Labor Day.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.2% to 7,319.40. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.8% to 2,522.09. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was virtually unchanged at 19,885.48.