Japan

TOKYO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- People flocked to Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens to see Xiang Xiang on Sunday, the final day for public viewing for the beloved five-year-old female giant panda before her return to China.

The celebrity panda's eventual departure drew fans to wait for hours at the zoo to say goodbye. A lottery for tickets to see Xiang Xiang on Sunday was held in advance since many visitors were expected, with the overall odds surpassing 20 times and the odds for the final group of viewers reaching 70 times.

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese economy grew at an annual pace of 0.6% in October-December, the government reported Tuesday, managing to eke out growth after a contraction in the previous quarter.

The world’s third-largest economy has struggled amid restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, a shortage of imported parts from China and rising prices — especially energy — worsened by inflationary pressures and the war in Ukraine.

But the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, both abroad and in Japan, has helped a recovery in tourism and other economic activity.

TOKYO (AP) — The next president at Japan’s top automaker Toyota, Koji Sato, introduced a management team Monday that he said will lead an aggressive push on electric vehicles.

Sato stressed that “electrification” is a key theme for his team and promised to develop a totally new, next-generation electric vehicle by 2026.

That will be a Lexus, while Toyota Motor Corp. will also beef up all its EV model offerings, Sato said.

“Lexus will lead the move,” he told reporters at a news conference in Tokyo. “I see myself as the captain of the soccer team.”

TOKYO, Feb 10 (NNN-NHK) – The Japanese government plans to appoint Kazuo Ueda, an economist and former member of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) Policy Board, as the central bank’s next governor, after Haruhiko Kuroda’s resignation, local media reported today.

For new deputy governors, former Financial Services Agency chief, Ryozo Himino and BOJ Executive Director, Shinichi Uchida are being eyed, reported Japanese newspaper Nikkei, citing sources familiar with the matter.

TOKYO, Feb 8 (NNN-NHK) – SoftBank Group Corp., yesterday announced a net loss of 912.5 billion yen (6.90 billion U.S. dollars), in the Apr-Dec period.

The figure compares to a net profit of 392.6 billion yen (2.97 billion dollars), booked a year earlier, with the losses in the recording period attributed in part to the yen’s weakness and a global stock slump, amid global inflation, the group reported.

TOKYO, Feb 7 (NNN-NHK) – Household spending in Japan fell 1.3 percent in Dec last year, as spending by people on residential expenses, including maintenance, declined, the government said in a report today.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, spending by households occupied by two or more people dropped for the second straight month, to an average of 328,114 yen (2,479 U.S. dollars) in the recording period.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the statistics bureau said, household spending declined 2.1 percent.

TOKYO (AP) — Growing worry over Chinese threats has led to a major Japanese boost in military spending, defense partnerships and aid packages, a concerted new effort to draw like-minded Asian nations into a stronger, unified front as Beijing seeks to establish regional dominance.

This security shift will be highlighted during a visit to Tokyo starting Wednesday of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, a mutual U.S. ally that Japan has increasingly developed defense ties with in recent years.

TOKYO, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese cargo ship sank in the Seto Inland Sea off the western prefecture of Ehime on Thursday after colliding with another cargo vessel, leaving two crew members missing, the coast guard here said.

According to the Imabari Coast Guard Office, the 716-ton cargo ship Seiryu collided with the 499-ton Koei Maru off the coast of Imabari City of Ehime Prefecture at around 19:30 local time.

TOKYO, Feb 1 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s weather agency warned of very strong, blustery winds and snowfall from this evening through tomorrow, in northern regions, owing to seriously unstable atmospheric conditions.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the regions most likely to be hit by the extreme wintry weather are those in the north-east and Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.

TOKYO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A reactor at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture of central Japan was automatically halted Monday after an alert went off, local media reported.

Following an alert warning of a rapid decrease in the number of neutrons within the unit, the No. 4 reactor at the Takahama plant was halted at 3:21 p.m. local time, Kyodo News reported.

There has been no indication of the incident causing environmental contamination, said the report citing the complex's operator.