Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Asian and European shares were mostly lower Tuesday as losses in the technology sector weighed on global benchmarks.

France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.6% to 5,807.12. Germany’s DAX lost 0.7% to 12,183.60. Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped 1.2% to 6,878.65. The future for the Dow industrials was down 0.7% at 29,059.00. The contract for the S&P 500 lost 0.8% to 3,597.00.

TOKYO (AP) — Eager to admire colorful foliage, eat sushi and go shopping, droves of tourists from abroad began arriving in Japan on Tuesday, with the end of pandemic-fighting border restrictions that had been in place for more than two years.

“We got the news that we can finally come. We are really, really happy,” said Nadine Lackmann, a German who was among the crowd of tourists arriving at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

TOKYO (AP) — It’s hard to tell from his serious demeanor, but Akky International Corp. Chief Executive Hideyuki Abe can barely contain his excitement.

Foreign tourists are coming back, those big-spending visitors from abroad who used to flock into his colorful store in Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district, its colorful shelves filled with watches and souvenirs like samurai swords and toy cats with bobbing heads.

TOKYO, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of excess deaths in Japan was estimated to have reached between 17,000 and 46,000 in the first six months of the year, the highest figure since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, local research data showed.

The estimates were compiled by organizations including the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, an institution under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

TOKYO (AP) — A United Nations human rights expert urged Japan’s government on Friday to provide evacuees from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster with more support, including housing, jobs and other needs, regardless of whether they fled forcibly or not.

TOKYO, October 4. /TASS: The Japanese government decided to expel an employee of Russia’s Consulate in Sapporo (Hokkaido) in response to Russia detaining Japan’s consul in Vladivostok and subsequently declaring him persona non grata, Kyodo reported on Tuesday citing Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.

It is noted that the Russian diplomat has to leave the country by October 10.

TOKYO (AP) — A top executive at a major Japanese publisher was charged Tuesday with bribing a former Tokyo Olympics organizing committee member.

The charges against Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, a major figure in Japan’s movie and entertainment industry, are the latest in the unfolding corruption scandal related to last year’s Tokyo Summer Games.

Kadokawa was arrested Sept. 14 on suspicion of bribing Haruyuki Takahashi with 69 million yen ($480,000).

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares rose Tuesday, with European markets tracking gains in Asia and U.S. after some weak economic data raised hopes that the Federal Reserve might ease away from aggressive interest rate hikes.

France’s CAC 40 gained 2.8% in early trading to 5,955.79. Germany’s DAX rose 2.3% to 12,484.83. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 1.5% to 7,013.73. The future for the Dow industrials was up 1.3% at 29,913.00. The S&P 500 future contract rose 1.5% to 3,745.25.

TOKYO, October 3. /TASS/: Tokyo has been striving to normalize diplomatic relations with North Korea and solve problems around Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a policy speech at a plenary session of Japan’s lower house of parliament on Monday.

TOKYO, Oct 3 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, in a policy speech, marking the start of an extraordinary parliamentary session today, vowed to reboot the nation’s hard-hit tourism industry, by targeting increased spending by visitors.

Kishida said, a new target of increasing foreign visitors’ total spending to more than five trillion yen (about 35 billion U.S. dollars) annually, would be set, with the government taking advantage of the Japanese yen’s sudden depreciation, which inflates the purchasing power of foreign guests.