Japan

TOKYO (AP) — World markets were mixed Tuesday, with European benchmarks and U.S. futures turning higher after Asian shares extended losses.

Surging prices for oil and other vital commodities have been rattling global markets and the situation remains uncertain as investors search for safe havens from expanding sanctions against Russia.

TOKYO (AP) — The price of oil jumped about $10 a barrel and shares were sharply lower Monday as the conflict in Ukraine deepened amid mounting calls for harsher sanctions against Russia.

Brent crude oil surged more than 12% during the day in Asia, while benchmark U.S. crude gained about $10 at more than $125 a barrel.

TOKYO, Mar 4 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s jobless rate rose marginally to 2.8 percent in Jan, the government said in a report today, owing to increasing cases of COVID-19 negatively impacting the labour market.

From the previous month, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage point, as a number of prefectures in the reporting period were placed under a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency, to combat the spread of the highly-contagious Omicron variant of the virus, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

TOKYO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) should pay 1.4 billion yen (12 million U.S. dollars) in damages to about 3,700 residents whose lives were stricken by the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

This is the first finalized decision of such damages which cover three class-action lawsuits out of more than 30 filed against the company, averaging about 380,000 yen (3,290 dollars) per plaintiff, according to NHK.

TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court gave a suspended sentence to Greg Kelly, a former American executive at Nissan Motor charged with underreporting his boss Carlos Ghosn’s pay.

The verdict announced Thursday of a 6-month sentence suspended for three years will allow Kelly to return to the U.S. even if prosecutors appeal.

Kelly was arrested in November 2018 at the same time as Ghosn, a former Nissan chairman and head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. Both have insisted they are innocent, arguing that the money at the center of the charges was never paid or decided on.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday as global investors eyed talks aimed at ending the Russian military assault on Ukraine, which so far have yielded just an agreement to keep talking.

Benchmarks were higher in early trading in Tokyo, Sydney and Shanghai. Hong Kong declined and markets were closed in South Korea for a holiday. U.S. futures edged lower and oil prices rose.

TOKYO (AP) — Toshiba’s Chief Executive Satoshi Tsunakawa is stepping down as the embattled Japanese technology giant seeks to restructure and restore its reputation.

Tsunakawa will be replaced by Taro Shimada, an executive officer and corporate senior vice president, under a decision made at a Toshiba board meeting Tuesday, the Tokyo-based company said.

Shimada was an executive at Siemens, both in Japan and the U.S., before joining Toshiba Corp. in 2018, working in its digital operations.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, marking his 62nd birthday on Wednesday, called on people to keep “the fire of hope” burning in their hearts and support each other to overcome the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Naruhito said his heart aches thinking about people who have lost their jobs, struggled financially or felt isolated due to the pandemic.

TOKYO (AP) — World leaders sought Wednesday to back up their tough words over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, announcing financial sanctions, trade and travel bans and other measures meant to pressure Moscow to pull back from the brink of war.

Even as they ramped up penalties, however, nations in Asia and the Pacific also prepared for the possibility of both economic pain, in the form of cuts to traditional energy and grain supply lines, and retaliation from Russian cyberattacks.

Tokyo, Feb 23 (AP) Japan's prime minister has announced sanctions targeting Russia and two separatist Ukrainian regions recognised as independent by Russian President Vladimir Putin, joining an international effort seeking to pressure Russia to return to diplomatic solutions.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that his government will ban new issuance and distribution of Russian government bonds in Japan in response to the actions Russia has been taking in Ukraine.