“Another radioactive water leak in the sea has been detected at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the facility’s operator TEPCO announced. Contamination levels in the gutter reportedly spiked up 70 times over regular readings” RT reported today. The levels of contamination were between 50 and 70 times higher than Fukushima’s already elevated radioactive status, and … Continue reading
Japan is trying to increase its influence by reinventing itself in the areas of foreign policy, security and economics and by repositioning itself in the global order. However, while it is observed that the country’s foreign and security policies are going through a tough test, it also would be difficult to say that developments in … Continue reading
The trade deficit of the world’s third largest economy hit a new record of around $108 billion in 2014, the highest since 1979. Sharp demand for energy in Japan after the Fukushima disaster boosted imports; lower oil prices could reverse this in 2015. Japan’s trade deficit rose by 11.4 percent compared to 2013 to reachto … Continue reading
By Zacks Equity Research After emerging out of the two-decade long stagnation in 2013 all thanks to “Abenomics”, Japan failed to sustain its winning momentum for most of this year. This is especially true as the world’s third-largest economy slipped into recession in the third quarter. The economy shrank 1.6% annually in the last quarter after … Continue reading
By Zacks Equity Research After a surprise QE announcement by the Bank of Japan which fueled a rally in Japanese stocks, the country’s Nikkei is back on fire amid bets that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will delay a planned consumption tax hike slated to take effect in 2015. Moreover, Abe is also likely to call for … Continue reading
By Atsuko Higashino JTW Few countries have enjoyed such a problem-free relationship as the one between Turkey and Japan. In Japan, in particular, the public image of Turkey as one of the most pro-Japanese nations in the world has greatly strengthened the Japanese people’s psychological attachment to the country. There are a number of reasons for … Continue reading
Japan’s Nikkei stock market hit a 7 year high today as the index gained over 5%. On the other hand, the yen headed south to its lowest since early 2008 against the dollar, and lost more than 1% during one day. The sharp market and currency movements are the result of the today’s Bank of Japan surprise monetary easing decision. The BOJ unexpectedly surprised … Continue reading
A decision by Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Shinzo Abe to not go ahead with his planned sales tax hike in 2015 would be the equivalent to admitting that his “Abenomics” recipe for an economic revival of Japan was a failure, the Secretary-General of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) said on Tuesday, Reuters … Continue reading