Japan optimistic on prospects of stronger economic relations with Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Japan and Malaysia are poised for stronger economic relations in the future, said Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, Hiroshi Oka. He said Japan was the fourth largest trading partner of Malaysia last year and was the largest source of foreign direct investment to Malaysia, accounting for one-third of total investments. “So, there is […]
SEDC inks MoU with Japanese partners
BY TANIA LAM & SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA KUCHING: Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) through its subsidiary, SEDC Energy Sdn Bhd inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with its strategic partners from Japan, Sumitomo Corporation and ENEOS for the development of Bintulu Hydrogen Plant. The virtual MoU signing ceremony was witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi […]
Suga elected president of LDP, set to succeed Abe
TOKYO: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Monday at a joint plenary meeting of party members from both houses of the Diet and delegates from local chapters, reported Xinhua news agency. Suga is virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister […]
Japan ruling party launches race for Abe’s successor
TOKYO: Japan’s ruling party on Tuesday kicked off the race to pick Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s successor, with his powerful right-hand man Yoshihide Suga commanding an all-but-insurmountable lead. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga, the 71-year-old son of a strawberry farmer, has already secured the support of major factions in the Liberal Democratic Party ahead of its […]
Japan economy to fall at record pace
TOKYO: Japan’s economy will shrink at the fastest pace in decades in the year through March 2021, forcing the government to compile another stimulus package to cushion the blow from the coronavirus pandemic, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. Many respondents predicted the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ’s) next policy step would be to expand stimulus, […]
Japan lifts coronavirus emergency but urges caution
TOKYO: Japan lifted a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus on Monday, gradually reopening the world’s third-largest economy as government officials warned caution was still necessary to prevent another wave. “We had very stringent criteria for lifting the state of emergency. We have judged that we have met this,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told […]
Melon-aires not required as Japan premium fruit prices plunge
TOKYO: A pair of premium Japanese melons sold Monday for just a slice of the five million yen ($46,000) reached at auction last year, as the coronavirus bites hard. The melons from Yubari on the northern island of Hokkaido sold for a snip at 120,000 yen at the season’s first auction — 40 times less […]
Pac-Man turns 40
TOKYO: Forty years ago, a new video game featuring a bright yellow, dot-chomping, ghost-dodging character called Pac-Man appeared in Tokyo. It would become the most successful arcade game of all time. The hero — shaped like a mouth opening and closing — races around a maze noisily gobbling dots and occasionally fruit for extra points, […]
Japan newborn gets liver stem cells in world first
TOKYO: Doctors in Japan have successfully transplanted liver cells derived from embryonic stem cells into a newborn baby, in a world first that could provide new treatment options for infants. The newborn was suffering from urea cycle disorder, where the liver is not capable of breaking down toxic ammonia. But the six-day-old was too small […]
Japan slides into recession — with forecasts of worse to come
By Kyoko Hasegawa TOKYO: Japan dived into its first recession since 2015, according to official data Monday, with the world’s third-largest economy shrinking by 0.9 per cent in the first quarter as it wrestles with the fallout from the coronavirus. The drop in gross domestic product followed a 1.9-per cent decline in the fourth quarter […]
