Japan News 日本經濟陷入衰退

Stimulus for battered economy key in Japan election - Dec. 14, 2012 CNN The Liberal Democratic Party politician held the post once before, becoming Japan's youngest prime minister since World War II in 2006. He resigned one year later after a series of scandals. Since then, Japan's government has been led by six different ... See all stories on this topic » Japan Mulls Aerial Patrols to Protect Disputed Islands Voice of America TOKYO — Japan says it intends to strengthen its aerial surveillance, hoping to prevent a repeat of an unprecedented incident Thursday when a Chinese government plane flew near disputed isles in the East China Sea. The Japanese Air Self Defense Force ... See all stories on this topic » Voice of America Yen weakens broadly before Japan election Reuters LONDON (Reuters) - The yen fell against the dollar and euro on Friday and looked vulnerable to further selling on expectations that the Bank of Japan will ease monetary policy aggressively in coming months. The euro was steady versus the dollar after ... See all stories on this topic » Japan election a world away from tsunami-hit town CNN International Ishinomaki, Japan (CNN) -- It's been nine months since I took the photos, but as the temperature drops below zero at the start of another Japanese winter, one image stubbornly dwells on my mind. It's not of the tsunami-inflicted destruction -- the ... See all stories on this topic » UPDATE 2-S&P Japan unit rapped over CDO ratings mistakes Reuters Japan's Financial Services Agency ordered Standard & Poor's Ratings Japan K.K. to improve its operations after finding it had failed to account for losses on underlying assets referenced in so-called synthetic collateralized debt obligations (CDO). The ... See all stories on this topic » Tokyo Responds to Chinese Plane, Sending Fighter Jets Wall Street Journal The dispute between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea escalated as a Chinese plane for the first time entered what Japan considers its airspace. The WSJ's Yuka Hayashi explains why the timing couldn't be worse for Japan. See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal Japan Tankan Business Confidence Falls to Near 3-Year Low Bloomberg Big Japanese manufacturers are the most pessimistic in almost three years after a diplomatic dispute with China and Europe's austerity measures dragged exports to a fifth monthly decline in October. The quarterly Tankan index for large manufacturers ... See all stories on this topic » Japan's Shinzo Abe: comeback kid with conservative agenda Reuters TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Shinzo Abe may be thoroughly modern when it comes to pitching his policies on a widely followed Facebook page, but his conservative agenda for shedding the shackles of post-war pacifism is one that he learned at his ... See all stories on this topic » Japan Survey Shows Business Sentiment Darkening NPR TOKYO (AP) — Japanese manufacturers are growing increasingly pessimistic, according to a survey released Friday that added to gloom over the economic outlook ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election. The Bank of Japan's "tankan" index for the ... See all stories on this topic » In Japan, the fight over war memory has new implications Washington Post TOKYO — At a Shinto shrine here lined with cherry trees, a war museum asserts a jarring and unrepentant storyline about Japan's wartime past, brushing aside well-documented atrocities and describing its rampage through Asia as tragic but justified. See all stories on this topic » Japanese Manufacturers Help Save Chip Maker Renesas New York Times In a statement, Renesas said eight Japanese manufacturers, including Canon, Nikon, Nissan, Panasonic and Toyota, would contribute about $145 million to the deal. A government fund, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, will provide the rest of ... See all stories on this topic » New York Times Japan's LDP, partner on track for big election win: surveys Reuters Abe, 58, who resigned abruptly as premier in 2007 after a troubled year in office, is pushing the Bank of Japan (BOJ) for more powerful monetary stimulus and promises to boost public works to rev up a stagnant economy. Abe, the grandson of a wartime ... See all stories on this topic » Sea Shepherd buys anti-whaling ship from Japan The Guardian Photograph: Carolina A Castro/AP. The marine conservation group Sea Shepherd has scored a propaganda victory over Japan after it emerged it had bought its newest anti-whaling vessel from the Japanese government, apparently without its knowledge. See all stories on this topic » The Guardian Panel: Fault Under Japan Nuke Plant May Be Active ABC News A team of Japanese geologists says a seismic fault running underneath a nuclear plant in western Japan is likely to be active, which could force the scrapping of one of its two reactors. The five-member panel commissioned by the Nuclear Regulation ... See all stories on this topic » ABC News Japan Utilities Plunge on Faultline Warning Under Nuclear Plant Bloomberg The company is the second-biggest stakeholder in Japan Atomic Power Co., which runs the Tsuruga nuclear plant on the coast 127 kilometers (79 miles) northeast of Osaka that was examined by geologists this month. The finding was announced yesterday ... See all stories on this topic » Bloomberg Abe Seeks Redemption in Second Turn at Helm as Japan Contracts Bloomberg Shinzo Abe quit as Japan's prime minister five years ago, citing an intestinal disorder and apologizing for being unable to fulfill his duties. Now on the verge of retaking office, redemption may depend on whether he can repair an economy that's ... See all stories on this topic » Japan's Economy Contracts More Than Forecast in Third Quarter Bloomberg Japan's economy sank into recession in the second and third quarters, fueling opposition leader Shinzo Abe's calls for more stimulus and highlighting the risk that weak growth will derail a planned sales-tax rise. Gross domestic product shrank an ... See all stories on this topic » Soccer-Benitez brushes off Chelsea pressure in Japan Yahoo! Sports YOKOHAMA, Japan, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Chelsea interim coach Rafael Benitez feels no pressure to win the Club World Cup in Japan despite his team crashing out of the Champions League in midweek, the Spaniard said on Monday. Benitez, runner-up as ... See all stories on this topic » Dollar May Rise Above ¥83 Briefly Before Japan Election Sunday Wall Street Journal The dollar may top ¥83.00 this week due to bearish sentiment toward the yen, but investors say it won't stay there for long because of Japan's coming election and central bank policy board meeting. The greenback was at ¥82.43 from ¥82.50 in New York ... See all stories on this topic » Japan's Deflation Battle Carries Risks Wall Street Journal TOKYO—Shinzo Abe, the front-runner to become Japan's prime minister in elections Sunday, has made slaying the country's persistent deflation his top economic priority. But fixing that problem risks creating another: upending the country's mammoth ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal Asian Stocks Outside Japan Rise on US Jobs, China Data Bloomberg The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index gained 0.2 percent to 458.95 as of 5:06 p.m. Tokyo time, poised for its highest close since Aug. 4, 2011. A gauge that includes Japan was little changed, having erased gains of as much as 0.3 percent after a ... See all stories on this topic » Otani to stay in Japan instead of going to MLB San Francisco Chronicle Following the draft, the Fighters waged an aggressive campaign to convince Otani to stay in Japan, with the team's hierarchy holding a series of meetings with Otani and his parents. Otani announced Sunday he would play for the Fighters next season ... See all stories on this topic » Japan sinks into fresh recession Financial Times Japan slipped into a technical recession in the six months to September, strengthening opposition leader Shinzo Abe's case for more fiscal stimulus and “unlimited” monetary easing to boost growth in the world's third-largest economy. Final quarter ... See all stories on this topic » Japan Could Soon Become The Newest And Most Voracious Arms Buyer On ... Business Insider The Philippines would support Japan dropping its pacifist constitution to become a fully fledged military force and act as a balance against a rising China, a government spokesman said Monday. In an interview with the Financial Times, Foreign Secretary ... See all stories on this topic » Business Insider UPDATE 1-Japan revised GDP signals economy in recession Reuters Japan Q3 GDP -0.9 pct qtr/qtr vs prelim -0.9 pct * Revised capex -3.0 pct vs prelim -3.2 pct * Data keeps BOJ under pressure to ease more By Kaori Kaneko TOKYO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Japan's economy contracted for a second straight quarter in ... See all stories on this topic » Japan Atomic may have to decommission plant as active fault found Yahoo! News (blog) TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan Atomic Power Co. may have to decommission one of its reactors after seismologists concluded the plant is sitting over an active faultline, potentially the first permanent shutdown of a nuclear unit in Japan since the Fukushima ... See all stories on this topic » 日本經濟陷入衰退 日 本政府週一公佈的修正數據顯示﹐該國7-9月份經濟連續第二個季度萎縮﹐表明在全球市場需求低迷之際﹐這個全球第三大經濟體已陷入了溫和衰退。 這份修正數據可能會加劇日本政府及央行採取政策行動刺激經濟的壓力。在日本各黨為12月16日大選進行造勢的過程中﹐圍繞進一步採取刺激性措施以及放鬆貨幣政策必要性的爭論一直貫穿其中。 經通貨膨脹因素調整後﹐修正後的日本7-9月份國內生產總值(GDP)下滑3.5%﹐與上個月公佈的初值一致。但修正後的第二季度數據顯示﹐4-6月份日本經濟折合成年率萎縮0.1%﹔初值為增長0.3%。 這意味著日本經濟已然連續兩個季度萎縮。根據私人經濟學家普遍認可的標準﹐連續兩個季度出現經濟萎縮是一國經濟陷入衰退的標誌﹐儘管日本經濟在4-6月份僅有微幅下滑。 在此之前﹐最近公佈的其他低迷數據也顯示日本經濟陷入衰退﹐包括上週發佈的一項涵蓋消費和就業指標的關鍵指數﹐正是這份數據促使日本政府下調了對經濟的評估。 截至10月份﹐該指數已連續第七個月下降。一名政府官員上週五表示﹐經濟下滑勢頭正在固化﹐日本經濟陷入衰退的可能性上升。 日本經濟的低迷顯示了該國對出口的依賴﹐也引發政界人士呼籲日本央行(Bank of Japan)進一步採取政策行動並在大選前採取更多經濟刺激措施。 日本在野黨自民黨(Liberal Democratic Party)總裁安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)呼籲日本央行通過採取無限量寬鬆政策來實現2%的通貨膨脹目標，還呼籲政府增加支出。民意調查顯示，安倍晉三有望成為下任日本首相。 另外，10月份日本未經季節性因素調整的經常項目盈餘較上年同期下降，至3,769億日圓，因該國貿易逆差繼續擴大，儘管在海外投資持續穩定流入的作用下經常項目依然保持著盈餘。 10月份的經常項目盈餘略高於接受道瓊斯通訊社(Dow Jones Newswires)和《日本經濟新聞》(Nikkei)調查的經濟學家所預計的2,180億日圓。 瑞穗證券(Mizuho Securities)的市場分析師Jun Kawakami表示，總體來看，出口一直是近期數據當中最薄弱的環節，出口情況的變化將是決定經濟復蘇的關鍵。 GDP數據還顯示，日本資本支出較前季度的降幅由初步數據的下降3.2%向上修正至下降3.0%。在GDP中占比約60%的個人消費降幅修正為0.4%，初步數據為下降0.5%。 但公共投資增幅向下修正至1.5%，初步數據為增長4.0%，一些經濟學家認為這對經濟不是好的徵兆。 瑞銀證券(RBS Securities)首席日本經濟學家Junko Nishioka稱，公共投資曾被認為是決定日本近期經濟增長情況的最後希望。 瑞穗證券(Mizuho Securities)的Kawakami指出，上述疲軟的數據可能會加劇人們明年對2014年首次上調消費稅率的爭論，也給政界人士帶來了推出更多刺激性政策的壓力。 根據今年8月份通過的消費稅法，上調消費稅率前日本政府將評估國內經濟的狀況。安倍晉三已經表示，在上調稅率前需要確認經濟的狀況如何。 不過，經濟學家們稱，10月-12月份的季度中日本經濟的低迷局面可能已經觸底。 Norinchukin Research Institute的首席經濟學家Takeshi Minami表示，雖然日中關係緊張並且海外需求疲弱，但個人消費將保持強勢，如果採取積極的貨幣和財政政策措施，再加上如果日元能夠繼續走軟，商業信心可能會增強。 週一發佈的另外一份調查數據顯示，10月-12月份的季度中日本大企業的信心惡化，不過預測顯示它們對未來幾個季度的信心增強。 第四季度衡量日本大企業（資本金在10億日圓及以上）信心狀況的指標為-5.5，低於前季度的2.2。但反映明年1月-3月份季度預期的指數為1.7，針對4月-6月份季度的預期指數為0.4. 上述指數反映的是認為經濟狀況將改善的公司數量與認為經濟狀況將惡化的公司數量之差佔公司總數的百分比。 經濟學家們稱，目前市場焦點將轉向日本央行週五將公佈的備受關注的企業信心短觀調查。若調查數據疲軟，可能會促使該行在12月19-20日的政策會議上傾向採取寬鬆政策。 Eleanor Warnock Japan Shows Off Its Missile-Defense System Wall Street Journal TOKYO—Since North Korea shocked Japan by lobbing a rocket over the country nearly 15 years ago, the Japanese have spent $12 billion trying to make sure it never happens again. Japan now has the most sophisticated missile-defense system outside the ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal Not Yet Japan, but Not Good Either Barron's "It's everything that happened in Japan, but not as severe," says John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's Capital Markets Research. "For next year, you're probably looking at 2% real growth, a 2% 10-year Treasury yield, and 2% inflation. I don't see ... See all stories on this topic » Japanese Quake Stirs On-Air Alarm, but No Damage to Nuclear Plants Is Reported New York Times TOKYO — It was perhaps the surest sign that Japan remains unnerved by last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami. After a large quake on Friday hit near the same area stricken last year, broadcasters on the public television network NHK threw ... See all stories on this topic » Tsunami Warning Lifted After Strong Earthquake Strikes Near Japan ABC News A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan triggered a tsunami warning and evacuation orders in seven cities today, but the warning was lifted a short time later with few injuries and little damage. The earthquake struck 150 miles off ... See all stories on this topic » ABC News Strong Earthquake Shakes Northern Japan, Rattling Locals Wall Street Journal TOKYO—A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan on Friday afternoon, unnerving residents in a region hit last year by a devastating quake and nuclear accident. No deaths were directly caused by the earthquake, but one person was seriously ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal Japan - Big Earthquake In Semiconductor Country Forbes Map of Japan Earthquake 7 December, 2012 An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck today, Friday December 7, at 5:18 PM roughly 300km off the coast of Japan's main island, Honshu. The earthquake caused a 1-meter high tsunami, but is said not to have ... See all stories on this topic » Forbes Test passed? Japan's earthquake causes quick response near Fukushima (+ ... Christian Science Monitor For thousands of people living in the region of Japan devastated by last year's triple disaster, Friday's earthquake served as an unwelcome reminder of their vulnerability to sudden, violent seismic shifts – and as a warning to the rest of the country ... See all stories on this topic » Christian Science Monitor Quake, Small Tsunami Hit Japan Voice of America A powerful undersea earthquake has shaken Japan's northeastern coast, triggering a small tsunami and causing buildings to sway as far away as Tokyo. A one-meter high tsunami swept ashore Friday in Ishinomaki, in Miyagi prefecture, the same region ... See all stories on this topic » Voice of America Japan Earthquake One Of 14 Significant Shakers To Strike Asia-Pacific Region ... International Business Times The three biggest were the magnitude-7.3 quake 152.24 miles southeast of Kamaishi, Japan; the magnitude-6.3 temblor 13.05 miles east-southeast of Tokoroa, New Zealand; and the magnitude-6.2 trembler 135.46 miles southeast of Ofunato, Japan. See all stories on this topic » International Business Times Japan tunnel disaster shows aging of public works DailyFinance TOKYO -The deadly collapse last weekend of hundreds of concrete ceiling slabs in a tunnel outside Tokyo is raising calls for more spending on Japan's aging infrastructure, but the country might simply not have the money. Nine people were killed Sunday ... See all stories on this topic » Japan earthquake brings small tsunami to northeastern disaster zone CBS News TOKYO A strong earthquake struck Friday off the coast of northeastern Japan in the same region that was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami last year. A city in the region reported that a small tsunami had hit, but there were no immediate reports ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan to Intercept Any Falling North Korea Missile Wall Street Journal Japan's shoot-down order, which has been issued twice before similar launches by North Korea, but never executed, followed a security council meeting attended by Cabinet officials including Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto, who formally issued the ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal

Toyota sees Japan sales dropping 20 percent in 2013: media Fox Business Japanese vehicle sales account for 30 percent of Toyota's total sales volumes, and industry data shows that since the end of government tax incentives for purchases of fuel-efficient cars in mid-September, domestic new vehicle sales have fallen each of ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan Says Recession Has Probably Started Wall Street Journal TOKYO—An index of data reflecting the current state of Japan's economy fell in October for the seventh straight month, indicating a high possibility that the country has already fallen into a recession. The coincident composite index, whose 11 ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal

71 years later, Japan native Reiko McKendry thankful for mercy US showed after ... The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — Japanese-American Reiko McKendry usually tries to keep a low profile on Pearl Harbor Day, to avoid any possibility of conflict or ill will. It was 71 years ago Friday, Dec. 7, 2012, that her native country's surprise attack claimed ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan firm revives US resin plant Reuters TOKYO Dec 7 (Reuters) - Japan's Nippon Shokubai Co Ltd said on Friday its U.S. subsidiary has restarted a resin plant closed earlier this year to make up for the shortage of material used in diapers, following an explosion at its plant in Japan in ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan Papers Predict Opposition Winning Majority ABC News Major Japanese newspapers are projecting that the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party will win a majority of seats in next Sunday's election — but with polls showing nearly half of voters still undecided, the results are still far from certain ... See all stories on this topic »

AP Exclusive: Japan scientists took utility money U.S. News & World Report TOKYO (AP) — Influential Japanese scientists who help set national radiation exposure limits have for years had trips paid for by the country's nuclear plant operators to attend overseas meetings of the world's top academic group on radiation safety. See all stories on this topic »

Japan's Main Opposition Party Set for Big Gains, Polls Show Wall Street Journal TOKYO—Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party appeared on course to sweep back to power in the general election with a solid majority, local media surveys showed Thursday, likely putting Shinzo Abe back in the prime minister's seat. In the ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan Deploys Missile Interceptors Voice of America Japanese television showed three Aegis destroyers armed with SM-3 missile interceptors reportedly headed for the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan on Thursday. Patriot missile interceptors later arrived at Okinawa island, which lies under the missile ... See all stories on this topic » Voice of America

Top Japan Stories From WSJ: Canon Focuses on China, BOJ Easing Hopes, EU ... Wall Street Journal (blog) Canon Trains Its Cameras on China: Confronted with the growing popularity of smartphones and changing consumer tastes Canon Inc. is stepping up activities in China to capture a lucrative but largely untapped market for higher quality cameras ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal (blog)

UPDATE 1-Japan corporate mood up, weakness persists- Reuters Tankan Reuters TOKYO, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Sentiment among Japanese manufacturers has edged up for the first time since July, a Reuters' poll showed on Thursday, in a sign that the economy may have bottomed out even as sluggish global demand continues to weigh on ... See all stories on this topic »

TABLE-Foreigners net buyers of Japan shares for 3rd straight week Reuters Details of net investments were as follows (in billion yen): FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN JAPAN: stocks bonds bills Nov 25 - Dec 1 +184.3 +350.2 +2,059.5 Nov 18 - Nov 24 +275.8r -51.2 -1,578.6 JAPANESE INVESTMENT ABROAD: stocks bonds bills Nov 25 ... See all stories on this topic »