Politics
Japan is considering introducing cashless tax refunds for inbound travelers, as part of efforts to prevent them from illicitly earning money by reselling tax-free items before departure, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. Under the envisaged system, the government would have foreign travelers pay for products that include the consumption tax, which would be later refunded through a credit card or other cashless format, the sources said. Cash refunds at airports will remain available, but the government will encourage visitors to receive cashless refunds to avoid congestion at airports, ...
Kyodo News
The government on Tuesday estimated that a deadly earthquake that hit central Japan on New Year's Day had a negative economic impact of up to 115.0 billion yen ($743 million) in the first quarter of 2024, equivalent to less than 0.1 percent of nominal gross domestic product. The Cabinet Office released the figure as it maintained the overall assessment of the Japanese economy in its monthly report for April, saying that it is recovering "at a moderate pace, although it recently appears to be pausing." The same expression was used for the third straight month. Economists say Japan's economy lik...
Kyodo News
Strong aftershocks continued to rattle Taiwan on Tuesday after a deadly earthquake claimed the lives of 17 people in the island's eastern county of Hualien in early April, but there were no reports of casualties following the latest temblors. The aftershocks in the early hours of Tuesday registered magnitudes of 6.0 and 6.3, respectively, leaving at least two multistory buildings that had been unoccupied in Hualien partially collapsed and tilted. Another quake registering a magnitude of 5.8 occurred in the morning. Tuesday's quakes prompted the Hualien county government to announce the closure...
Kyodo News
An International Atomic Energy Agency task force on Tuesday began a review of the process in which radioactive water is treated at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the second it has conducted since Japan started releasing the water into the ocean last August. The task force will inspect the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan on Wednesday while the current release is underway, and hold discussions with the industry ministry, the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. and the Nuclear Regulation Authority during its mission through Friday. In the opening se...
Kyodo News
North Korean animators are believed to have worked on programs produced by Japanese and U.S. studios despite sanctions against doing business with the country, a research report released Monday said. U.S.-based website 38 North, which covers events related to North Korea, said that documents accessed online showed the programs worked on included "Dahliya In Bloom," a Japanese animation series due to air from July and a third season of "Invincible" produced by California-based Skybound Entertainment and to be broadcast on Amazon Prime. The report said there is no evidence to indicate the studio...
Kyodo News
Japan will take appropriate action to counter excessive volatility in the currency market without ruling out any options, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Tuesday, as the yen weakened further and neared the psychologically important 155 line against the U.S. dollar. Suzuki said the government is monitoring foreign exchange movements with "a high sense of urgency" while maintaining close communication with the monetary authorities of other nations. His comments came amid caution about another round of market intervention by Japanese authorities to slow the yen's rapid decline.
Kyodo News
The proportion of small and midsize firms in Japan raising base pay has increased from the previous fiscal year to reach 63.1 percent amid high inflation and acute labor shortages, a government survey showed Monday. The figure for fiscal 2024 was up 8.8 percentage points from the previous year's 54.3 percent, confirming that pay hikes have spread from bigger firms in a positive development for the Bank of Japan as it aims to achieve stable inflation backed by robust wage growth. However, the proportion of small and midsize firms raising base pay is still lower than the 81.1 percent for big com...
Kyodo News
Delta Air Lines Inc. will scrap required baggage checks for its passengers from Tokyo's Haneda airport when they take connecting domestic flights in the United States, according to a senior executive. Jeff Moomaw, Delta's vice president for the Asia Pacific region, said in a recent interview that the airline is working out the details of the planned measure in consultation with Japan's transport ministry alongside U.S. authorities, with an eye to introducing the new rule this year at the earliest. The airline hopes to do the same for South Korea's Incheon airport, he added. Under existing rule...
Kyodo News
A Japanese peace research institute discovered in March that an additional subcritical nuclear test was added to a U.S. tally due to a change in its criteria, with a series of plutonium experiments from 2007 now being grouped together to represent a single test. Peace Depot Inc., based in Yokohama near Tokyo, filed a request last September with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under the Freedom of Information Act to disclose the details after it was revealed last year that the number of U.S. subcritical nuclear tests had risen from a total of 32 to 33. J...
Kyodo News
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make a three-day visit to China next week to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other senior officials, in the latest effort to control tensions even as the major powers continue to spar on many issues. During the visit from Wednesday, Blinken will express "deep concerns" over China's support for Russia's defense industrial base, while other high-priority issues will include the importance of stability around Taiwan ahead of next month's inauguration of the self-ruled island's President-elect Lai Ching-te, a senior State Department o...
Kyodo News
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