Analysis: Japan's politics offer sober economic policy lessons

2011-08-25T04:30:20Z

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. and euro zone governments drowning in debt should look no further than Japan to learn what happens when political deadlock stifles decisive policy-making.

As Japan prepares to usher in its sixth prime minister in five years,

Instant view: Japan Q2 GDP shrinks less than forecast

2011-08-14T18:00:06Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy contracted at a slower pace than expected in the second quarter as output and exports recovered from the devastating earthquake in March, but a soaring yen and slowing global growth clouds the outlook.

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KEY POIN...

U.S. outlook casts shadow over world economy

2011-08-09T09:00:12Z

BANGALORE (Reuters) - The chances of another U.S. recession are rising and Europe's recovery is also at risk, according to the latest Reuters poll, taken during the worst stock market selloff since the nadir of the financial crisis.

Analysis: No quick cure for slow growth at root of market malaise

2011-08-08T11:30:19Z

LONDON (Reuters) - From the United States and Italy to Japan and Greece, slow growth is hobbling the capacity of governments to service their debts, spooking mark...

Greek bailout deal boosts Asian stocks

2011-07-22T08:30:28Z

Asian shares rose Friday, led by banks, after eurozone leaders finally struck a bailout deal for Greece that also puts in place steps to avoid contagion in other struggling economies.

Relief that the multi-billion-dollar" class="inform">dollar agreement had been reached also sent the euro soaring aft...

Washington's Last Hope to Prod Economy

2011-07-11T10:30:20Z

Stimulus, easy money, tax relief -- all done with. So what kind of debt deal can really put us on the right track?

Washington has only one course left to give the sluggish economy a badly needed shot of adrenaline: to hammer out a credible plan to pare back the long-term deficit. With the recovery at a plateau and housing still in a deep slump, ...

BOJ to hold fire, tone up optimism on economy

2011-07-05T18:30:13Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan is expected to hold off on easing monetary policy further and revise up its assessment of the economy next week, encouraged by a pickup in factory output and recovery in business sentiment hit by the devastating earthquake in March.

But the cent...

Global economy hits soft patch, should avoid double-dip: S&P

2011-07-05T15:30:23Z

The global economy has hit a "soft patch" due to the disruption caused by Japan's March earthquake but emerging market growth should prevent a double-dip recession, Standard and Poor's said on Tuesday.

In a report on the risks of the economy falling back into recession, S&P said the damage to international supply chain systems from the devastating earthquake in Japan ap...

Japan May factory output jumps by most in nearly 60 years

2011-06-28T21:00:08Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese factory output jumped by the most in almost 60 years in May as manufacturers restore supply chains damaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami in March, the latest evidence the economy is headed for a "V-shaped" recovery from the disaster.

Manufacturers, however, forecast smaller gains in output in coming months as they a...

It Just Feels Like a Double-dip Recession

2011-06-22T10:30:19Z

With housing continuing to wallow at the bottom and millions of pink-slipped workers still unemployed, it seems as if the economy is sliding back into recession. But is it?

The economy seems especially fragile these days, as if the SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics and other Asian technology stocks tumbled on Friday as the sputtering global economy threatens to crimp demand for computers and TVs and hit earnings of chip and panel makers for the rest of the year.

Investors,...

BOJ's Nakamura upbeat on Japan recovery

2011-06-02T02:00:15Z

NARA/TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) - Bank of Japan board member Seiji Nakamura said solid global growth will help Japan's recovery accelerate later this year but warned that the country cannot...

US recovery slows, fueling stagnation fears

2011-06-01T19:30:40Z

Revelations that key sectors of the US economy were pummeled last month have rekindled fears that the world's largest economy faces protracted high unemployment and lackluster growth.

Exactly two years after the recession officially ended, weakness in the jobs, housing and manufacturing sectors left economists scrambling to downgrade their growth predictions on Wednesday.

"This week is the most important week for asses...

Crisis, stagflation stalk global recovery: OECD

2011-05-25T12:30:21Z

Crisis still stalks the global economy with stagflation lurking and Japan set for recession this year despite moderate overall recovery, the OECD said on Wednesday, warning against complacency.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development held its 2011 global growth forecast st...

Bank of Japan chief sees signs of recovery

2011-05-25T08:46:38Z

Japan's central bank chief on Wednesday likened the economic slump following the March 11 earthquake to the crisis following the collapse of Lehman Brothers -- but said there were already signs of recovery.

An increasing number of plants are resuming production while there are signs of improved sales at department stores, snapping a plunge in consumer spending immediate...

'Stagflation' risk threatens global growth: OECD

2011-05-25T07:30:28Z

Crisis still stalks the global economy with stagflation lurking and Japan set for recession this year, even though overall activity is staging a moderate recovery, the OECD said on Wednesday.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development held its 2011 global growth forecast stea...

Recovery takes a breather

2011-05-22T12:30:07Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It was fun while it lasted.

After several strong quarters, the global economic recovery appears to be sputtering. In particular, the industrial sector, a key driver of the bounce-back from a historic worldwide recession, looks to be fraying.

"People need to seriously consider the scenario where global industrial growth, once again, starts to throttle back -- beca...

Quake knocks Japan into recession

2011-05-19T06:00:36Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy shrank much more than expected in the first quarter and slipped into recession after the triple blow of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit business and consumer spending and tore apart supply chains.

The Japan's economy plunged back into recession in January-March, contracting sharply on the impact of the nation's biggest recorded earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear crisis, data showed Thursday.

The economy shrank by a much worse-than-expected 3.7 percent year on year, marking the second consecutive quarter of contraction, which economists define as a technical recession.

In the aftermath of the disasters, output saw its biggest ever ...

Japan economy slumps more than expected in first quarter

2011-05-18T17:30:15Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy shrank in the first quarter at nearly double the pace expected, effectively slipping into recession as the devastating earthquake in March hit business spending and private consumption.

Gross domestic product fell 0.9 percent in the first quarter, much more than a median mark...

GE sees best profit outlook in a decade, execs say

2011-04-27T12:00:11Z

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - General Electric Co sees its best earnings growth prospects in a decade as the global economic recovery drives demand for the heavy energy and aviation equipment it makes, top executives said.

R...

U.S. confident Japan will handle economic challenges

2011-03-14T12:30:25Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is confident Japan will be able to handle economic challenges in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, and does not expect the disaster to stall the world's recovery from economic recession, a TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan eased its ultra-loose monetary policy further on Monday by expanding its asset-buying programme while keeping rates on hold.

KEY POINTS:

-- The BOJ kept interest rates unchanged at a range of zero to 0.1 percent by a unanimous vote.

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Tokyo, Moscow have highest expat rents: survey

2011-02-16T08:30:26Z

Expats living in Tokyo are paying more rent than anywhere else in the world due to the soaring yen, while those in Hong Kong would have seen theirs rise 22 percent, a survey has revealed.

For the privilege of living in the Japanese capital an expatriate would have forked out an average $4,352 a month for a two-bedroom apartment last year, the annual report by human resources consultant

Japan forecasts GDP growth to slow in 2011

2010-12-22T07:30:31Z

The pace of Japan's economic growth will halve in fiscal 2011 from this year as a stimulus-driven shopping rush eases and exports fall on a strong yen and softer demand, the government said Wednesday.

In its outlook report, the Cabinet Office also said consumer prices will stop falling but will not rise, dealing a blow to Prime Minist...

Top business story: Economy grows but hiring lags

2010-12-21T09:30:23Z

Top business story of 2010: Economy makes gains, but unemployment remains chronically high

In 2010, the economy rebounded fitfully from the Great Recession — starting strong, wobbling at midyear but showing enough vigor by year's end to quell fears of a second recession. Yet Americans hardly felt relief under the weight of high unemployment, which began the year at 9.7 percent and is now 9.8 percent.

An oil spill devastated the economy and environment ...

Asia retail sales tipped to be double US by 2014

2010-12-13T13:30:43Z

Incentives to kickstart spending by Asian governments after the global downturn will help the region post retail sales almost double those of North America within four years, a report said on Monday.

The region will also post sales three times more than Western Europe, said the study by account China's economy again beat Japan's in the third quarter, and Asia's rising giant remained on course to unseat Japan as the world's number two economy for the year as a whole, data showed Thursday.

Japan stressed that it remained ahead for the first nine months, thanks to strong growth in the first quarter. But since then it has been outperformed by China, a tr...

UN heightens double dip recession fears

2010-12-01T16:30:29Z

The United Nations warned Wednesday that world growth in the next two years will not be enough to recover jobs lost in the financial crisis and that key countries could be heading for a double-dip recession.

The United States, Japan and major European economies are all at risk of a new recession, sa...

Japan, South Korea factory output slumps as Asia shifts

2010-11-30T00:02:36Z

TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Factories in Japan and South Korea cut output in October, adding to evidence of an Asia-wide slowdown and boding ill for the rest of the world ...

Comparing The Japanese And U.S. Bubbles

2010-11-29T14:44:07Z

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Japan's economy expands in Q3, but risks ahead

2010-11-15T05:30:36Z

The hottest summer on record also drove sales of items such as air conditioners during the period, helping to drive growth.

But there were warnings of a looming payback in the fourth quarter in the absence of such one-off factors, amid growing fears Japan could face a slide back towards recession and doubt over the impact of planned stimulus measures.

The economy grew at an annualised pace of 3.9 percent in the July-September period, ...

Japan's economy expands in Q3, but risks remain

2010-11-14T20:30:23Z

A particularly hot summer, which saw record-breaking temperatures, also drove sales of items such as air conditioners during the period, helping drive growth, analysts said.

But there were warnings of a looming payback in the fourth quarter in the absence of such one-off factors, amid growing fears Japan could be facing a slide back towards recession.

The economy grew at an annualised pace of 3.9 percent in the July-September period, ...

Japanese banking profits recover, forecasts raised

2010-11-12T13:32:39Z

Japanese banks post recovery in earnings, raise full year forecasts

Two of Japan's megabanks reported recoveries in their earnings Friday and raised full year forecasts.

Mizuho Financial Group said it expects 500 billion yen ($6.1 billion) in profit for the year through March 2011, 70 billion yen ($854 mill...

Background

2010-11-29T14:58:28Z

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Since the world faces many challenges in 2009 including a global economic crisis, climate change, political upheavals and more, what are Asia's main challenges in 2009 and how will you be affected?

2010-11-29T15:40:58Z

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Reduce investment risk with stock diversification

2010-11-29T15:36:20Z

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2009 stock market predictions: A transition year to recovery

2010-11-29T15:36:19Z

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How to invest during a recession

2010-11-29T15:36:19Z

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SKorea: G20 leaders need 'concrete agreements'

2010-11-03T02:30:10Z

SKorean president says G20 needs 'concrete agreements' or relevance will be questioned

Group of 20 leaders know they must achieve "concrete agreements" including goals for reducing current account and trade gaps at next week's summit or risk having their leadership of the world economy called into question, South Korea's president said Wednesday.

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Recovery from the recession: An L, U, V or W?

2010-11-04T14:47:20Z

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The past won't repeat; go for a dividend

2010-11-03T17:53:54Z

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How to develop a financial plan that can profit from a future recession

2010-11-04T14:25:08Z

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Japan cabinet agrees major stimulus budget

2010-10-25T21:30:22Z

The package, which amounts to around five trillion yen, will be financed by the extra budget, whose fate now depends on whether Prime Minister Naoto Kan's ruling party can pass it in parliament where it lacks a clear majority.

The stimulus will be the Kan administration's second since it came to power in June and includes job programmes, welfare spending and schemes for small businesses and infrastructure.

It also...

Global Economic Trouble - What does it all mean?

2010-11-03T03:20:17Z

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The Choice of War

2010-11-03T03:10:19Z

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Economic Depression may Stretch to 2014

2010-11-03T03:20:37Z

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World stocks slide on China growth fears

2010-10-20T06:31:03Z

In Europe, Britain's government is to unveil the harshest cuts for decades in a sweeping review of public spending expected to trigger half a million job losses as it tackles a record deficit.

In France, attention was focused on continuing strike action and disruptions in protests against a pension...

Japan cuts economic view as yen bites

2010-10-18T23:00:08Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government cut its view on the economy for the first time since February 2009, saying it was at a standstill, as the rising yen and slowing exports threaten to derail a fragile economic recovery.

It was the first time since July 2008 -- just before the onset of the last global recess...

Great Depression Effects

2010-11-02T18:37:01Z

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Comparison of Indian economy with US, EU, Canada, Japan, China and rest of the world

2010-11-02T18:28:31Z

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Brisbane Writers Festival 2009 A personal review

2010-11-02T17:21:53Z

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Government spending and taxes during recession.

2010-11-02T18:28:16Z

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Recession-proof investments

2010-11-02T23:32:09Z

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Recalling the 2009 ink manufacturer to see how come - inks, ink manufacturing companies - Printing Industry

2010-10-08T17:40:12Z

Ink companies, 2009 was a year of ups and downs, as the global economic crisis, the raw material price fluctuations and decline in market demand, ink manufacturers have spent an extraordinary year, but looking the future, they are still full of confidence in 2010. Click to see more exciting

Contents No matter from which point of view, the manufacturing sector for 2009, the ink is very difficult year. Manufacturers had to bear the pressure of different areas, including economic recess...

How a Financial Crisis Morphs Into a Currency War

2010-10-06T06:24:17Z

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Are Banking Crises Becoming More Frequent?

2010-09-29T07:00:37Z

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The First Volley in the Resource War

2010-09-28T08:00:54Z

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Unusual worry for economy: Is inflation too low?

2010-09-22T15:45:42Z

The Fed worries about something unusual: Inflation may actually be too low

It might seem like prices are rising wherever you look, from medical care to college tuition. Yet to the Federal Reserve, they might not be going up fast enough.

The Fed says a little more inflation might be just the thing to start a chain reaction that would ultimately create jobs — and avoid a...

IMF taps eight billion dollars for low-income countries

2010-09-21T11:26:02Z

The International Monetary Fund announced Friday it had reached a deal with four economic powers to provide eight billion dollars worth of funding to low-income countries.

"The agreements... expand the IMF's capacity to help low-income countries hit hard by the current global crisis," the Washington-based body said.

The deals were reached with authorities in <...

Giants of Japanese media eye digital salvation

2010-09-17T03:15:31Z

With huge circulations, loyal readers and a tireless reporting culture that runs around the clock, Japan's newspapers have defied many of the woes that have beset their western print peers.

But a crisis of shrinking revenues is looming as Japan's dailies scramble to make their online editions profitable, attract a new generation of readers in an ageing society and avoid the woes of US and European titles.

Advertising spen...

Tenth China Plastics Expo Ended Turnover Of Nearly 3.6 Billion

2010-10-22T11:32:57Z

HC plastic mesh information: This afternoon, the four-day Tenth China Plastics Expo concluded in Zhejiang Yuyao. Plastics Expo this transaction and the actual total of 3.598 billion yuan turnover intentions, with strong popular and powerful scientific and technological content, once again among the world's leading plastics and related industries trade show ranks as the world financial crisis, under a warm cold hearts of the unique landscape.

It is understood that ...

America Is Off-Course

2010-09-12T02:29:57Z

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ETF Spotlight: WisdomTree Pacific ex-Japan Total Dividend

2010-09-11T18:52:12Z

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Those Who Ignore History...

2010-09-11T18:45:14Z

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Japan announces fresh stimulus measures

2010-08-30T04:15:18Z

Japan on Monday unveiled an 11 billion dollar" class="inform">dollar stimulus and announced monetary steps to safeguard a fragile economy and curb the impact of a strong yen, but markets were left unimpressed.

Prim...

Asia assesses prospects as world recovery stumbles

2010-08-29T13:15:10Z

Booming Asia assesses prospects amid abrupt slowdown in global economic recovery

Talk of the global economic recovery fizzling doesn't faze Cho Byung-cheol, president of a small South Korean technology company that has already set up a branch in China and plans one soon in the United States

The Good News in Bad Housing Numbers

2010-09-11T18:16:26Z

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Top Five Economic Graphs of the Week

2010-09-11T17:51:44Z

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China overtakes Japan in 2Q as No. 2 economy

2010-09-22T12:50:45Z

China overtakes Japan in 2Q as world's No. 2 economy amid slowdown in recovery

Japan lost its place as the world's No. 2 economy to China in the second quarter as receding global growth sapped momentum and stunted a shaky recovery.

Gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of just 0.4 percent, the government said Monday, far below the annualized 4.4 percent expansion ...

Japan, The U.S., Bubbles and Deflation

2010-11-02T12:11:29Z

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Mont. governor says more tax scofflaws get caught

2010-11-02T12:25:08Z

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Aflac's Outlook Is Just Ducky

2010-11-02T13:50:16Z

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Do You Believe in Technicals or Fundamentals?

2010-11-02T13:50:12Z

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Japan export growth slows but beats forecasts

2010-07-26T00:15:54Z

Japanese exports continued to rise in June on shipments to Asia but the pace of growth was the slowest this year amid signs that recovery may be losing steam as global demand falls, data showed Monday.

"We previously saw a robust, V-shaped recovery in exports after the financial crisis. Now the speed of the recovery is tapering off," said Atsushi Kamio, economist at the Japan's central bank Thursday raised its growth forecast to 2.6 percent for this fiscal year as recovery in Asia's biggest economy inches painfully ahead thanks to demand in emerging nations.

"Japan's economy shows further signs of moderate recovery, induced by improvement in overseas economic conditions," the Bank of Japan said, raising its GD...

Bretton Woods Inertia and the Coming End of an Era

2010-11-02T12:08:12Z

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Economic Inventory: The Good, Bad and Scary

2010-11-02T12:08:07Z

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Economic fears causes Japan machinery order drop

2010-10-22T13:09:59Z

A key indicator of Japanese corporate capital spending fell the most since 2008 in May, data showed Thursday, in a fresh sign that a fragile economic recovery may be losing momentum.

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders dropped 9.1 percent in May from the previous month as firms held back on business investment, the steepest decline since August 2008.

"Firms are not likely to add to their business investment actively in the ne...

Japan foreign population drops first time in years

2010-07-07T00:15:48Z

The number of foreign residents in Japan fell for the first time in nearly half a century last year as a severe recession hit jobs in the auto and other industrial sectors, according to government data.

A total of 2.186 million people were listed as foreign residents at the end of 2009, down 1.4 percent from a year earlier, ending a rising streak for the 47 consecutive years since 1962, the justice ministry said.

"We assume one of the...

The global PCR market is projected to reach around US$38.1 billion by 2015, with a CAGR of 11.6%

2010-10-14T12:50:37Z

The broad ?life science' division has been witnessing a rapid growth and technological improvements varying from sector to sector since the past 3-5 years. Accelerating growth rate exhibited by the PCR industry, even during the recession years, confirms the positive growth prospects going ahead. Among the major developments in the recent years, gene amplification technology indicates the highest potential growth. Molecular diagnostics and the Human Genome Project (HGP) are two of the main dr...

Business Year In Review 1995

2010-11-02T15:31:08Z

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Top 5 Graphs of the Week: A Tough but Gradual Recovery

2010-11-02T12:07:11Z

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Knocking on Asias Door

2010-11-02T15:26:41Z

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CHARTERED MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

2010-11-02T15:23:15Z

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Japan New Year

2010-12-31T05:01:02Z

Women chat as they offer this year's last prayers at a temple in China town in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Dec. 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)

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Japan World Markets

2010-12-30T01:01:25Z

Traders on the Tokyo Stock Exchange react during the afternoon trading in Tokyo at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. Most Asian stock markets traded in narrow ranges Thursday as fewer investors participated in the market ahead of the New Year holiday while Japan's Japan joining a United States-backed trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, free trade agreement in Yokohama near Tokyo as the Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average climbed 1.5 percent to 10,370.53 after the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged at the current super loose set...

Japan Stabbings

2010-12-17T03:01:23Z

A teacher of Edogawagakuen Toride High school, left, escort for their students to a station in Toride, Ibaraki prefecture, north of Tokyo, after their classes were canceled following a knife attack at the station Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. An unemployed Japanese man with a knife attacked students and other passengers waiting on two public buses outside the station Friday in a rampage that...

The latest in Japan

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Funds rebuild stocks in September

Japan sees G7 "understanding" on forex action