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

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...

A Precious Metals Bubble?

2010-11-02T12:09:24Z

...

Luxury sector loses its recessionproof status

2010-11-02T15:14:18Z

...

Japanese land prices fall at fastest pace in five years

2010-06-16T11:10:00Z

Japanese land prices fell at the fastest pace for five years in 2009, as the nation's weak economy struggles with another bout of deflation, official data said Thursday.

Costs across the country fell 4.6 percent on average, the land ministry said in its annual land price survey, the biggest drop since 2004, when they fell by 5.0 percent.

The country's core consumer prices also logged the 11th straight month of decline in January, as the country continues to be dogged by defla...

IMF chief: double-dip a risk if stimulus ends to early

2010-04-16T07:33:40Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Developed countries may slip back into recession if they abandon strategies deployed to battle the global financial crisis too early, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday.

Recovery in private demand and employment are necessary conditions for governm...

Japan factory output jumps, momentum in doubt

2010-04-16T08:05:18Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's industrial output rose for the ninth consecutive month in November, driven by strong exports and domestic subsidies, but swelling inventories and falling wages threaten to end the longest climb in more than 12 years.

Demand from the United States and <...

Japan's growth revised down

2010-08-25T13:31:34Z

Japan's economy grew at a much slower rate than previously thought in the third quarter, fresh data showed Wednesday, as the country's fragile recovery from recession was hit by a soaring yen.

The world's number two economy expanded at an annualised pace of just 1.3 percent in the July-September period, sharply down from the previous estimate of 4.8 percent, the Cabinet Office said.

It meant the country -- which early this year emerge...

Japan Q3 growth revised down from 4.8 to 1.3 pct

2010-08-25T13:31:34Z

Japan's economy grew at a much slower rate than previously thought in the third quarter, fresh data showed Wednesday, as the country's fragile recovery from recession was hit by a soaring yen.

The world's number two economy expanded at an annualised pace of just 1.3 percent in the July-September period, sharply down from the previous estimate of 4.8 percent, the Cabinet Office said.

It meant the country -- which early this year emerge...

Japan Q3 growth revised down from 4.8 to 1.3pct

2010-08-25T13:31:36Z

Japan's economy grew at a much slower rate than previously thought in the third quarter, fresh data showed Wednesday, as the country's fragile recovery from recession was hit by a soaring yen.

The world's number two economy expanded at an annualised pace of just 1.3 percent in the July-September period, sharply down from the previous estimate of 4.8 percent, the Cabinet Office said.

It meant the country -- which early this year emerge...

Deflation Deja Vu

2010-10-22T14:34:02Z

...

Japan PM support below 60 percent as coalition bickers

2010-04-16T08:37:25Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Support for Japan's government has fallen below 60 percent for the first time since taking office in September, a survey showed on Monday, as it struggles to craft an economic package and resolve a security feud with Washington.

Support for Prime Minister Yukio ...

BOJ emergency funds gesture gets government to back off

2010-08-25T13:31:54Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan offered banks more short-term funds after an emergency meeting on Tuesday, relieving government pressure on the central bank to help avert another recession before upper house polls next year.

Markets primed for a return to full quantitative easing reacted with disappointment to the ...

Obama calls on Asia for 'balanced' economic growth

2010-04-16T09:10:10Z

US President Barack Obama called on Asia to embrace "balanced and sustained" economic growth, to secure a global rebound from the deepest economic crisis in decades.

"We must strengthen our economic recovery, and pursue growth that is both balanced and sustained," said Obama in a major foreign policy speech in Tokyo on Saturday, on the second day...

Recession Junkie

2010-10-22T07:47:44Z

...

Japan's jobless desperate as recession drags on

2010-04-16T10:26:13Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Kamematsu Morimoto had a job that comfortably supported his family of six in Japan's car manufacturing hub until the global economic crisis struck, leaving him, and thousands of others, without work.

In the midst of Japan's worst recession sinc...

Record deflation in Japan may put pressure on BOJ

2010-06-11T14:15:12Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese core consumer prices fell at the fastest annual pace on record in July, potentially putting pressure on a reluctant Bank of Japan to rein in deepening deflation.

The politically sensitive jobless rate also hit a record high 5.7 percent ahead of Sunday's election, which the opposition

Japan's central bank holds key interest rate

2010-09-15T14:27:29Z

Japan's central bank keeps key interest rate unchanged at 0.1 pct, keeps view on economy

Japan's central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged at 0.1 percent Tuesday, and maintained a cautious view on the strength of recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

The Bank of Japan's policy board voted unanimously to keep the overnight call rate unchanged ...

Japan PM seeks Aug 30 poll despite grim prospects

2010-04-16T11:23:32Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Monday he plans to call a general election on August 30, despite the prospect that his long-ruling conservative party is headed for a historic defeat.

A Democratic Party victory in the national ele...

Japanese machinery orders hit record low

2010-09-15T14:27:34Z

Japanese machinery orders have fallen to the lowest level on record and thousands of firms have gone bankrupt, data has shown, dampening hopes of a quick recovery in Asia's biggest economy.

Companies are slashing their investment to try to survive a global economic downturn that has pushed Japan into its worst recession since World War II.

Core machinery orders showed a surprise fall of 3.0 per...

Shinsei, Aozora announce plan to merge

2010-04-16T11:33:22Z

Japanese lenders Shinsei and Aozora, both deep in the red due to the global financial crisis, announced Wednesday plans for a merger that would create the nation's sixth biggest commercial bank.

The two banks, which together lost about four billion dollars in the year to March because of exposure to the US financial meltdown, admitted to past mistakes and vowed a fresh start with a tie-up.

Shinsei's president and...

Japan unemployment rises while eurozone lending stalls

2010-04-16T11:34:27Z

FRANKFURT/TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese unemployment hit its highest level for six years on Tuesday and euro zone bank lending stalled, adding to fears that a substantial recovery from global recession is some way off.

Unemployment in Germ...

Japan jeweller giveaway pulls thousands

2010-04-16T12:01:53Z

Thousands of people queued for hours outside a luxury jeweller in Tokyo that was offering an unusual promotion to ease the recession blues -- a giveaway of 5,000 free diamonds.

A queue stretched for several city blocks from early morning as people waited for Mauboussin in upmarket Ginza district to open at 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), eager to get one of the 0.1 carat rocks, worth about 5,000 yen (50 dollars) each.

Atsuko Aoki, 65, said she and...

GE's Immelt says to get harder to achieve growth

2010-04-16T12:07:22Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - General Electric Co's &lt;GE.N&gt; growth will be "harder to come by" in coming years given the prospect the global economy may grow at a slower pace once it emerges from recession, the company's chief executive said.

AP Executive Morning Briefing

The top business news from The Associated Press for the morning of Friday, May 8, 2009:

Toyota sees losses growing this year

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said it sank into a 765.8 billion yen ($7.7 billion) net loss for...

Markets soar on G20 hopes, improved US data

2010-09-22T13:30:33Z

Asian stocks soared Thursday as dealers hoped the G20 summit will produce a plan to tackle the world financial crisis, while some positive news out of the United States added to market confidence.

Hong Kong led the charge, leaping 5.3 percent higher by noon, while Tokyo fin...

Candidates reinforce compact, viable bids for 2016

2010-04-16T15:53:37Z

Candidate cities reinforce economically viable bids for 2016 Olympics

Campaigning among the four candidates for the 2016 Olympics is increasingly centering on one issue: cost.

Tokyo, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Japan's economy shrank less than first thought in the fourth quarter of 2008 but still logged its worst performance in almost 35 years as exports collapsed, the government said Thursday.

The world's second-largest economy contracted 3.2 percent in the three months to December -- 12.1 percent on an annualised basis -- as the global downturn choked off demand for cars, high-tech goods and other exports, data showed.

"The figures are not...

Japan to use forex reserves to fight credit crunch

2010-10-22T11:36:09Z

Japan said Wednesday it would use five billion dollars from its currency reserves to help companies raise funds as auto giant Toyota Motor asked the government for financial aid.

Tokyo's decision to dip into its one-trillion-dollar forex reserves underscores growing f...

Tough times for Japan's hostess clubs

2010-04-16T17:20:59Z

In their heyday during the economic bubble of the 1980s, Tokyo's exclusive hostess bars boomed as well-heeled customers quaffed Moet and even sprinkled gold in drinks. But in times of recession, big spenders become more scarce.

Kanryo Matsui smiles as he remembers the good old days of Japan's bubble era when customers at his hostess bar would spend a thousand dollars in one night on champagne.

Crime in safe Japan falls further: police

2010-04-16T15:20:10Z

Crime in Japan, which prides itself on its safety, fell for a sixth straight year in 2008 although the small number of random attacks nearly doubled, police said Thursday.

Despite a recession and rising unemployment, criminal cases investigated by Japanese police fell 4.7 percent from a year earlier, marking the sixth straight annual decline, the National Police Agency said.

Of the 1.82 million cases, 75.5 percent were intrusion or pe...

Tokyo Disneyland enjoys a recession boom

2010-06-11T22:15:02Z

While Japan faces a bleak Christmas, Tokyo Disneyland enjoys a recession boom

Sony and Toyota are struggling. Job cuts dominate the headlines. But one brand name is thriving in Japan amid the economic slowdown —

TOPWRAP 1-US, UK recessions deepen, Japan plans record spending

2010-10-21T09:47:30Z

...

World stocks mostly drop in pre-Christmas trading

2010-10-22T11:48:04Z

Global stocks mainly fell on Monday, despite a multi-billion-dollar US government lifeline for the American auto industry, as analysts warned of volatile trading in the run-up to Christmas.

Investors also pondered whether markets would enjoy a so-called Santa rally at the end of a year which saw the global financial crisis help spark a recession in the eurozone,

World stocks mostly drop in pre-Christmas trade

2010-10-22T11:48:07Z

Global stocks mainly fell on Monday, despite a multi-billion-dollar US government lifeline for the American auto industry, as analysts warned of volatile trading in the run-up to Christmas.

Investors also pondered whether markets would enjoy a so-called Santa rally at the end of a year which saw the global financial crisis help spark a recession in the eurozone,

Asian markets lower amid bleak global economic outlook

2010-10-22T13:20:34Z

Asian markets were lower Monday as world finance leaders gave a grim forecast for 2009 despite US President George W. Bush offering a multi-billion-dollar lifeline to the auto industry.

Traders had been lifted by the announcement at the weekend of the 13.4 billion dollar bailout for two of the Big Three automakers but soon fell away as concerns for the global ...

Asia investors watch for rate cut, nudging up stocks

2010-04-16T13:46:38Z

Asian shares were mixed on Friday, with Tokyo and Hong Kong falling on deep economic concerns, despite Japan cutting its key interest rate to nearly zero to tackle a recession, dealers said.

Tokyo closed 0.91 percent lower after giving up brief gains that followed the rate cut. Hong Kong was down 2.4 percent and Japan's Honda Motor Co. will cut its full-year forecast for a third time this year due to a soaring yen and plummeting sales as the world economy slows down, reports said Wednesday.

Honda, which this month announced a shock pullout from prestigious Formula One racing, will also scrap p...

Amid Recession, Tokyo Is AWOL

2010-10-21T09:46:25Z

...

Economic crisis sweeps deeper into Asia

2010-04-16T14:05:54Z

Asian economic giants Japan and India on Friday revealed fresh damage from the global financial crisis, which has battered international trade and consumer spending.

Japan slipped deeper into recession with factory output tumbling 3.1 percent and consumer spending dropping 3.8 percent in October, official data showed.

The figures were "stunningly bad," said

Stocks rise, but grim economic news pours in

2010-09-22T13:24:39Z

Massive stimulus efforts to stave off a global recession steadied stock markets on Thursday, but grim outlooks in China and elsewhere indicated that the economic crisis still had long to run.

London and other world stock markets rallied a day after the EU unveiled a 200-billion-euro (260 billion dollar) stimulus packag...

US, Europe vow fresh stimulus efforts amid dark forecasts

2010-09-22T13:24:49Z

Investors in Asia reacted cautiously Wednesday to the latest plan by the US Federal Reserve to unblock credit markets, with stock markets in the region showing mixed fortunes.

The gloomy outlook for the global economy weighed on sentiment, prompting profit-taking in some markets despite the Fed's announcement that it would buy up to 800 billion dollars in mortgage and ass...

More job cullings heightens global recession fears

2010-10-22T11:35:16Z

Fears of a global recession intensified on Friday after US lawmakers dashed the auto industry's hopes of a rapid bailout and grim news on the jobs front continued to pile up.

Stock exchanges endured another roller-coaster ride at the end of a brutal trading week as Japan said it was ready to take action if necessary to tackle wild swings in its financial markets.

More governmen...

Japan slips into recession after lacklustre G20

2010-10-22T11:33:33Z

Japan became the latest major country to fall into recession Monday as global economic fears deepened after a Washington summit offered markets scant hope for action to contain the damage, analysts said.

Markets showed little initial enthusiasm for a vague pledge on Saturday from Group of 20 leaders to join forces to g...

Global recession fears deepen after lackluster G20

2010-10-22T11:33:35Z

Markets showed little initial enthusiasm for a vague pledge on Saturday from Group of 20 leaders to join forces to g...

World markets sceptical about G20 action plan

2010-08-25T13:39:51Z

World markets appeared unimpressed Monday with an action plan from international leaders to tackle the global financial crisis, as Japan became the latest major economy to sink into recession.

The Group of 20 rich and emerging nations pledged to work together to restore global growth and overhaul the world's financial system, but stopped short of announcing specific measures such...

TOPWRAP 2-Japan slips into recession; G20 fails to inspire

2010-10-21T09:44:48Z

...

US shares fall on weak sales data, Europe climbs despite recession

2010-09-22T14:20:03Z

US and European share prices moved in opposite directions Friday, as Wall Street was hammered by weak sales data while markets firmed in Europe despite confirmation the eurozone had fallen into recession.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had slid 2.9...

Global stocks rally, despite recession sweeping eurozone

2010-09-22T13:26:07Z

World equity markets rebounded Friday as investors snapped up stocks at bargain prices and set aside news that the eurozone had officially entered recession, analysts said.

News that recession is sweeping across the world's advanced economies raised the stakes ahead of financial crisis talks among leaders of the Group of 20 major rich and developing countries in

Germany in recession as US scraps toxic asset buy-up

2010-09-22T13:44:17Z

Germany, Europe's biggest economy, entered recession Thursday amid more heavy falls on stock markets after the US scrapped plans to buy up toxic mortgage assets at the heart of the financial crisis.

A day after the Bank of England said Britain was probably already in recess...

Stocks slide as US election euphoria fades

2010-09-22T12:59:32Z

Asian stocks tumbled Thursday after heavy losses on Wall Street as fears mounted that US president-elect Barack Obama is inheriting an economy sinking deeper into recession.

Dealers said the election party had come to an end as reality dawned that Obama would not take office until January, while markets were eager to...

World stocks slide on recession jitters and corporate woes

2010-09-22T13:27:32Z

World stock markets took another heavy hit on Thursday as investors were unable to overcome fears of a global recession and fretted over downbeat corporate projections.

Share prices tumbled in Asia, Europe and in early deals on Wall Street in the wake of heavy losses on Wednesday, which came despite fresh government measures to snuff out a financ...

Stock markets set positive tone for November

2010-09-22T13:44:39Z

World stock markets advanced on Monday, making a positive start to November after an extremely bleak October, as investors eyed the US presidential elections and crucial interest rate decisions this week.

Markets were eagerly awaiting Tuesday's US presidential elections, with polls giving Democrat Barack Obama a sharp edge over Republican John McCain on the last day of camp...

Asian shares up, SKorea unveils stimulus package

2010-09-22T13:27:59Z

Asian shares rose Monday on hopes of fresh stability in the markets but fears of recession loomed large, with South Korea unveiling a stimulus package to cushion the blow of the financial crisis.

The Seoul government, saying it expected a significant slowdown in exports, promised an extra 11 trillion won (8.5 billion dollars) in spending n...

US, European stocks fall, but resist global panic

2010-09-22T13:18:36Z

World stock markets plunged deep into negative territory Friday as gloom gathered over the global economy and dismal corporate news left investors stunned.

"Everyone is staring at their screens in disbelief," said Tom Hougaard, chief market analyst at City Index.

US and leading European exchanges nonetheless managed to pare their losses despite rising fears of a worldwide recession that will slam a wide range of industri...

Stocks hit again but European exchanges trim losses

2010-09-22T13:18:37Z

World stock markets plunged deep into negative territory Friday as gloom gathered over the global economy and dismal corporate news left investors stunned.

"Everyone is staring at their screens in disbelief," said Tom Hougaard, chief market analyst at City Index.

Wall Street and leading European exchanges nonetheless managed to trim their losses late in the European t...

Stock markets in free fall on gathering global gloom

2010-09-22T13:42:27Z

World stock markets plunged deep into negative territory Friday as gloom gathered over the global economy and dismal corporate news left investors stunned.

"Everyone is staring at their screens in disbelief," said Tom Hougaard, chief market analyst at City Index.

On Wall Street the Dow...

Finance fallout brings backlash against bankers

2010-09-22T13:19:19Z

Fallout from the financial crisis grew in the real economy Friday with job losses and a backlash against banking chiefs as shares ended a crazy week with a new roller-coaster ride.

European stocks strengthenend, fell and rose again in the turbulence after a French bank's admission that it lost 800 million dollars in a derivatives trading "incident" while the German parliament passed a 480-billion-euro (650-billion-dollar) rescue package.

Wall Street deals on a further downturn in the US housing market while European equities gained ground in volatile trade despite concerns about the global economy.

"Despite worldwide efforts to stabilise financial markets, fears the global economy is headed for recession continue to reverberate" around the world, noted NAB Capital econom...

Mounting finance fallout brings backlash against bankers

2010-09-22T13:19:26Z

Fallout from the financial crisis grew in the real economy Friday with job losses and a backlash against banking chiefs as shares ended a crazy week with a new roller-coaster ride.

Shares in Europe and Asia initially followed New York and Tokyo higher, but fell again as hopes for a new start were dented by a ma...

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)

...

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 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...

CORRECTION Japan Stabbings

2010-12-16T20:01:54Z

RETRANSMISSION WITHOUT REPETITIVE PART OF THE CAPTION AND ADD BACKGROUND - Police officers investigate the bus stop where a knife attack took place in Toride, Ibaraki prefecture, north of Tokyo, Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. An unemployed Japanese man with a knife attacked grade school students aboard a bus Friday in a rampage that left 13 people injured, police said. Police arrested

Singapore Myanmar Lee

2010-12-15T00:32:05Z

FILE - In this May 20, 2010 file photo, Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew speaks during the 16th International Conference on The Future of Asia, organized by Japanese newspaper company Nikk...

The latest in Tokyo

Japan ends recession as quake scars heal; outlook dim

Japan Q2 GDP revised down as expected, outlook dim

Instant view: Japan Q2 GDP shrinks less than forecast

Greek bailout deal boosts Asian stocks

Japan economy slumps more than expected in first quarter

Instant view: BOJ eases further, expands asset buying programme

Tokyo, Moscow have highest expat rents: survey

World stocks slide on China growth fears

A Precious Metals Bubble?

Luxury sector loses its recessionproof status

Japanese land prices fall at fastest pace in five years

IMF chief: double-dip a risk if stimulus ends to early

Japan factory output jumps, momentum in doubt

Japan's growth revised down

Japan Q3 growth revised down from 4.8 to 1.3 pct

Japan Q3 growth revised down from 4.8 to 1.3pct

Deflation Deja Vu

Japan PM support below 60 percent as coalition bickers

BOJ emergency funds gesture gets government to back off

Obama calls on Asia for 'balanced' economic growth

Recession Junkie

Japan's jobless desperate as recession drags on

Record deflation in Japan may put pressure on BOJ

Japan's central bank holds key interest rate

Japan PM seeks Aug 30 poll despite grim prospects

Japanese machinery orders hit record low

Shinsei, Aozora announce plan to merge

Japan unemployment rises while eurozone lending stalls

Japan jeweller giveaway pulls thousands

GE's Immelt says to get harder to achieve growth

Markets soar on G20 hopes, improved US data

Candidates reinforce compact, viable bids for 2016

Japan to use forex reserves to fight credit crunch

Tough times for Japan's hostess clubs

Crime in safe Japan falls further: police

Tokyo Disneyland enjoys a recession boom

TOPWRAP 1-US, UK recessions deepen, Japan plans record spending

World stocks mostly drop in pre-Christmas trading

World stocks mostly drop in pre-Christmas trade

Asian markets lower amid bleak global economic outlook

Asia investors watch for rate cut, nudging up stocks

Amid Recession, Tokyo Is AWOL

Economic crisis sweeps deeper into Asia

Stocks rise, but grim economic news pours in

US, Europe vow fresh stimulus efforts amid dark forecasts

More job cullings heightens global recession fears

Japan slips into recession after lacklustre G20

Global recession fears deepen after lackluster G20

World markets sceptical about G20 action plan

TOPWRAP 2-Japan slips into recession; G20 fails to inspire

US shares fall on weak sales data, Europe climbs despite recession

Global stocks rally, despite recession sweeping eurozone

Germany in recession as US scraps toxic asset buy-up

Stocks slide as US election euphoria fades

World stocks slide on recession jitters and corporate woes

Stock markets set positive tone for November

Asian shares up, SKorea unveils stimulus package

US, European stocks fall, but resist global panic

Stocks hit again but European exchanges trim losses

Stock markets in free fall on gathering global gloom

Finance fallout brings backlash against bankers

Mounting finance fallout brings backlash against bankers

Japan New Year

Japan World Markets

CORRECTION Japan Stabbings

Singapore Myanmar Lee