Monday, March 25

Japan

Japan Opens First Casino, Despite Major Gambling Problem in the Country
Japan, News

Japan Opens First Casino, Despite Major Gambling Problem in the Country

According to a Gaming Commission brochure, know your limits and when to stop. Japan is just getting started. The country's first casino will open in 2029. Fear of gambling addiction loses out to the desire to attract tourists. Japan has strict gambling laws, but in 2018 it was decided that some resorts may have casinos. Since then, it has been searching for locations. The first location approved is in Osaka. On an artificial island off the coast, a hotel, conference centre, shopping centre, museum and casino are being built. The construction will cost 1.08 trillion yen (7.4 billion euros). The site will be operated by a consortium of companies, the largest of which are US casino giant MGM Resorts and Japanese financial services company Orix. Together they own 40 percent of the share...
World’s Oldest Person Dies Aged 119
Japan, News

World’s Oldest Person Dies Aged 119

The world's oldest person died in Japan at the age of 119. Kane Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903, in the southwestern region of Fukuoka. She died in a care home where she had lived for years. In 2019, Tanaka officially became the oldest human in the world, according to Guinness World Records. She called it the best moment of her life at the time. She was supposed to carry the Olympic torch for the Tokyo Games, but that could not occur due to the coronavirus. According to an executive at the care home, Tanaka liked to play board games, drink soda and eat chocolate. "Her favourite game was Othello, which she had become very good at. As a result, she often beat everyone in the care home," Guinness commented. Governor Seitaro Hattori said Tanaka's passing saddened him. "I was looking fo...
Japan to Supply Gas to Europe Amid Tensions Between Russia and Ukraine
Europe, Japan, News, Russia

Japan to Supply Gas to Europe Amid Tensions Between Russia and Ukraine

Japan to supply gas to Europe as Russian gas supplies threaten to be disrupted as tensions over Ukraine escalate. The government announced this on Wednesday. Japan is currently diverting several tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.   The ships would deliver LNG to Japan, but are now on their way to Europe, where they are expected to arrive this month, said Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda. Additional ships would be sent to Europe in March. The minister did not provide details on the volumes to be delivered and sold. However, he emphasized that Japan must have sufficient LNG before it is delivered to Europe. Japan is one of the largest importers of LNG. However, the country itself has hardly any natural energy sources and is therefore v...
Japanese People Temporarily Get Small Portion of Fries at Mcdonald’s
Japan, News

Japanese People Temporarily Get Small Portion of Fries at Mcdonald’s

The Japanese branches of McDonald's will only offer small portions of fries from Friday. This is due to a shortage of fries.   Flooding in a port in Vancouver, Canada, where many fries are usually loaded with final destination Japan, combined with the delivery problems due to the corona pandemic, causing the shortage. McDonald's is trying to help solve the problem by getting the fries to Japan differently, for example, via air freight. It also works together with suppliers and importers. But the chain is forced to stop selling large and medium portions of fries from Friday to 30 December to be able to supply as many customers as possible with fries on their menu. McDonald's has about 2,900 stores in Japan. The company hopes to have the issues resolved before New Year's Eve. In add...
Japanese Billionaire Returns From Space Station: Peeing Was Very Easy
Japan, News

Japanese Billionaire Returns From Space Station: Peeing Was Very Easy

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has returned to Earth after spending 12 days on the International Space Station.   The trip served the 46-year-old Japanese in preparation for a future tourist flight around the moon. Maezawa landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan along with cameraman Yozo Hirano and cosmonaut Aleksandr Misurkin. Images show them emerging from the Soyuz pod they landed in. The Russian space agency Roskosmos confirms that the astronauts are doing well. Billionaire Maezawa announced in 2018, together with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, that the Japanese would make a space trip around the moon within a few years. He wants to do this with Starship, a spacecraft that SpaceX is currently developing. Maezawa wants to take several artists along and inspire them for new w...
Olympic Rugby Teams Quarantined on Arrival in Tokyo
Japan, News, Sports

Olympic Rugby Teams Quarantined on Arrival in Tokyo

Several sports teams that have flown to Japan to participate in the Olympics must be quarantined upon arrival. For example, the South African rugby team (sevens) was on the plane with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus at the airport in Tokyo.   The South Africans would first go to a training camp in Kagoshima before the Games. Still, as a precaution, they had to quarantine in a specially designated hotel in the Japanese capital. "The ability to adapt, both mentally and physically, will be crucial at these Games," said South Africa coach Neil Powell. "We noticed that immediately upon arrival." Although fourteen rugby players and four supervisors have to stay in their hotel room, training on the field is not an option for the time being. "We do have a training session, ...
Sony and Nintendo Fall At A Slightly Higher Japanese Stock Market
Business, Japan, News

Sony and Nintendo Fall At A Slightly Higher Japanese Stock Market

Sony and Nintendo were among the biggest fallers on the Tokyo stock exchange on Friday. Tech company Sony has been sued by a group of US consumers for allegedly keeping prices for its PlayStation games artificially high.   Nintendo came up with solid quarterly figures, but the outlook for the game consoles and games manufacturer was disappointing. Other technology companies did show substantial price gains and helped the Japanese stock market to a narrow profit. Sony lost 2 percent. For two years now, the company has not allowed companies like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart to sell the codes for its downloadable games. According to the complainants, Sony can charge its prices too high, according to the complainants. Nintendo fell 1.8 percent. Due to the many sitting at home due to t...
Nikkei Slightly Lower After Bank of Japan Interest Rate Decision
Business, Japan, News

Nikkei Slightly Lower After Bank of Japan Interest Rate Decision

The Tokyo stock exchange closed slightly lower on Tuesday. Stock market trading was mainly dominated by the Bank of Japan, which left interest rates unchanged as expected.   The Japanese central bank did lower its inflation forecast for this year. Despite the extensive stimulus policy to boost the economy, the central bank expects its inflation target of 2 percent will not be achieved in the coming years. The expectation that the third-largest economy in the world is heading for a modest recovery was maintained. The Nikkei in Tokyo ended the day with a loss of 0.5 percent at 28,991.89 points. The Japanese maker of cameras and medical equipment Canon fell more than 1 percent after the publication of the quarterly figures. Nitto Denko fell 3 percent. The producer of industrial materi...
Leading Role for Toshiba on Japanese Stock Exchange After Takeover Bid
Business, Japan, News

Leading Role for Toshiba on Japanese Stock Exchange After Takeover Bid

Toshiba played a leading role at the Tokyo fair on Wednesday. The Japanese electronics group has received a takeover offer of approximately $ 20 billion from investor CVC Capital Partners, who wants to take the company off the stock exchange.   The mood in the central Asian markets was further restrained. Investors took it easy after the recent strong boom in global stock markets and looked forward to their quarterly figures. The main index in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225, ended 0.1 percent in the plus at 29,730.79 points. Trading in Toshiba stock was halted due to the flow of buy orders and the reaching of the daily increase limit. The share would trade more than 18 percent higher on the basis of the buy orders. CVC's offer is reportedly about 30 percent above Tuesday's closing price. T...
Japan Bans All Foreigners Who Do Not Live There
Japan, News

Japan Bans All Foreigners Who Do Not Live There

In the foreseeable future, Japan will no longer admit foreigners who do not live in the country.   Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced this as a measure to keep the coronavirus at bay, Kyodo news agency said. It is not clear when the entry ban will take effect. Since last month, Japan has been banning almost all foreigners, but exceptions were made for business trips and students from eleven Asian countries. The country of 126 million inhabitants has so far been diagnosed with the virus in 292,000 people. More than 225,000 patients were unaffected or cured. Japan attributes approximately 4,000 deaths to the condition and is now afraid of a new wave of viruses and new virus variants.