Japan

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Asian stocks supported by Fed reassurance; BOJ stands pat

SINGAPORE - Some Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday following a positive lead from Wall Street, with Japan's Nikkei reaching a 5-1/2 year high and staying firm as the Bank of Japan stood pat after unleashing massive stimulus last month. | Video

Recent Japan News

With wary eye on the U.S., China courts India

NEW DELHI - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, smiling and effusive, was out to smooth ruffled feathers in India this week, promising to ease tensions and increase trade between Asia's fastest growing economies in his first trip overseas since taking office.

World, China, 21 May 2013

Sony to assess spin-off proposal for entertainment business: Nikkei

- Sony Corp is considering evaluating a proposal from top shareholder Third Point LLC to spin off part of its movie and music business, Japanese daily Nikkei reported.

Tech, 21 May 2013

Denso executives to plead guilty to price fixing in Toyota case

WASHINGTON - Two executives at Japan's Denso Corp have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices of electronic auto parts sold to Toyota and will cooperate with an ongoing criminal investigation, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

21 May 2013

Japan panel warns of dangers if debt not addressed

TOKYO - A Japanese government panel warns there is "absolutely no guarantee" that domestic investors will keep financing the country's massive public debt, citing the risk of a spike in bond yields that could crimp long-term growth prospects, draft report seen by Reuters shows.

21 May 2013

Intercell vaccine gets U.S. pediatric approval

VIENNA - Austria's Intercell said on Tuesday it has won U.S. regulatory approval for pediatric use of its Ixiaro vaccine to protect against Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a step it had achieved in Europe in February.

Health, 21 May 2013

Special reports

Anti-nuclear protesters hold signs at a rally organized by Greenpeace to demand the government immediately stop the expansion of nuclear power offered by mainland China in Hong Kong April 24, 2011. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

The nuclear industry's trillion dollar question

Before Fukushima, more than 300 nuclear reactors were planned worldwide, mostly in developing economies. While parts of the developed world may reduce their use of nuclear, China, India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe look set continue their nuclear drive.  Full Article 

A member of the Japan Self Defense Force stands on a house at an area that was damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, in Yamada, Iwate prefecture April 5, 2011. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Quake reveals cracks in insurance system

The sophisticated modeling systems the insurance industry uses to predict where disasters will happen and how much they will cost never factored in an earthquake the size of the one that hit northeast Japan.  Full Article 

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) Vice President Sakae Muto (C) bows at a news conference at the company head office in Tokyo March 28, 2011. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Japan engineers knew tsunami could overrun plant

A review of Tokyo Electric Power and regulatory records shows that Japan and its largest utility repeatedly downplayed dangers and ignored warnings -- including a 2007 tsunami study from TEPCO's senior safety engineer.  Full Article 

A staff member of a radiation check-up point points out a location of the tsunami-crippled nuclear plant on a map, on which a radiation gauge is placed, during a photo opportunity in an evacuation center in Fukushima, northern Japan, April 4, 2011. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Fuel storage, safety issues vexed Japan plant

Tokyo Electric and regulators are certain to face scrutiny on the decision to store most of the Fukushima plant's spent fuel rods inside the reactor buildings rather than invest in other potentially safer storage options.  Full Article 

A Honda logo on a car is seen at Sendai airport which was damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture April 1, 2011. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Disasters show flaws in just-in-time production

In a globalized economy where manufacturers have moved ever more toward lean inventories, the weakest link in the supply chain is what Japan is best known for: high-end, highly technical parts.  Full Article 

Members of the Indonesia Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN) scan passengers arriving from Japan for radiation exposure at the Sukarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta March 18, 2011.

Radiation fears may be greatly exaggerated

As workers struggle to contain the fallout from a crippled Japanese nuclear plant, people as far away as Illinois are calling public health officials in a state of panic. But the truth is anxiety is largely disproportionate to the actual danger.  Full Article 

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Mistakes, misfortune, meltdown: Japan's quake

An examination of Japan's effort to contain its escalating nuclear disaster reveals a series of missteps, bad luck and desperate improvisation. What also emerges is a country that has begun to question some of its oldest values.   Full Article 

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Why Japan will avert a fiscal meltdown

In these dark hours, Japan would do well to heed former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's memorable maxim that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.  Full Article 

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Can Japan find "New Deal" after triple whammy?

The nuclear crisis was a triple whammy for Japan, coming on top of the earthquake -- the fifth strongest ever recorded -- and one of the most powerful tsunami in history, which caused scenes of unimaginable destruction in northeast Japan.  Full Article | Related Story 

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In Chernobyl, a disaster persists

As Japan battles to prevent a meltdown at its earthquake-hit Fukushima Daini nuclear plant, the people of Ukraine are preparing to mark the 25th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident.  Full Article | Related Story 

An evacuee eats his meal in front of a banner of support from Sweden at an evacuation shelter in Rikuzentakata after the area was devastated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami March 29, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

An interactive guide to how the disaster unfolded.  Timeline