Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said Friday a subsidiary has agreed to acquire an approximate 20 percent stake in online brokerage Rakuten Securities Inc. for approximately 80 billion yen ($554 million). Mizuho Securities Co. will acquire the shares on Nov…
Japan finance chief to attend G-20 meet amid Russia’s war, inflation
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Friday he plans to visit Washington next week to attend a meeting with other Group of 20 finance chiefs amid energy and food insecurity caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and growth concerns prompted by monetary tig…
Baseball: Former Carp slugger Arai to take over in Hiroshima
Former slugger Takahiro Arai has been hired to manage the Hiroshima Carp, a top executive with the Central League team said Friday. An affable 45-year-old former first baseman, Arai will take the reins from Shinji Sasaoka who announced Sunday he is ste…
Main events scheduled for Oct. 10-16
Main events scheduled in Japan for Oct. 10-16: Oct. 10 (Mon) — Sports Day, national holiday. Oct. 11 (Tues) — New domestic travel subsidy program to start. — Japan to remove daily entry cap, allow foreign tourists to travel without tour guide. — To…
IMF to cut 2023 global growth outlook, warns of rising recession risk
The International Monetary Fund will cut its global growth outlook for 2023 from an earlier predicted 2.9 percent and is concerned of rising recession risks, the IMF chief said Thursday, as many central banks tighten interest rates to tackle inflation….
Japan most Googled travel destination for Aussies
Japan is the most searched travel destination by Australians on Google, according to data released by the internet search giant on Wednesday to mark two decades in Australia. An analysis of Australian search trends over the 20-year period saw Japan top…
Basketball: Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Okoye joining Greek club
Japan forward Monica Okoye is joining Eleftheria Moschatou in Greece, her Women’s Japan Basketball League team Fujitsu Redwave said Thursday. The 182-centimeter forward was part of the Japan team that won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-…
Baseball: Ohtani qualifies for both pitching, hitting leaderboards
Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB’s World Series era to qualify for the leaderboards as both a hitter and a pitcher Wednesday after throwing five innings in the Los Angeles Angels’ 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. In the Angels’ last game …
Japan set to extend maximum lifespan of nuclear plants beyond 60 yrs
The head of Japan’s nuclear regulator said Wednesday a rule that limits the operating life of nuclear power plants to a maximum of 60 years is expected to be removed from the country’s regulations. The possible change is in line with Prime Minister Fum…
Baseball: Ohtani extends hit streak to 18 as Angels’ win streak ends
Shohei Ohtani extended his career-high hitting streak to 18 games with a fifth-inning RBI double in the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics on Monday. The Angels were one out from their eighth straight victory before Seth B…