Asia Report - Japan | The Straits Times

Breaking News

Abe on first trip to Myanmar by Japan PM in 36 years

TOKYO (AP) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is travelling to Myanmar on the first visit to the country by a Japanese leader in 36 years, as Tokyo bids to reassert...
Japan, China 'must put aside differences'

JAPAN and China must put aside their differences over territorial claims and consider their relations from a broader perspective, experts said here at an...
PM Lee positive about Asia's prospects

THE world's balance of power may be undergoing significant change, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is "cautiously optimistic" the transition will be managed...
Japanese climber, 80, becomes oldest atop Mount Everest

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer on Thursday became the oldest man to reach the top of Mount Everest, a Nepali official and Miura's...
Japan's wartime brothels were wrong, says 91-year-old veteran

SAGAMIHARA, Japan (REUTERS) - When Mr Masayoshi Matsumoto joined the Japanese army in 1943 and was sent to occupied China as a medic, he thought he was taking...
Economic reform on agenda as PM Lee meets Abe

THE opening up of Japan's economy - both domestically and in its trade relations with Singapore - was at the top of the agenda in the meeting between Prime...
Japan watchdog: Nuclear plant sits on active fault

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday endorsed a panel's conclusion that a seismic fault running underneath one of two reactors at an atomic plant...
Japan Parliament approves child abduction treaty

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's parliament on Wednesday approved an international treaty on child abductions after decades of pressure from the United States and other...
Tokyo Skytree numbers going up, up, up

TOKYO (The Japan News/Asia News Network) - One year, more than 50 million visitors - and a wait of at least six hours.
Japan's central bank says economy picking up

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's central bank says the world's third-biggest economy is "picking up" as demand recovers in other countries and remains resilient at home,...
Japan mayor says S. Korean troops guilty of sex abuse

TOKYO (AFP) - South Korean soldiers were guilty of abusing women in wartime, Osaka's mayor said in comments reported on Tuesday, days after provoking a storm...
Japan's elderly not acting their age

SAITAMA (AFP) - When amateur actress Etsuko Shigemoto walks out in front of a Paris audience in an all-Japanese production this month she will forget about...

Latest Stories

Abe on first trip to Myanmar by Japan PM in 36 years

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Tokyo denies 'ghosts' keeping PM out of residence

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Japan judo official, 76, owns up to sexual harassment claims

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Asian stock markets edge upwards after Thursday's big sell-off

More Stories

• Revived Japan can be a force for good: Abe	• Japan, China 'must put aside differences'
• PM Lee positive about Asia's prospects	• Japan gyrations underline economy’s vulnerability
• Chinese ships sailed near Senkaku for 9 hours: Japan	• Tokyo shares plummet 7.3 per cent, biggest fall since tsunami
• Stricken Japan Fukushima nuke plant struggles to keep staff	• Japanese climber, 80, becomes oldest atop Mount Everest
• Japan's wartime brothels were wrong, says 91-year-old veteran	• Economic reform on agenda as PM Lee meets Abe
• Japan watchdog: Nuclear plant sits on active fault	• Farmers resume rice planting near doomed Fukushima plant
• Japan Parliament approves child abduction treaty	• Japan's central bank says economy picking up
• Tokyo Skytree numbers going up, up, up	• Japan mayor says S. Korean troops guilty of sex abuse
• Japan govt upgrades economic assessment for first time in 2 months	• Japan's elderly not acting their age
• North Korea fires short-range missiles into Sea of Japan	• Aide to Japanese PM returns from N Korea, stays tightlipped
• Boost from weaker yen just a short-term blip?	• A good time for Singaporeans satisfying yen for travel to Japan
• Yen tumble 'won't hurt Singapore economy much'	• Japan gets new dose of growth boosters
• Japan PM Shinzo Abe says shrine visits 'natural'	• Japan PM aide in Beijing after Pyongyang trip, says he had 'sincere' talks
• Japanese party expels lawmaker for remark on Koreans	• Osaka mayor says US troops abused Japanese women during occupation
• Japanese women trash 'notebook' idea for having babies	• Japan's Q1 growth beats forecast
• US stresses coordination after Japan PM's aide visits N. Korea	• Japan PM’s “Third Arrow” reforms seen short of overhaul

Country Profile

Country: Japan
Population (2011): 127.8 million
Capital: Tokyo
Area: 377,915 sq km
Main Languages: Japanese
Religions: Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8%
(Note: Many believe in bother Shintoism and Buddhism)
Currency: Yen (JPY)
GDP (2011): US$5.87 trillion
GDP per capita (2011): US$45,903
GDP growth (2011): -0.7%
GDP contribution by sector: Agriculture 1.2%, Industry 27.3%, Services 71.6% (2011 est.)
Urban population (2011): 91%
Life Expectancy (2010): 83 years
International dialing code: (+81)

Blogs

TOEFL or not TOEFL? For Abe, the answer is clear

Kwan Weng Kin -

An acceptable score in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which measures...

Will the whip of love fall silent?

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The routine use of violence and verbal abuse by a coach to spur greater efforts from members of...

How the Japanese PM's stand-up routine evolved

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TOKYO: Possibly the smartest thing that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did after assuming...

People to Watch

Jack of online trade

“Ali, Alibaba. Alibaba is a happy youth,” so goes the upbeat song at a farewell for the small-sized guy dressed in silver coat and black hat at the Hangzhou Stadium last week. It was a fitting...

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