Tag: Japan

AI

Japan’s Defense Ministry to launch ‘game-changer’ research center

Colin Henderson

12 hours ago Japan’s Defense Ministry is planning a new research center to develop defense equipment that harnesses cutting-edge technology. The move comes as the United States, Russia, China and others are racing to develop so-called “game-changer” weapons that can transform the nature of combat. Drones and hypersonic missiles are examples of such weapons. The ministry is also aware of the need to develop potential game-changing equipment. It decided to open the new research center in October, under its Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency. Ministry officials want the lab to develop autonomous vehicles that can navigate in darkness by using … Continue reading Japan’s Defense Ministry to launch ‘game-changer’ research center

Risk

Japan Issued Its First ‘Megaquake’ Warning After Powerful Tremor

Colin Henderson

Bloomberg) — An earthquake off the coast of Japan’s southern island of Kyushu prompted the government to issue its first-ever warning for a megaquake from an undersea trough running along a swath of the country’s coast.  Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called off a planned trip to Central Asia out of an abundance of caution following the warning. Bullet trains were running at reduced speeds, national broadcaster NHK is running cautionary graphics and some semiconductor-related factories temporarily halted production. Some beaches in the affected regions have been closed off for the time being, according to local reports.  A megaquake in what’s … Continue reading Japan Issued Its First ‘Megaquake’ Warning After Powerful Tremor

Economy, Japan

JAL imminent bankruptcy is yet another indication of a changing world economic landscape

Colin Henderson

I continue to be of the view that we are in the early stages of a revolutionary period and that the companys which survive will not be the ones that composed the DOW/ FTSE/ Nikkei indexes of the last 30 years. There is a shift occurring and the economic crisis is only a symptom, as global balances shift and move in ways we cannot even comprehend today. Anyhow, in related news, yet another bastion of the old economy is in dire straits. JAL (Japan Air Lines) began in 1951, first flew to San Francisco in 1954, and in 1987 became … Continue reading JAL imminent bankruptcy is yet another indication of a changing world economic landscape

Innovation, Payments

DOCOMO to Launch Mobile Remittance Service

Colin Henderson

Banks continue to be challenged by disintermediation from telco’s and here is another example, this time in Japan.  The service will launch 21st July, and allow sending up to $200 with only the payee’s phone number being required. An interesting tweak is the ability to have the money deposited with DOCOMO under the guise of a credit to your account, however this is deposit taking by another name. DOCOMO to launch mobile payments service Customers of DOCOMO’s i-mode™ mobile Internet service on the FOMA™ 3G network will be able to remit up to 20,000 yen (about 208 U.S. dollars) per … Continue reading DOCOMO to Launch Mobile Remittance Service

Economy

Cabinet Office Pegs Global Economic Growth At Just 1% In 2010

Colin Henderson

I have read enough economic forecasts over the last 2 years to realise that this forecast from the Japanese government is the first time that government has recognised the obvious that the situation we are in is not going to resolve quickly. I am a firm believer in this being an L shaped recovery, and this report points in that direction.  There is just too much lag built into the shift we have experienced.  With such a dramatic and permanent drop in asset values we have seen, the natural deleveraging impact will take years to work through the system. Cabinet … Continue reading Cabinet Office Pegs Global Economic Growth At Just 1% In 2010

AI1 Comment

Japanese online shopping site Rakuten to open eBank

Colin Henderson

Rakuten [wikipedia Site]  is a highly popular Japanese shopping destination online, where you can get anything, from laptops to shoes to travel, you name it.  Now they are adding their own bank in 2010. The aggregated model exemplified by Rakuten works well in Japan, and the addition of banking is one more innovation for traditional banks to contend with. Rakuten online shopping mall to open eBank TOKYO, Jun 04, 2009 (Kyodo News International – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — Internet mall operator Rakuten Inc. said Thursday it will rename its Internet banking unit eBANK Corp. as Rakuten Bank before … Continue reading Japanese online shopping site Rakuten to open eBank

Economy

Worries about government debt load in Japan

Colin Henderson

Following on the testimony from US Bernanke today, similar moves in Japan, the next largest world economy (for the moment), to reduce debt which remains at a world leading high. Japan’s long-term public debt, which is already the largest of any industrialized nation, is projected to reach 168 percent of GDP at the end of March 2010, according to the ministry. … Concerning when to achieve a surplus in the primary balance, many members of the Aso-chaired panel believe it may take about 10 years, based on the latest economic growth and revenue projections, according to government officials.At the next … Continue reading Worries about government debt load in Japan

Japan

Bank of Japan announces improvement in Japanese economy

Colin Henderson

In a surprising statement Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa announces improvements in the Japanese economy.  It is surprising following several years of slow economy even before the economic crisis we are now in.  Click through for that, and a review of several economies including Canada. Japan raises outlook | Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Japan raised its economic outlook for the first time in three years on Monday, and an important measure of German business sentiment rose in May, in further signs the worst of the global recession may be over. Research and guest comments by Nobuyo Henderson: I look … Continue reading Bank of Japan announces improvement in Japanese economy

Japan, Uncategorized

Banks and insider trading in foreign countries to influence stock prices

Colin Henderson

This from Japan might be a forerunner of things we might see in North America. A Foreign bank (French) involved in manufacturing information, based on insider information to improve a stock price. With the predicted problems in commercial real estate to come, there will be increased pressure on banks with such investments. 焦点：破たんのアーバン増資に批判、金融庁もパリバをヒアリング BNP Paribas suspected of making false report on Urban Corp. deal+ TOKYO, May 8 (AP) – (Kyodo)—The Japanese unit of France’s BNP Paribas is suspected to have made a false report to the Financial Services Agency regarding trading of shares in Urban Corp., a now failed Japanese … Continue reading Banks and insider trading in foreign countries to influence stock prices

Economy, Japan

How much do we understand the meaning of less GDP now and forseeable future

Colin Henderson

The fall in GDP for Japan appears nothing short of catastrophic, yet on a visit there last week by Nobuyo, the effects of this change are not obvious to the everyday Japanese person. One change that was noticeable in Tokyo is less foreigners (Gaizin).  The area around Roppongi and Azabajuban is normally where one can expect to see many western faces in the restaurants and bars.  No more.  Companies such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and AIG as well as numerous other western financial services companies had representation in Japan, however that is quickly shifting. This still does not appear … Continue reading How much do we understand the meaning of less GDP now and forseeable future