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Giappone
Dollar firmer above ¥103.70 in Tokyo on higher stocks
The dollar was firmer above ¥103.70 in Tokyo trading late Thursday, backed by hefty gains in Japanese stock prices. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥103.72-72, up from ¥103.52-52 at the same time on Wednesday. The euro was at $1.0975-0975, down from $1.0991-0991, and at ¥113.83-84, slightly up from ...
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Giappone
Unicharm to adopt eight-hour mandatory rest time rule, limited telecommuting system
Sanitary and daily goods maker Unicharm Corp. said Thursday it will make eight-hour intervals between starting and finishing times at the office mandatory to reduce fatigue caused by unnecessary overtime. The move, part of its working-style reform, is aimed at alleviating fatigue among employees who are raising children or caring ...
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Giappone
METI to study ways to promote moonlighting and freelancing
Industry minister Hiroshige Seko said Thursday that a study group will be established at his ministry to discuss ways to promote moonlighting and freelancing in the workforce. The working group is designed to encourage employees to work more flexibly at a time when the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ...
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Giappone Corea del Sud
Seoul prosecutors charge Lotte founder, mistress and three offspring over financial scam
Prosecutors said Wednesday they indicted the Lotte Group’s founder, his mistress and his three children on embezzlement, tax evasion and other charges, in the latest case highlighting the outsized influence of founding families over South Korean publicly listed companies. Five family members including Lotte’s founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, 94, and the ...
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Giappone
SESC grills three ex-Toshiba chiefs over falsified financial reports with eye to criminal charges
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission has queried three former Toshiba Corp. presidents over falsified earnings reports, market sources said Wednesday. The financial watchdog questioned Atsutoshi Nishida, Norio Sasaki and Hisao Tanaka on a voluntary basis, the sources said. The SESC is apparently weighing the possibility of seeking criminal prosecution ...
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Giappone
Nikkei surges to six-month closing high above 17,200
The benchmark Nikkei average advanced to the highest closing level in almost six months on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday, buoyed by buying from foreign investors and hedge funds. The 225-issue Nikkei average surged 236.59 points, or 1.39 percent, to close at 17,235.50, the highest finish since April 27. On ...
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Giappone
Mizuho seeks to challenge Nomura as nation’s biggest equity firm
Mizuho Financial Group Inc., the mega-bank that added dozens of stock analysts and salesmen in the past year, is seeking to loosen Nomura Holdings Inc.’s stranglehold on the nation’s potentially lucrative yet elusive retail brokerage business. Tokyo-based Mizuho wants to overtake Nomura as the nation’s biggest equity firm by client ...
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Giappone
British artificial intelligence hub opens
A new research center opened its doors Wednesday at Britain’s Cambridge University to look at the implications — good and bad — of artificial intelligence. The center will delve into AI applications ranging from increasingly “smart” smartphones to robot surgeons and “Terminator” style military droids. Professor Stephen Hawking, who was ...
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Giappone
Germany readies $26 billion fund for nuclear waste disposal
The German government has approved a plan that will see operators of the country’s nuclear power plants pay some €23.5 billion ($26 billion) into a fund to finance the storage of radioactive waste as Germany exits atomic energy. Germany decided after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster five years ago to switch ...
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Giappone
Japan firms offer personalized labels for selected brand gifts
Consumers are looking for new ways to add a personal touch when it comes to gifts for birthdays, weddings or other special occasions. Over and above simply choosing the way gifts are wrapped or picking the color of ribbons, people can now include an original photo or message on gift ...