AXIOS
 
President Trump says he thinks he could strike a bilateral trade deal with Japan by the time he visits Tokyo in May. (Trump made this prediction during a Friday meeting at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.)
Reality check: Multiple sources close to the U.S.-Japanese ...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO - Japanese airlines ANA and JAL said Friday that soaring demand for international travel had boosted their bottom line as the country enjoys a tourism boom ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
ANA booked a record operating profit of 165 billion yen ($1.5 billion), up 0.3 percent on the...

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THE GUARDIAN
 
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's jobless rate rose in March while the availability of jobs held steady at a high level, government data showed on Friday, underscoring a tight labor market.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 2.5 percent, against economists' median forecast f...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
The Nuclear Regulation Authority has decided to order power companies to shut down nuclear reactors if they have not had certain facilities, legally required as antiterrorism measures, completed by specified deadlines.
Nine reactors are currently online at five nuclear plants acr...

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JOURNAL PIONEER
 
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso will meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Washington on Thursday, with discussions widely expected to touch on currency issues on the sidelines of trade talks.
Aso will brief reporters after the meeting, at around 4 ...

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BBC
 
Tens of thousands of victims of forced sterilisation in Japan are now entitled to compensation.
Under a eugenics law which was in effect from 1948 to 1996, people were made to undergo operations to prevent them having children deemed "inferior".
Many of the victims had physical or cognitive...

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JAPAN TIMES
 
A Tokyo-based developer of a laundry-folding robot filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday due to financial difficulties.
Seven Dreamers Laboratories Inc. released a statement saying that it had insufficient funds to continue the business despite its wish to provide unique products to consu...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
NEW YORK - Masayoshi Son, the billionaire founder of SoftBank Group Corp, made a huge personal bet on bitcoin just as prices for the digital currency peaked, losing more than $130 million when he sold out, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, quoting people familiar with the ma...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO - It’s only been five years since sales tax in Japan jumped from five to eight percent, and consumers are set to get hit in the wallet again this fall. In October, the sales tax rate is scheduled to rise to 10 percent, although there are a few thankful exceptions.
For one, foo...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese department stores are planning to sell or offer free of charge commemorative items on May 1, when the nation’s new era, Reiwa, is set to start, in line with Crown Prince Naruhito’s accession to the throne on the day.
With the country going into an Im...

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