Japan
Analysis: Little sign Abe can shake up Japan's inbound FDI
TOKYO - Japan risks missing, yet again, an opportunity to use foreign investment to help fuel sustained economic growth that has eluded it for the last two decades.
Recent Japan News
BOJ may seek ways to calm bond yields, policy on hold
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan is expected to stand pat on monetary policy next week despite jitters over the recent jump in bond yields, hoping it can stem the volatility by fine-tuning market operations.
China cracks down on over-the-top anti-Japan dramas
BEIJING - China's television regulator has ordered a crackdown on dramas about the country's battles with Japan during and before World War Two and demanded they be more serious, state media said on Friday, following viewer complaints about ludicrous storylines.
Dish asks FCC to suspend review of SoftBank's Sprint bid
NEW YORK - Dish Network Corp asked U.S. regulators on Thursday to stop reviewing SoftBank Corp's proposed acquisition of Sprint Nextel Corp's , citing the Japanese company's reported attempt to thwart its bid for the U.S. wireless carrier.
U.S. slams Japanese mayor's sex-slave comments as 'offensive'
WASHINGTON - The United States condemned as "outrageous and offensive" comments by the mayor of the Japanese city of Osaka who said this week that Japan's military brothels during World War Two were "necessary" to provide respite for soldiers.
Japan's first-quarter growth spurt shows early benefits of Abe's policy gamble
TOKYO - Japan's economy expanded at a rapid clip at the start of the year, the first hard evidence that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's sweeping stimulus is beginning to rouse consumers and businesses into action even as risks loomed in the horizon.
Special reports
The nuclear industry's trillion dollar question
Before Fukushima, more than 300 nuclear reactors were planned worldwide, mostly in developing economies. While parts of the developed world may reduce their use of nuclear, China, India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe look set continue their nuclear drive. Full Article
Quake reveals cracks in insurance system
The sophisticated modeling systems the insurance industry uses to predict where disasters will happen and how much they will cost never factored in an earthquake the size of the one that hit northeast Japan. Full Article
Japan engineers knew tsunami could overrun plant
A review of Tokyo Electric Power and regulatory records shows that Japan and its largest utility repeatedly downplayed dangers and ignored warnings -- including a 2007 tsunami study from TEPCO's senior safety engineer. Full Article
Fuel storage, safety issues vexed Japan plant
Tokyo Electric and regulators are certain to face scrutiny on the decision to store most of the Fukushima plant's spent fuel rods inside the reactor buildings rather than invest in other potentially safer storage options. Full Article
Disasters show flaws in just-in-time production
In a globalized economy where manufacturers have moved ever more toward lean inventories, the weakest link in the supply chain is what Japan is best known for: high-end, highly technical parts. Full Article
Radiation fears may be greatly exaggerated
As workers struggle to contain the fallout from a crippled Japanese nuclear plant, people as far away as Illinois are calling public health officials in a state of panic. But the truth is anxiety is largely disproportionate to the actual danger. Full Article
Mistakes, misfortune, meltdown: Japan's quake
An examination of Japan's effort to contain its escalating nuclear disaster reveals a series of missteps, bad luck and desperate improvisation. What also emerges is a country that has begun to question some of its oldest values. Full Article
Why Japan will avert a fiscal meltdown
In these dark hours, Japan would do well to heed former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's memorable maxim that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Full Article
Can Japan find "New Deal" after triple whammy?
The nuclear crisis was a triple whammy for Japan, coming on top of the earthquake -- the fifth strongest ever recorded -- and one of the most powerful tsunami in history, which caused scenes of unimaginable destruction in northeast Japan. Full Article | Related Story
In Chernobyl, a disaster persists
As Japan battles to prevent a meltdown at its earthquake-hit Fukushima Daini nuclear plant, the people of Ukraine are preparing to mark the 25th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident. Full Article | Related Story
An interactive guide to how the disaster unfolded. Timeline







