JAPAN

North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Saturday, after Pyongyang warned of a strong response to upcoming U.S.-South Korea military drills.

The dollar was broadly lower on Tuesday ahead of a keenly anticipated inflation report, while the yen strengthened as surprise pick Kazuo Ueda was nominated to be the next governor of Bank of Japan.

The Japanese police have arrested as many as 17 men accused of filming thousands of women bathing in hot springs over a period of 30 years.

Japan confirmed on Tuesday that it made record interventions in the foreign exchange market in October, selling the dollar worth 6.35 trillion yen ($48 billion) to support the yen currency, Ministry of Finance (MOF) data showed.

Japan's SoftBank Group Corp fell to a quarterly loss on Tuesday, as its giant Vision Fund investment unit remained in the red for a fourth straight quarter, sharpening focus on when markets will recover enough to allow it to list some assets.

Nomura Holdings Inc, Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank, reported an 11% rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, as a partial stake sale in an affiliate offset a slump in investment banking.

Japan's Toyota was the world's top-selling automaker in 2022, retaining its lead over German rival Volkswagen for the third year, company data showed Monday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that a return to deflation in the world's third-largest economy cannot be ruled out, because domestic demand remains weak.

At least eight people, including six Chinese nationals, died after a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship sank in waters between South Korea and Japan.

Suzuki Motor Corp will invest 4.5 trillion yen ($34.8 billion) through fiscal 2030 in research, development and capital spending to make battery electric vehicles (EVs), it said on Thursday.

The actions and potential implications of several countries, including Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran indicates that change is occurring in these countries and their actions have the potential to affect the global order. The US has the power and capability to assist and influence events in these countries, but should do so in a way that avoids being perceived as meddling. The US should work to deter expansionist behavior by China in the Indo-Pacific region and to calm tensions with North Korea.

World stocks rose and Japan's yen tumbled on Wednesday, after the Bank of Japan poured cold water on monetary tightening expectations and economic and earnings data proved cheery for European markets.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev slammed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the latter's "subservience" to the United States.

U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Friday and is expected to hail what Washington sees as historic plans by Tokyo for a major military buildup in the face of shared concerns about China.

The British and Japanese prime ministers will sign a "hugely significant" new defence deal allowing UK troops to deploy in Japan when the pair meet in London on Wednesday, Downing Street said.

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing Co Ltd on Wednesday said it would raise wages by as much as 40%, a clear sign that Japan's rock-bottom salaries may be starting to budge after decades of deflation and cost-cutting.

The two leaders will also discuss Japan's current presidency of the G7 and "the need to maintain our collective support for Ukraine"

Japan will toughen its COVID-19 border control measures for travellers from China from Sunday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, in response to a surge of infections.

Japanese factories slashed output for a third consecutive month in November, dragged down by weak demand for machinery products amid a deteriorating global economic outlook.

Japanese retail sales rose for a ninth straight month in November, data showed on Tuesday, as the lifting of COVID-19 border controls and the government's domestic travel subsidy helped consumer demand.

Italy must have equal treatment in a partnership with Britain and Japan to develop a new jet fighter, Rome's defence minister told Reuters, as talks proceed to define the roles each country has in the ambitious project.