Japan - Page 36

The Japanese government is trying to verify claims that one of the two hostages held by Islamic State has been killed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged $100 million of his country’s money to help reconstruct the Gaza Strip. Abe’s pledge follows this past summer’s 50-day war, initiated by the Hamas terror group, which left much the territory in ruins. As a result of Hamas’s aggression, dozens of Israelis and thousands of Palestinians died in the conflict.

In their latest Internet hostage video, the Islamic State demanded $200 million from Japan in exchange for the lives of security contractor Haruna Yukawa and freelance journalist Kenji Goto Jogo, promising they would be killed within 72 hours if the ransom was not paid. After vowing that his nation would not submit to terrorist demands, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked several prominent Middle Eastern leaders for help, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

ISIS has released another of its notorious hostage videos, with the masked English-speaking terrorist known as “Jihad John” brandishing a knife and issuing death threats against hostages clad in orange jumpsuits. In this case, the two hostages are Japanese, identified by their captors as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa. It is said that they will be killed unless the Japanese government pays $200 million in ransom within 72 hours.

The BBC wants to know when Japan is going to ban child porn of the comic book variety.

Despite the positives of cheaper oil, a weaker yen currency, and zero interest rates, Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index plunged -3.02% in overnight trading. Over the last 25 years, Japan has become the world’s most indebted nation and its stock market has lost 70.4% of value as the nation is literally beginning to die out in a demographic implosion.

Japan as a society may be on something of an irreversible death spiral. Is banning abortion the answer? An article in the Washington Post notes that some have wondered whether this could help. More than a quarter century ago, Japan became

Angelina Jolie’s new World War II movie, based on Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, follows the story of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini and the torturous treatment he received at the

Australia’s strict gun laws–enacted after the Port Author attack in 1996–left Sydney café-goers vulnerable and prevented a swift resolution of the crisis when Islamist gunman ignored the laws and took hostages on December 15. Business Insider previously reported Australia’s ban

Try Cal Facts, a 72 page report produced by the California Legislative Analyst’s office, reveals that the Golden State is one of the largest economies in the world.  The Los Angeles Times reported that according to legislative analyst Mac Taylor,

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The ruble hit a new record low against the U.S. dollar as weaker oil prices keep up the pressure on Russia’s slowing economy. European stocks and U.S. stock futures inched higher Monday, while Asian markets fell

(Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, brushing aside suggestions that a low turnout tarnished his coalition’s election win, vowed on Monday to stick to his reflationary economic policies, tackle painful structural reforms and pursue his muscular security stance. But

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com Lynchings of 43 students revive the Mexican Revolution Oil production to increase despite, or because of, crashing prices Lynchings of 43 students revive the Mexican Revolution Wanted poster for Pancho Villa – March 9,

Aromatic truffles, smooth-as-silk foie gras, firm, springy oysters, mouth-wateringly tender beef and an almost infinite range of cheeses. The French have a worldwide reputation for gastronomic excellence. But while the country still boasts some of the globe’s finest restaurants, chinks

This article originally appeared in The Economist: When America dropped its two atom bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, over Japan in August 1945, it launched the world into a devastating new era of warfare. Nearly 70 years later, humanity

Angelina Jolie’s new World War II film Unbroken is reportedly facing a boycott in Japan over its portrayal of Japanese soldiers, despite the fact that no release date has been set in the country.  The picture, which was directed by

The 12-day UN climate change summit in Peru has generated more carbon dioxide than an entire African country. The talks, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, generated more than 50,000 tonnes of CO2, as more than 12,500 politicians, green

Belgium on Friday laid to rest its much-loved former queen Fabiola, the widow of the popular King Baudoin, in a rain-lashed funeral ceremony attended by royals from across Europe and Asia. Japan’s Empress Michiko, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, Sweden’s King Carl

TOKYO (AP) — A projected landslide victory for Japan’s ruling party in Sunday’s parliamentary elections could give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe political breathing space to push forward with his long-held nationalist agenda. While Abe has put the economy at the

European stock markets slid further on Tuesday following heavy losses across Asia, as oil prices struck fresh five-year lows before recovering slightly. The euro rallied against the dollar a day after the European single currency hit a two-year trough against

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Street prices for illegal ivory are soaring in China, where newly wealthy middle and upper class citizens are buying carved ivory and whole tusks as a status symbol of their riches, a report released Tuesday found.

This post originally appeared on Bloomberg: China is preparing to arm its stealthiest submarines with nuclear missiles that could reach the U.S., cloaking its arsenal with the invisibility needed to retaliate in the event of an enemy strike. Fifty years after China

Falling gas prices add to holiday cheer, but those are not an unvarnished good for the U.S. economy–thanks to bad economic policy. Oil selling at about $65 a barrel gives consumers and many businesses a lot of additional buying power,

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com Syria claims Israel’s warplanes strike near Damascus Egypt continues building buffer zone on Sinai border with Gaza Bank of International Settlements warns of ‘fragile’ and ‘sensitive’ markets Syria claims Israel’s warplanes strike near Damascus

Prince William and his pregnant wife Kate head to New York on Sunday for a glitzy visit that marks a step up in their role representing Britain abroad, royal commentators said. The three-day trip will see the Duke and Duchess

President Obama declared that “the typical family isn’t bringing home more than they did 15 years ago. And that still has to change” while touting “good news” on the economy in his Weekly Address on Saturday. Transcript as follows: “Hi,

Child star and former heartthrob Andrew Keegan, best known for his role in 10 Things I Hate About You, has started his own religion in Venice, California, called Full Circle.  Full Circle, which has been described as “advanced spiritualism,” was

The economy added 321,000 jobs in November–a dramatic jump from October. Overall the economy is creating many more jobs, but the outlook remains guarded. Unemployment stayed constant at 5.8 percent because the jobs count is based on the survey of

Japan has spent about $1 billion of funding earmarked to tackle global warming on three new coal plants in Indonesia. The projects are entirely legal as there are no guidelines or rules on what constitutes climate finance. Japan has argued

A Japanese-built facility in China on Monday began destroying the largest cache of World War II chemical weapons abandoned in the country, Tokyo officials said, in a rare case of co-operation between the two countries. The facility has been built

If a 440-kiloton atomic bomb exploded on the earth today, people would notice. After all, the A-bomb that exploded about 1900 feet over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, was only around 16 kilotons; even so, it killed at least

A new report from a Chinese government agency finds that the country has wasted $6.8 trillion invested in “ghost cities,” abandoned apartment buildings and highways to nowhere. The staggering amount accounts for half of all Chinese investment in the economy

“Events in the course of the war have today taken a turn not necessarily to the advantage of the Empire of Japan.” In those uber-euphemistic words, couched in court Japanese to soften their brutal meaning, Emperor Hirohito broadcast to his

After deciding to scrap nuclear power, Germany is pondering saying goodbye to coal, its biggest energy source but also its top polluter and main threat to ambitious climate goals. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is split on the issue, which pits

TechCrunch is the leading website to follow technology start-up fundings. As a tool to identify funding trends, Todd Schneider updates a weekly chart called the “TechCrunch Bubble Index” (TCBI) to track the trend in new fundings. High-tech companies have been

If you’re planning on nefarious activity at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus, think again; Microsoft has installed security guards around the grounds that are robots 5 feet tall and weighing 300 pounds. Knightscope manufactured the robots, sans weapons, but they do