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Ghosn, Kelly formally charged over financial misconduct; Nissan also indicted
Tokyo prosecutors officially charged ousted Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn on Monday for under-reporting his income and extended his detention on suspicion of additional financial misconduct. The prosecutors also indicted Nissan for filing false financial statements, making the Japanese automaker culpable for the scandal that has shocked the auto industry.… Read
23 years sought for man over fatal road rage accident
Prosecutors sought on Monday 23 years in prison for a 26-year-old man over an alleged road-rage incident near Tokyo last year which left a couple dead and their children injured. Kazuho Ishibashi's act was "persistent and malicious," the prosecutors said at the Yokohama District Court, while the family members of… Read
Ghosn planned to oust CEO before his arrest: report
Former Nissan Motor Co Chairman Carlos Ghosn was planning to oust its CEO Hiroto Saikawa before his arrest by Tokyo prosecutors last month, the online edition of Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Ghosn was planning to propose the replacement of Saikawa at a Nissan board meeting scheduled for late November… Read
2 girls injured in hit-and-run; 70-year-old driver arrested
Police in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, have arrested a 70-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in injury after he hit two 15-year-old junior high schools riding bikes on Sunday. According to police, the incident occurred at around 9 a.m. Sunday. Police said Seiichi Sekine, a demolition worker, has admitted… Read
PM Ardern apologizes to family of British tourist killed in New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern fought back tears as she apologized on Monday to the family of a 22-year-old British woman who was killed while she was on a backpacking tour, two days after a man was charged with the Briton's murder. The killing has shocked residents of New… Read
Nobel peace prize shines light on rape in conflict
Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, an IS sex slave survivor, will be presented with the Nobel Peace Prize Monday, as they challenge the world to combat rape as a weapon of war. Mukwege, dubbed "Doctor Miracle" for his work helping victims of sexual violence, and Murad,… Read
Japan's economy shrank at 2.5 percent annualized rate in July-Sept period
Japan's economy shrank at an annualized rate of 2.5 percent in July-September, a worse contraction than preliminary data indicated last month. The earlier data put the contraction at 1.2 percent, as consumer spending, investment and exports fell. The revised data released Monday by the government Cabinet Office shows seasonally adjusted… Read
Ruling bloc to agree on tax reforms spurring car, home purchases
Japan's ruling parties are set to agree on a tax reform package for fiscal 2019 that will give tax breaks for cars and homes in the hopes of underpinning demand for the big ticket items after next year's increase in the consumption tax, government sources say. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's… Read
Language skills remain major concern for foreign nursing care workers
While a new visa system approved by the Diet and to take effect in April has been welcomed by Japan's labor-short nursing care businesses, questions remain about how to provide sufficient Japanese language education for foreign workers. Despite the government's steps taken in recent years to relax rules on foreign… Read
Japanese firms see trade war, sales tax pressuring economy in 2019: poll
Most Japanese firms expect flat or weaker domestic growth next year and are even more pessimistic about global growth amid concerns over the impact of the U.S.-China trade war and a planned sales tax hike at home, a Reuters poll shows. "There's no doubt the sales tax increase will put… Read
