Stocks slump 1.71% to six-month low
News On Japan via Japan Today -- Jun 04

Stocks slumped 1.71% to a six-month low on Monday after poor U.S. jobs numbers led to sharp falls on Wall Street, with Sony dropping below 1,000 yen for the first time in more than 30 years.

The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 144.62 points to close at 8,295.63, its lowest mark since late November. The broader Topix index of all first-section issues dipped 13.42 points, or 1.89%, to 695.51, the lowest level since December 1983.

"The Tokyo market has taken over the negative sentiment from New York after U.S. data showed decelerating improvement in the employment situation," Hirokazu Fujiki, strategist at Okasan Securities, told AFP.

Source: Japan Today



Jun 19 UNESCO register adds archive of pre-modern Japan mission to Spain
A collection of materials related to a 17th century mission sent by a Japanese feudal lord to Europe and the world's oldest autographic diary left 10 centuries ago by a Japanese regent have been selected for the UNESCO Memory of the World registry, the Japanese education ministry said Wednesday. (Global Post )
Jun 19 Over 1,000 people hospitalized in Japan for heatstroke
Almost 1,500 people were transported to hospitals by ambulance due to heatstroke last week, up sharply from 942 in the preceding week, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday. (Japan Times )
Jun 19 Mummified remains found in restaurant in Morioka
Police said Tuesday that a mummified body was found earlier this month in a storage cabinet in a restaurant in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. (Japan Today )
Jun 19 Traffic lights on the blink / Many too old for use; some even collapse
Among about 200,000 traffic signals nationwide, 16 percent are being used beyond the end of the expected lifetime of their electrical systems and some have even toppled over due to age, according to the National Police Agency. (Yomiuri )
Jun 19 Local govts wary of Mt. Fuji 'traffic jam'
Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, will likely see its summer "traffic jam" of climbers worsen this year thanks to its expected addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Yomiuri )
Jun 19 'Abenomics' not raising low-end prostitution prices in Tokyo
In May, Akira Ikoma, the editor of a guide to men's entertainment called Ore no Tabi (My Journey), said that "Abenomics" had caused a spike in prices at high-end soapland bathhouses in Tokyo. However, the same editor tells Shukan Post (June 28) that the initiative is not impacting the low-end market in the same way. (Tokyo Reporter )
Jun 18 Best biwa selected as gift for Imperial Household
A competition has been held near Tokyo to choose the season's best loquats, or biwa fruit, to be presented to the Imperial Household. (NHK )
Jun 18 64-year-old woman arrested for stabbing 59-year-old boyfriend
Police said Monday they have arrested a 64-year-old woman in connection with the murder of her 59-year-old partner in Seki, Gifu Prefecture. (Japan Today )
Jun 18 Tokyo cops bust Gotanda massage parlor for prostitution, arrest 7
Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the bust of a massage parlor in the Gotanda area of Shinagawa Ward on charges of prostitution. (Tokyo Reporter )
Jun 18 Ex-Aum death-row inmates to testify in open court
Tokyo District Court decided on Monday to open planned examinations of three witnesses who are former senior members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult and now death-row inmates, during an upcoming trial of another former senior Aum member. (Jiji Press )