logo
Tokyo stocks climb in morning after Wall Street gains

Tokyo stocks climb in morning after Wall Street gains

The Mainichi3 days ago
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks climbed Thursday morning, supported by overnight Wall Street gains and U.S. tech giant Apple Inc.'s plan to invest an additional $100 billion to increase U.S. production.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 319.82 points, or 0.78 percent, from Wednesday to 41,114.68. The broader Topix index was up 25.16 points, or 0.85 percent, at 2,991.73, hitting a record high on an intraday basis for the first time in two weeks.
The U.S. dollar briefly strengthened to the upper 147 yen range in Tokyo as it was bought by Japanese companies ahead of the summer holidays, dealers said.
At noon, the dollar fetched 147.56-58 yen compared with 147.30-40 yen in New York and 147.55-57 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The euro was quoted at $1.1657-1658 and 172.01-05 yen against $1.1655-1665 and 171.72-82 yen in New York and $1.1581-1582 and 170.88-92 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday afternoon.
The stock market was lifted by Apple suppliers such as TDK, as the U.S. firm's announcement raised hopes for improvement in their earnings, brokers said.
The benchmark Nikkei index was initially pressured by falls in heavyweight chip shares after U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a tariff of about 100 percent on semiconductor imports.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The shape of Pocky is now legally trademarked in Japan
The shape of Pocky is now legally trademarked in Japan

Japan Today

time5 minutes ago

  • Japan Today

The shape of Pocky is now legally trademarked in Japan

By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 Every box of Pocky has a picture of the chocolate-covered pretzel sticks on it, but you could make the argument that it's sort of redundant. In the 59 years that it's been on the market, Pocky has become one of Japan's most beloved sweet snacks, and you'd have a hard time finding someone in the country who doesn't know what it looks like. That familiarity runs in the opposite direction as well. Show someone a Pocky stick, outside of its packaging and with the product name nowhere in sight, and the vast majority of people in Japan will still be able to tell you, without hesitation 'That's Pocky.' That's been statistically proven, too. In 2023, Pocky manufacturer Glico conducted a survey of 1,036 people in Japan, between the ages of 16 and 79, and more than 90 percent could identify Pocky just by its shape. Emboldened by those results, Glico went on to apply for an official, legal trademark for the shape of Pocky, and it's now been granted one by the Japanese government. This sort of status, referred to as a 3D trademark, isn't easy for a food product to obtain. The category is more commonly used for things such as characters or packaging with a uniquely defining shape, which is why you can't go out and start selling plushies that are an exact match for Mickey Mouse or bottle your upstart soda in bottles that are precisely the same as Coca-Cola's. The hurdle for food items to obtain 3D trademarks is especially high, though, given that their shapes are sometimes simply the natural result of a necessary cooking process, not something purposely created by design. Nevertheless, Glico was able to sufficiently convince Japan's trademark authorities that Pocky's shape is distinct and defining to the extent that the product can be sufficiently identified by its shape alone. The trademark was granted on July 25, though Glico didn't put out a press release until August. Ostensibly, this would give Glico the power to block the sale of snacks with the same shape as Pocky from other companies. Following the acquisition of the trademark, a representative for Glico said 'Moving forward, we will continue to appropriately protect and utilize our trademarks in order to develop and nurture this brand which has been loved for so long.' How much this will actually change the landscape of store snack shelves in Japan remains to be seen. With Pocky being popular with fans of Japanese pop culture, and delicious things in general, around the world, there are obvious imitators available in other countries. However, with Pocky's 3-D trademark being granted by the Japanese government, it doesn't really give Glico any significant leverage in halting the sale of copycat snacks overseas, though it would, in theory, bar such products from being imported into and sold in Japan. Among products regularly sold in the Japanese domestic market, Pocky doesn't have any exact imitators. The closest facsimile is Toppo, made by competitor Lotte, but its shape has contours that Pocky doesn't, and Toppo are pretzel sticks that are filled with chocolate, not covered in it, which also gives them a different shape. Oddly enough, it's debatable whether or not the 3D trademark for Pocky would apply to the brand's own coconut flavor, since its crunchy coconut shavings mean it doesn't conform to the standard 'Pocky shape.' But regardless of how exactly Glico is planning to use Pocky's 3D trademark, it really does have one now. Source: PR Times, NHK News Web Insert images: PR Times, Glico Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Taste testing popular Korean and Japanese snacks that look similar: Pocky vs. Pepero -- New limited edition blue, heart-shaped Pocky designed for maximum happiness -- Handsome Pocky Boy anime designs are Japan's newest anthropomorphized sweets External Link © SoraNews24

Tariffs on Japanese Products to Be Revised: U.S. Official

time12 hours ago

Tariffs on Japanese Products to Be Revised: U.S. Official

News from Japan Aug 9, 2025 17:37 (JST) Washington, Aug. 8 (Jiji Press)--The United States will revise the way it applies the 15 pct reciprocal tariffs on Japanese products, a White House official told Jiji Press on Friday. The official said that the tariffs on imports from Japan will be 15 pct including existing tax rates, as is the case for products from the European Union. The remarks came after the 15 pct reciprocal tariffs on Japanese imports went into effect on Thursday. Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is in charge of tariff negotiations with the United States, said he confirmed with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Thursday that the U.S. side would revise the executive order on reciprocal tariffs to reflect the Japan-U.S. agreement reached in late July. The White House official also indicated that such a revision will be made. According to the Japanese government, the U.S. side agreed not to impose a reciprocal tariff on Japanese items that are already subject to tariffs of 15 pct or higher, while setting the reciprocal tariff rate at 15 pct for products with an existing levy of less than 15 pct. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store