Latest news with #KyodoNewsAgency
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Japanese designer takes top honour at Chelsea flower show
LONDON (Bernama-Kyodo): Japanese landscape designer Kazuyuki Ishihara won the Garden of the Year award for the first time at the Chelsea Flower Show, a globally renowned landscaping competition in London, in May with a Japanese tea garden. According to Kyodo News Agency, veteran participant Ishihara also won the gold medal in the Show Garden category for the first time, among other awards at the annual event held by the Royal Horticultural Society, Britain's leading garden charity, according to his office. It was the 13th gold medal overall for the 67-year-old, who has been competing in the show since 2004. Describing the Show Garden gold as the most difficult to obtain, he said he was "proud" to have won it with his Japanese Tea Garden. He also won the People's Choice award, voted for by the public. The garden, themed on communication and harmony and called Cha No Niwa in Japanese, uses plants and trees commonly seen in the Japanese countryside, such as Japanese maples and irises, around its tea house. "I wanted to convey the beauty of the spirit of Japan that enables heart-to-heart communication through tea and beautiful scenery in a world of chaos," said Ishihara. Japanese designer Masataka Taniguchi, 42, won the gold medal in the category of container gardens featuring small-scale landscapes with his work Komorebi Garden. Komorebi is a Japanese word for sunlight piercing through a tree canopy. -- BERNAMA-KYODO
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Japan, South Korea launch tourist fast-track lanes for ties anniversary
TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) Japan and South Korea on Sunday (June 1) opened dedicated entry lanes for tourists visiting each other's countries at four airports, marking the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic ties, Kyodo News Agency reported. The lanes were implemented to improve convenience for inbound travellers by speeding up the immigration process. They will remain in use through June 30 at four airports: Haneda in Tokyo, Fukuoka in southwestern Japan, Gimpo in Seoul, and Gimhae in Busan. Park Kyung Mo, a 40-year-old tourist visiting Japan with his family, said he likes the neighbouring nation and expressed hope that the two countries will deepen their relations. It is the first time a Japanese airport has designated a lane for a specific nation, according to the Immigration Services Agency. People who have visited the respective countries within the past year and have registered in advance are eligible to use the perk, which is available for flights arriving between 9am and 4pm (local time). Japan and South Korea, although often at odds over historical and territorial disputes, have become popular tourist destinations for each other in recent years, with many people drawn to pop culture, drama, and food. The two nations signed a basic treaty on June 22, 1965, a treaty that led to the normalisation of diplomatic ties. - Bernama-Kyodo
The Star
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Japan's new farm minister targets US$14 per 5kg retail price for government rice
- Photo: Kyodo News via AP TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) - Japan's new farm minister, Shinjiro Koizumi (pic) said on Saturday (May 24) that the government plans to sell its stockpiled rice to retailers through direct contracts, aiming to make it available in stores at 2,000 yen (US$14) per 5 kilogrammes, as soaring prices weigh on consumers, Kyodo News Agency reported. He added that the reserve rice is expected to reach store shelves as early as June, with criticism mounting that the government has failed to curb a spike in rice prices, hurting households as inflation continues to outpace wage growth. Koizumi, who assumed his post on Wednesday after his predecessor resigned following a remark about gifts of rice from supporters, has pledged to sell the stockpiled grain directly to retailers, bypassing auctions that have prevented government control over prices. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is likely to commence procedures for negotiated contracts on Monday, while exploring online sales of the low-priced stockpiled rice to ensure broad distribution across the country. On Friday, Koizumi held talks with Rakuten Group Inc. Chairman and President Hiroshi Mikitani to exchange views on possible online sales. The head of the e-commerce giant told reporters, "We would like to actively consider raising our hand" for a contract. On the recent rice price hike in a speech in Sapporo, northern Japan, on Saturday, Koizumi said, "It's too expensive. To cool the abnormal surge, we want to bring it down by introducing 2,000 yen stockpiled rice" into the market. The average price of the nation's staple food in Japanese supermarkets reached a record 4,268 yen per 5 kilogrammes in early May, roughly double last year's level, due in part to a poor harvest and growing demand for rice-based dishes amid a boom in inbound tourism. Official data released on Friday showed that rice prices hit a new record in April for the seventh consecutive month, marking a 98.4 per cent increase from a year earlier. Core consumer prices, excluding volatile fresh food, rose by 3.5 per cent in the same month. The government plans to release 300,000 tonnes initially and may provide additional supplies if necessary. Koizumi has expressed his intention to publish weekly retail rice prices by region and examine distribution channels. But it remains uncertain whether the move will lead to an overall drop in rice prices, given that Japan's annual domestic demand totals around 6.7 million tonnes, while the amount held in reserve is limited, analysts said. - Bernama-Kyodo
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Nissan tells workers closure of key Oppama plant not decided
TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co. on Monday told employees at its signature Oppama plant, near Tokyo, that reports of its planned closure were not definitive, according to some workers at the factory, Kyodo News Agency reported. The struggling Japanese automaker was reported on Saturday to be considering shuttering the plant in Yokosuka and the Shonan plant of its unit, Nissan Shatai Co., in Hiratsuka, raising uncertainty over the future employment and treatment of the workforce. The country's third-biggest automaker by volume said last week that it will shut seven vehicle plants and cut 20,000 jobs globally after logging a net loss of 670.90 billion yen (US$4.6 billion) for fiscal 2024. Nissan pioneered electric vehicle production at the Oppama plant, which has an annual production capacity of around 240,000 vehicles and employed 3,900 people, including researchers, as of the end of October last year. The Shonan plant builds commercial vehicles. The prefectural government held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss offering consultation and re-employment services in reaction to the potential closures. 'If they really do close, it will have a huge impact on employment and the economy,' Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa said at the meeting. 'We will consider our options from a multitude of angles.' Following the discussions, Kuroiwa told reporters that Nissan contacted the prefecture on Saturday after the initial reports. Nissan officials visited the prefectural office on Monday to inform it that nothing has been decided. The prefectural government conveyed to Nissan its hope that the automaker will endeavour to limit the consequences of its actions. During a regular press conference on the same day, Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji emphasised the importance of the more than 60-year history of the Oppama plant and said he hoped it would be 'restored to its former brilliance.' Nissan officials also visited the city on Monday.
New Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Nissan tells workers closure of key Oppama plant not decided
TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co. on Monday told employees at its signature Oppama plant, near Tokyo, that reports of its planned closure were not definitive, according to some workers at the factory, Kyodo News Agency reported. The struggling Japanese automaker was reported on Saturday to be considering shuttering the plant in Yokosuka and the Shonan plant of its unit, Nissan Shatai Co., in Hiratsuka, raising uncertainty over the future employment and treatment of the workforce. The country's third-biggest automaker by volume said last week that it will shut seven vehicle plants and cut 20,000 jobs globally after logging a net loss of 670.90 billion yen (US$4.6 billion) for fiscal 2024. Nissan pioneered electric vehicle production at the Oppama plant, which has an annual production capacity of around 240,000 vehicles and employed 3,900 people, including researchers, as of the end of October last year. The Shonan plant builds commercial vehicles. The prefectural government held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss offering consultation and re-employment services in reaction to the potential closures. "If they really do close, it will have a huge impact on employment and the economy," Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa said at the meeting. "We will consider our options from a multitude of angles." Following the discussions, Kuroiwa told reporters that Nissan contacted the prefecture on Saturday after the initial reports. Nissan officials visited the prefectural office on Monday to inform it that nothing has been decided. The prefectural government conveyed to Nissan its hope that the automaker will endeavour to limit the consequences of its actions. During a regular press conference on the same day, Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji emphasised the importance of the more than 60-year history of the Oppama plant and said he hoped it would be "restored to its former brilliance." Nissan officials also visited the city on Monday.
