Latest news with #Yasuda
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average Shares End Lower on Caution over US Economic Outlook
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Tokyo Stock Exchange TOKYO, June 5 (Reuters) – Japanese shares ended lower on Thursday, with automakers leading the declines, as weak U.S. economic data fueled caution toward the outlook of the world's largest economy. The Nikkei closed 0.51% lower at 37,554.49, while the broader Topix lost 1.03% to 2,756.47. Overnight, U.S. data showed the smallest gain in private payrolls since March 2023 while the service sector contracted for the first time in about a year. 'The market had not expected to see the weak data out of the U.S., so now investors have become cautious about Friday's employment report,' said Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory. 'But the weak economic data means the Federal Reserve may lower interest rates, which is positive for equities. So investors do not have to switch to risk-off mode,' Yasuda said. Shares of Suzuki Motor dropped 3% after a Reuters report revealed the automaker had suspended production of its Swift model, citing disruptions tied to China's rare-earth export restrictions. Toyota Motor and Honda Motor fell 2.72% and 2.67%, respectively, pressured by the yen's overnight gain against the dollar. Overall, automakers and auto parts makers fell 4.66%. The dollar weakened across the board overnight, sending the yen as high as 142.6. The yen was last down 0.3% at 143.185. A stronger Japanese currency tends to hurt shares of exporters, as it decreases the value of overseas profit in yen terms when repatriated to Japan. Bank shares fell as U.S. Treasury yields declined overnight, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group slipping 1.39% and 0.93%, respectively. Chip-related heavyweights rose to track overnight gains in the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite. Advantest jumped 4.57% and Tokyo Electron rose 3.78%, providing the biggest support to the Nikkei. Of more than 1,600 stocks trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market, 34% rose, 61% declined and 4% were flat.
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Recorder
Japanese shares slip on caution over US economic outlook, stronger yen
TOKYO: Japanese shares slipped on Thursday as weak US economic data stoked caution toward the outlook of the world's largest economy, while a stronger yen hurt automakers. At 0134 GMT, the Nikkei was down 0.1% at 37,704.91, having trimmed most of a decline of 0.6% earlier in the session. The broader Topix was down 0.64% at 2,627.17. Overnight, US data showed the smallest gain in private payrolls since March 2023 while the service sector contracted for the first time in about a year. 'The market had not expected to see the weak data out of the US, so now investors have become cautious about Friday's employment report,' said Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory. 'But the weak economic data means the Federal Reserve may lower interest rates, which is positive for equities. So investors do not have to switch to risk-off mode,' Yasuda said. The US dollar weakened across the board overnight, sending the yen as high as 142.6. The yen was last down 0.1% at 142.89. A stronger Japanese currency tends to hurt shares of exporters, as it decreases the value of overseas profit in yen terms when repatriated to Japan. Automakers fell, with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor slipping 1.87% and 1.44%, respectively. Overall, automakers and auto parts makers fell 3.8%. Bank shares fell as US Treasury yields declined overnight, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group slipping 1.3% and 1.4%. Japan's Nikkei surges on trade deal hopes lift tech; Toyota Industries slides Chip-related heavyweights rose to track overnight gains in the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite. Advantest surged 5% and Tokyo Electron rose 3.3%, providing the biggest support to the Nikkei. Of more than 1,600 stocks trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market, 45% rose, 50% fell and 3% were flat.
Express Tribune
03-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Nintendo launches new Switch console
The console is more powerful than the original. Photo: File Japanese video game giant Nintendo unveiled the new version of its hugely popular Switch console on Wednesday, with the update eagerly awaited by both gamers and investors. Very similar visually to its best-selling predecessor, which was launched in 2017, the Switch 2 features a larger screen, a wider stand, and retains its detachable "Joy-Con" controllers. It will also be more powerful than the original model while keeping its hybrid console concept, allowing players to use it both on-the-go and connected to a TV – a key factor in the success of the first Switch which has sold 150 million units worldwide. "When you ask gamers, they mention performance and game software, but in reality, they seem to want the same experience as the original Switch," said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Japanese brokerage Toyo Securities. "I think what they truly want is simply higher performance." Despite recent diversification efforts into films and theme parks, Nintendo's core business still relies heavily on video games. The company cut its profit forecasts in February due to slowing sales of its star console. Industry rumours suggest a possible June release, with Yasuda estimating six million units would be initially made available. In the long run, Nintendo could sell 19 million units in 2025 and 21 million the following year, according to Toyo Securities estimates. Another key factor is pricing, which experts estimate will range from $430 to $540. Uncertainty over US import tariffs also remains a concern, although Nintendo has recently switched an increasing amount of production from China to Vietnam, which faces lower customs duties. As the video game industry faces a global slowdown, marked by waves of layoffs, the arrival of the Switch 2 could revitalise console sales which have been declining worldwide. AFP
Japan Times
21-03-2025
- Japan Times
Tokyu Agency fined ¥200 million in Tokyo Games bid-rigging case
The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered major ad firm Tokyu Agency to pay a fine of ¥200 million for bid-rigging over the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The sentence was equal to the amount demanded by public prosecutors. In the same case, former Tokyu Agency director Mitsuo Yasuda, 62, was given a prison sentence of one year and six months, suspended for three years. According to the ruling, Yasuda conspired with a senior official of the Tokyo organizing committee and others to decide in advance who would win contracts for planning test events between February and July 2018, and to have only pre-selected companies take part in the bidding. Presiding Judge Kenji Yasunaga pointed out that Tokyu Agency's Yasuda, alongside other firms, worked to arrange the winners of contracts based on the wishes of the former organizing committee official. Six companies and seven individuals — officials of the companies and the former organizing committee official — were indicted in the bid-rigging case. So far, major advertising agencies Dentsu Group and Hakuhodo, event company Cerespo and their officials have also been found guilty. Their lawyers have appealed the rulings. The former organizing committee official's guilty sentence has become final.
Japan Times
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
‘A Samurai in Time' wins top prize at Japan's premier film event
'A Samurai in Time' capped its against-all-odds success story Friday night at the 48th Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony, where it received the award for best film. Director jidaigeki (period dramas) centers on a samurai who is transported from the late 1860s to modern-day Kyoto. Finding himself on a jidaigeki set, he soon becomes a kirare-yaku — an actor specializing in dying during sword-fighting scenes — and falls in love with the genre. A true Cinderella story, 'A Samurai in Time' was shot on a shoestring budget — funded in part by Yasuda selling his car and borrowing from his savings — with a small crew of just 10 people. Initially released in a single Tokyo cinema last August, the film gained momentum through word-of-mouth praise. By October, it had expanded to theaters nationwide and climbed into the box-office top 10.
