April sees Japan trade deficit jump to 879.9bn yen

TOKYO - Japan's trade deficit rose substantially more than expected in the month April to 879.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion), which is a 70% jump over the trade deficit during the corresponding month a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.. The deficit, for the tenth consecutive month, was wider than what many economists had forecast. A survey from the Nikkei business daily ...

CAROL LINK Exquisite Japanese maples provide beauty colors

CAROL LINK | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES This planting bed in the walking garden on the slope out front contains three Japanese maples: a green-foliaged tree on each end and a small red laceleaf tree in the middle. In this area of the garden, large shade trees tower over the planting beds, helping to provide afternoon shade for the group of smaller ...

Congressman Huelskamp discusses Kansas beef with Japanese ambassador

Congressman Tim Huelskamp, R-KS, was Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae’s guest at the residence of the ambassador of Japan. Japan recently raised the age cap on its beef imports from 20 months of age to 30 months. The U.S. Meat Export Federation projects this change will increase U.S. beef exports to Japan by 45 percent in 2013. Huelskamp issued the following statement: ';I’m ...

Nuclear regulators acknowledge fault below Tsuruga reactor is active

The Nuclear Regulation Authority accepted on Wednesday an assessment that a reactor at the Tsuruga plant in western Japan is sitting above an active fault, making it increasingly difficult for the facility to resume ...

Ama divers seek cultural designation

Ama female divers from the Toba-Shima area have formed a group to preserve their traditions, as part of a bid by the Mie prefectural government to have the divers declared a national cultural property and UNESCO intangible cultural heritage ...