News

Catholics honor victims of Japan's past oppression (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Four centuries after they died for their faith, 188 Japanese Catholic martyrs will be honored by the church next week in a ceremony to recall the bloody persecution that almost stamped out Christianity in Japan.

Red Sox pitcher Matsuzaka ready for Japan's Classic defence (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who helped Japan win the inaugural World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2006, says he is ready for the country's defence of the title in March.

Japan's central bank keeps interest rates on hold (AP via Yahoo! News)
Japan's central bank kept its already low interest rates on hold Friday but warned of a prolonged economic slump at home and abroad.

Boston's Matsuzaka first on Japan's WBC list (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Japan's hopes of successfully defending their World Baseball Classic title (WBC) have been boosted after Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka committed to playing.

Japan's fishermen feel pain from economic crisis (AFP via Yahoo! News)
The open-air fish market in Kuji on Japan's Pacific coast is its usual hive of activity, but the fishermen here are watching nervously as the global financial crisis batters their industry.

Japan, SKorea pressure NKorea in nuke row (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Japan and South Korea on Thursday urged neighboring North Korea to come up with a roadmap on ending its nuclear program amid a long delay in a six-nation disarmament deal.

SKorea, China, Japan to hold summit next month, Seoul says (AFP via Yahoo! News)
The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China will meet next month to discuss closer cooperation in combating the global financial crisis, according to Seoul presidential officials.

Japan keeps rates on hold at 0.3% (BBC News)
Japan's central bank keeps its key rate unchanged at 0.3% on Friday but warns of an uncertain outlook.

Keidanren Tells Japan's Salarymen to Work Less, Have More Kids (Bloomberg)
Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Keidanren, Japan's biggest business organization, is worried the nation's workers aren't having enough sex.

Japan Stocks Rise, Pare Weekly Loss, on Valuations, Citi Report (Bloomberg)
Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Japan stocks rose, reversing a morning drop and paring a weekly decline, after investors pounced on shares trading near the lowest in almost three decades and a newspaper reported Citigroup Inc. may be sold.