THE GOVERNMENT this week touted economic gains in a Tokyo road show in its bid to lure Japanese investors to the country, but economists warned that the country’s growth prospects may not be as rosy as the picture painted by the state — that is, unless the administration steps up efforts to address long-standing problems that constrain the economy.
Kyoto path. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Not so fast, don’t buy that plane ticket to Tokyo just yet. The Japanese Embassy in Manila has clarified that the proposal to waive the visa requirement for Filipino tourists to Japan remains to be a plan, saying that such a policy would require bilateral talks between Tokyo and Manila. Miwa Yamatoya, press officer at the Japanese Embassy, said the visa waiver would require “comprehensive consideration” between the two countries. Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Tuesday that the Japanese government and its ruling coalition “are making arrangements” to exempt tourists from the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam from the visa requirement in an effort to boost tourism. “At this point, the exemption of visas for these three countries and the possibility of including this in the ‘action plan’ has not reached any conclusion,” Yamatoya told the Inquirer. Yamatoya said the embassy was “unable to confirm” the Kyodo story. “While promoting us as a tourism-oriented country, the Japanese government has recognized there are demands to relax the policy on visas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also intends to promote tourism more,” said Yamatoya, responding to a query via e-mail. “However, regarding the visa issue, there will be comprehensive consideration, such as the bilateral relationship between countries and diplomatic purposes. There also will be a need for talks between the government ministries concerned,” she said. The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to issue a comment. 61-percent increase According to the Kyodo report, the visa Read More …
Singapore has one of the world’s highest concentrations of millionaires relative to its 5.4 million population.©aimvotalphotos/shutterstock.com (SINGAPORE-AFP) – The soaring cost of cars and utilities as well as a strong currency have made Singapore the world’s most expensive city, toppling Tokyo from the top spot, according to a survey Tuesday. Tokyo’s weakening yen saw it slide to sixth place, the position previously occupied by Singapore, in the 2014 Worldwide Cost of Living survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). “Singapore’s rising price prominence has been steady rather than spectacular,” said a report accompanying the survey by the research firm. It said a 40 percent rise in the Singapore dollar along with “solid price inflation” pushed the country to the top of the twice-yearly survey from 18th a decade ago. The survey, which examines prices across 160 products and services in 140 cities, is aimed at helping companies calculate allowances for executives being sent overseas. The report said Singapore’s curbs on car ownership, which include a quota system and high taxes, made it “significantly more expensive than any other location when it comes to running a car”. A new Toyota Corolla Altis costs $110,000 in Singapore compared to around $35,000 in neighbouring Malaysia. Overall transport costs in Singapore are almost three times higher than those in New York, it said. “In addition, as a city-state with very few natural resources to speak of, Singapore is reliant on other countries for energy and water supplies, making it the third most expensive destination Read More …
TOKYO — The Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange in Tokyo filed for bankruptcy protection Friday and its chief executive said 850,000 bitcoins, worth several hundred million dollars, are unaccounted for. The exchange’s CEO Mark Karpeles appeared before Japanese TV news cameras, bowing deeply. He said a weakness in the exchange’s systems was behind a massive loss of the virtual currency involving 750,000 bitcoins from users and 100,000 of the company’s own bitcoins. That would amount to about $425 million at recent prices. The online exchange’s unplugging earlier this week and accusations it had suffered a catastrophic theft have drawn renewed regulatory attention to a currency created in 2009 as a way to make transactions across borders without third parties such as banks. It remains unclear if the missing bitcoins were stolen, voided by technological flaws or both. “I am sorry for the troubles I have caused all the people,” Karpeles, a Frenchman, said in Japanese at a Tokyo court. Karpeles had not made a public appearance since rumors of the exchange’s insolvency surfaced last month. He said in a web post Wednesday that he was working to resolve Mt. Gox’s problems. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The loss is a giant setback to the currency’s image because its boosters have promoted bitcoin’s cryptography as protecting it from counterfeiting and theft. Bitcoin proponents have insisted that Mt. Gox is an isolated case, caused by the company’s technological failures, and the potential of virtual currencies remains great. Debts at Read More …
Shoppers walk through the sales floor of Nintendo 3DS video game software at an electronics store in Tokyo.(AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) TOKYO — Nintendo has been unable to arrest a slide in console sales as more people play games on smartphones and tablets. The company’s apparent solution? A move into health care. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata vowed Thursday to stick to the company’s old ways, refused to resign or cut product prices despite its dismal earnings, but said the video game maker will enter the health care industry. Iwata didn’t give details of what he called his “quality of life” business plans, except that it won’t be a wearable device. Kyoto-based Nintendo already offers fitness games. Iwata promised to disclose details later this year. Iwata displayed his typical stubbornness in brushing off criticism about how the maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games should update itself for the era of smartphone and other mobile devices. The popularity of such devices has been drawing consumers away from consoles devoted to games but Nintendo has resisted changing its business to incorporate tablets and smartphones. “Nintendo has value because it is different from others,” Iwata said at a Tokyo event for analysts and reporters, a day after he and other top executives took a pay cut for the company’s poor performance. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Nintendo reported Wednesday a 10.2 billion yen ($99 million) profit for April through December, down from 14.55 billion yen a year earlier as sales Read More …
FILE PHOTO SAN FRANCISCO—Workers from three San Francisco care homes celebrated their recent settlement agreements on Dec.18, International Migrants Day, after winning their months-long claims against their employers, totaling more than $800,000 in unpaid wages. Filipino caregivers from Sunset Gardens, Nacario’s Home of San Francisco and Veal’s Residential Care Homes joined other workers and their supporters to raise awareness about wage theft in the industry and the rights of all workers regardless of their immigration status. “Over the last few years, the Filipino Community Center has proudly supported Filipino caregivers and also hotel and restaurant workers in reclaiming over $1 million in unpaid wages,” stated Mario de Mira, FCC’s workers rights program coordinator. “We congratulate these Filipino caregivers in particular for their victory in asserting their rights in an industry that takes advantage of workers, especially immigrant workers.” Filing their claims with the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE), the workers faced conditions similar to many other residential care home workers. Caring for the elderly and disabled, caregivers sometimes work nearly 24-hours per day, but they are rarely paid the legally mandated minimum wage, overtime, or double time for these extended work schedules. “The Sunset Gardens employees worked extremely long hours cooking, cleaning and caring for the residents,” added Donna Levitt, manager of the City’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. “They must be paid no less than minimum wage and overtime for their work.” Together with City Attorney Dennis Herrera, OLSE has now reached settlements and verbal agreements with seven Read More …
Miss Philippines’ Bea Rose Santiago was crowned Miss International 2013 The Philippines’ Bea Rose Santiago was crowned Miss International 2013 on Tuesday, adding to the string of victories of fellow beauty queens in the country. The four-hour finals night of the 53rd Miss International pageant was held at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hall in Tokyo, Japan, gathering over 60 candidates from around the world. Placing second to Santiago is Netherland’s Nathalie den Dekker, followed by New Zealand’s Casey Radley. Completing the Top 5 were Colombia’s Cindy Aguilar and Hungary’s Brigitta Otvos. For the final round, the remaining five contestants each gave a 30-second speech on the subject, “What I will do if I am crowned Miss International.” “The whole world saw how my country suffered,” Santiago said, referring to the devastation caused by super typhoon “Yolanda” in parts of central Philippines. “One by one, other countries helped. I would like to thank who helped my country in our darkest hours. You have opened my heart and eyes on what we can do to help each other.” “If I become Miss International, I would uphold international camaraderie. I will work to sustain the spirit of sympathy and spirit of hope. As long as we work together, there is hope.” One of the deadliest natural disasters to hit the Philippines, and said to be the most powerful typhoon to ever make landfall, “Yolanda” killed at least 6,000 and injured over 27,000 after it hit central Philippines on November 8. At least 3.4 million Read More …
President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Cabinet Meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday (December 10). (MNS photo) MANILA, Dec 12 (Mabuhay) – The government is spending P15 million for President Benigno S. Aquino III’s bilateral meetings and participation in the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit from December 12 to 14 in Tokyo, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Thursday. President Aquino left this morning for Tokyo via a chartered flight, along with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Transportation and Communications Secretary Emilio Abaya, Presidential Management Staff head Julia Andrea Abad, Presidential Protocol chief Celia Anna Feria and Press Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. The expenses cover transportation, accommodation, food and equipment, among other requirements, of the President and his 57-member official delegation. “The participation of President Aquino in the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit will further strengthen our relationship with Japan, a long-time ally and strategic partner in trade, tourism and labor,” Ochoa said. According to Ochoa, the President is expected to deliver a statement during the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit scheduled on Saturday at the Akasaka State Guest House. The Chief Executive is set to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Prime Minister’s official residence for bilateral discussion on disaster management, economic and maritime cooperation, and progress on the Mindanao peace process. The President’s schedule also includes a social call by Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda and a courtesy call by Read More …
President Benigno S. Aquino III and His Excellency Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, review the honor guards during the Arrival Ceremony at the Malacañan Palace Grounds for his Official Visit to the Republic of the Philippines on Saturday (July 27, 2013). The visit of Prime Minister Abe will further advance the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Japan. The last time that the prime minister of Japan visited the Philippines was in December 2006 when Prime Minister Abe visited Manila during his first term as the head of the Japanese Government. Japan is one of only two strategic partners of the Philippines. In 2012, Japan was the Philippines’ number one trade partner and provider of official development assistance as well as the second major source of approved investments and third source of tourist arrivals. (MNS photo) TOKYO, Japan (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III will pursue closer ties between the Philippines and Japan during his visit here this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan Commemorative summit. President Aquino and the Philippine delegation are to take part in several events aimed at bolstering various aspects of Philippine-Japan friendship. On Friday, the President is scheduled to receive an Honorary doctorate law degree from Sophia University. The President is then expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a bilateral meeting and a working lunch at the Prime Minister’s official residence. He is then to meet with the Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) at the Keidanren Read More …
TOKYO—It was hard enough being transplanted into a new culture. Being hobbled by a completely alien language was another burden on Joyce Paulino and hundreds of nurses and care workers sent from the Philippines to Japan under an economic agreement between the two countries. The language barrier has played a key role in dashing the dreams of many nurses and caregivers seeking permanent jobs in Japan, since the challenging national exam for them to be certified is given mostly in Japanese. As a result, very few have passed the exam. But unlike many of her fellow workers sent to the Land of the Rising Sun under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa), Paulino, 34, is one of a handful who not only mastered the language but also passed the exam for care workers on her first try early this year. Her accomplishment ensures that she can continue staying, working and earning a decent living in Japan for as long she likes. Paulino’s earnings at a nursing facility in Tokyo have been a big help to her parents and three siblings back home. She shoulders some of the household expenses, sends her youngest sibling to school, and pays for the tuition and other needs of her nieces and nephews. Paulino is happy where she is, and doesn’t plan on returning home soon. But all this did not come easy for Paulino. Learning the language while working and studying Japanese practices for the national test required skillful juggling and time management from Read More …