Inside these posts: Japan

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Boeing commits $2M to Japan relief

Chicago-based Boeing Co. says the company will make a $2 million contribution to aid those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Get the full story »

Fed sticking with $600B bond program

The Federal Reserve is sticking with its $600 billion Treasury bond-purchase program to strengthen the economy as Japan’s nuclear crisis raises worries around the globe. Get the full story »

Gottfried, ex-Aflac voice, apologizes for tweets

Gilbert Gottfried with the Aflac duck. (AP)

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried apologized Tuesday for a series of jokes made on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, comments which got him fired as the voice of insurer Aflac.

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried apologized Tuesday for a series of jokes made on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, comments which got him fired as the voice of insurer Aflac. Get the full story »

Nikkei hammered by hedge funds, drops 10.6%

Japan’s Nikkei share average plunged 10.6 percent on Tuesday, posting the worst two-day rout since 1987, as hedge funds bailed out after reports of rising radiation near Tokyo. Many mutual funds were left on the sidelines, leaving them poised to dump shares into any rebound. Get the full story »

U.S. property companies assess damage in Japan

U.S. real estate companies said on Monday they were trying to assess the damage that last week’s earthquake and tsunami may have inflicted on the hotels, warehouses and outlet centers they own in Japan.

The companies, including four real estate investment trusts (REITs), are expected to incur some property damage from the disaster. With a highly dense population in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, Japan is a favorite among U.S. real estate investors. Get the full story »

Moody’s: Japan woes may hit investor confidence

Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami may accelerate the point at which investors potentially lose confidence in the country’s finances, Moody’s Investors Service said on Monday. Get the full story »

Stocks plunge in Japan in first post-quake trading

Japanese stocks suffered their biggest slide since the 2008 financial crisis Monday, with investors eyeing a further drop as the uncertainty over the country’s nuclear crisis compounds worries that the quake and tsunami will cause deeper economic pain than initially thought.

The TOPIX tumbled 7.5 percent on record trading volume. With Monday’s selloff, the market capitalization of shares on the Tokyo stock exchange’s first section fell by roughly $286 billion — greater than the size of Finland’s economy. Get the full story »

Groupon CEO apologizes to Japanese customers

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason in a video to Japanaese customers. (YouTube)

The chief executive of Groupon, the rapidly growing online coupon provider, apologized to Japanese customers Monday for a New Year’s deal gone wrong that highlighted the difficulties the company faces in managing its global expansion.

In a subtitled video message uploaded onto YouTube, the company’s founder and CEO Andrew Mason acknowledged that the company had “really messed up” and outlined steps it was taking to rebuild its tarnished image in Japan. Get the full story »

American-JAL ‘virtual merger’ to target Chicago

American Airlines and Japan Airlines plan to launch a new joint venture for trans-Pacific flying this spring, coordinating schedules to make it easier for travelers to catch international flights in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.

The moves underscore Chicago’s importance as a gateway for travel to northern Asia and are intended to boost passenger loads for JAL’s flights as the carriers begin to divvy up costs and share revenues on trans-Pacific routes, executives said. Get the full story »

Caterpillar plans to shift parts sourcing to China

Caterpillar Inc. plans to move “as much as possible” of the sourcing for its most complex parts from Japan to China, the Financial Times reported Monday on its website.

The company imports 40% of components for its excavator factories from Japan, according to the FT. However, it plans to cut that by at least a quarter within five years as it prepares for a bigger shift. Get the full story »

Honda to stop selling too-big Civic in Japan

Honda will stop selling its Civic sedans in Japan because sales are lagging compared with smaller models, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday. Production in Japan of the gasoline-engine Civic for local sales ended in August, and will end in December for Civic hybrids, although manufacturing of export models will continue, the company said. Get the full story »

Sony cuts PSPgo handheld prices in U.S., Japan

Sony Corp. said on Monday it would cut the price of its PSPgo portable game player in the United States and Japan this month as game makers enter the crucial year-end shopping period. Get the full story »

State backs Japanese railcar plant in Rochelle

A Japanese-based rail manufacturer is getting state financial help to start making railcars in northern Illinois. Officials say Nippon Sharyo U.S.A. will receive $12 million in the form of a state business investment package to supplement $35 million in private investment. Get the full story »

Ford set to cut ties with Mazda

Ford Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. look set to drift further apart as the U.S. carmaker plans to wind down its stake in the Japanese company, leaving Mazda freer to make decisions, but possibly in need of a new partner down the line.

Ford is set to sell most almost all of its stake in Mazda, which  stands at 11 percent, a source told Reuters Saturday. Trading house Sumitomo Corp. and other Japanese business partners of Mazda were in talks to buy the shares, the source said. Get the full story »

Dollar soars versus yen after Japan intervenes

The dollar surged on Wednesday to its highest level against the Japanese yen in September after the Bank of Japan unexpectedly moved to weaken the yen.