Wednesday, May 23, 2012 10:38 AM SAST

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Articles About Japan

No change to BOJ's powerful easing stance, says governor

By Reuters

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Wednesday that there was absolutely no change to the central bank's stance of continuing to pursue powerful monetary easing to beat deflation. (9:56 am)

MORE TOPICS: BANK OF JAPAN

Greek Exit the Main Topic of EU Meeting

By Oil N'Gold

Comments from Former Greek Prime Minister Papademos damped market sentiment which had shown signs of improvement due to hopes of Chinese growth and absence of particularly bad news from the Eurozone. The Wall Street strengthened in early trading sess... (9:32 am)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, GOLD, DOW JONES, EXISTING HOME SALES, CRUDE OIL, MANUFACTURING

Japan's NTT Docomo applies for 700 MHz license

By Reuters

NTT Docomo Inc said on Wednesday it plans to apply for a license to upgrade its base stations to tap the 700 megahertz spectrum for high-speed mobile services, as it races with smaller rivals to attract smartphone users. (9:28 am)

MORE TOPICS: IPHONE, SMARTPHONE

Asian Shares
Asian Stock Markets Fall Amid Greek Exit Fears

By IBTimes

Asian stock markets declined Wednesday as renewed concerns of Greece's probable exit from the euro zone dampened sentiment. (9:20 am)

MORE TOPICS: NINTENDO, DOW JONES, GDP, SOUTH KOREA, SONY

Green bordered white diamond symbol used on LNG-powered vehicles in China
Japan Imports of LNG in April Up 14.9%, Oil 12.9%

By IBTimes AU

With no more nuclear reactors to help augment its energy requirements, Japan's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as crude oil have soared by as much as 14.9 per cent and 12.9 per cent, respectively, in April, data from the country's Ministry of Finance said. (9:12 am)

MORE TOPICS: CRUDE OIL

World Record Set at RM Auctions Monaco Ducati Sale
RM Auctions Sets World Record at Monaco Ducati Sale

By IBTimes UK

Two Factory Ducati Desmosedici GP machines raced by Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi achieved world record prices at the Monaco Ducati sale by RM Auctions. (9:12 am)

MORE TOPICS: S&P, AUSTRALIA

Euro
European Crisis Live: Brussels Summit Keeps Investors on Edge as "Grexit" Talk Continues

By IBTimes UK

Former Greek PM claims exit risk "real" as European Leaders prepare emergency Summit meeting (8:55 am)

MORE TOPICS: DOW JONES, FTSE, NIKKEI 225

Majors Daily Forecast 23 May 2012

By iFOREX

EUR/USD Sell at 1.2685 SL 1.2717 TP 1.2608 USD/JPY Sell at 79.84 SL 80.16 TP 79.12 GBP/USD Sell at 1.5767 SL 1.5799 TP 1.5679 USD/CHF Buy at 0.9467 SL 0.9435 TP 0.9551 today so far +53, total yesterday +88 pips. (8:49 am)

MORE TOPICS: RETAIL SALES, RETAIL

Cautious markets retreat before EU summit

By Reuters UK

Riskier assets retreated broadly on Wednesday as hopes for fresh measures to tackle the euro zone debt crisis faded and caution set in ahead of a meeting of European leaders, with sentiment hurt by renewed fears Greece would leave the euro bloc. (8:28 am)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, GOLD, BARCLAYS, SAMSUNG, EUROPEAN UNION, BANK OF JAPAN

The word "Yen" is pictured on a Japanese bank note at Interbank Inc. money exchange in Tokyo
Japan’s Trade Deficit Rises In April Amid Increasing Oil And Gas Imports

By IBTimes

Japan reported Wednesday a rise in trade deficit in April compared to a year earlier as the nuclear energy crisis has resulted in the increase of oil and gas imports. (8:17 am)

MORE TOPICS: GDP, EARTHQUAKE, BANK OF JAPAN, TRADE BALANCE, TSUNAMI