TMCnet News

Kyodo news summary -4-
[October 31, 2014]

Kyodo news summary -4-


(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ---------- Australian Senate endorses gov't scheme to cut greenhouse emissions SYDNEY - Australia's Senate narrowly passed legislation Friday on reducing greenhouse emissions, with the government scheme to replace a polarizing carbon tax abolished three months ago on grounds it made Australian businesses less competitive.



The new legislation championed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was a fierce opponent of the carbon tax, is expected to pass easily through the House of Representatives in which the ruling Liberal-National coalition has a majority.

---------- Seiyu to close 30 unprofitable stores from 2015 TOKYO - Tokyo-based supermarket chain operator Seiyu GK and its parent, U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc., will close about 30 unprofitable stores in Japan from 2015, according to the companies.


The closure will affect about 10 percent of their 373 outlets in the country. The companies have not said which stores are slated to be shut or when exactly it will happen.

---------- Gov't eyes disclosing info on suspected Ebola infection: minister TOKYO - Japan's transport minister Akihiro Ota said Friday the government is mulling disclosing information related to people suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus.

Ota, minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, said the government is considering releasing the age and gender of people with suspected infections as well as the countries they visited, the flight numbers of aircraft they boarded and the number of passengers on those flights.

---------- Sharp logs net profit in April-Sept. period for 1st time in 4 yrs TOKYO - Sharp Corp. on Friday reported a group net profit of 4.74 billion yen in the April-September period, returning to the black on a half-year basis for the first time in four years as gains on securities sales helped offset costs stemming from restructuring its unprofitable European operations.

The net profit compares with a loss of 4.33 billion yen in the same period last year. The struggling electronics maker, however, saw its consolidated operating profit drop 13.6 percent from a year before to 29.22 billion yen, partly because demand for white goods was hit by the country's consumption tax hike in April.

---------- BOJ further eases policy to boost Japan economy TOKYO - The Bank of Japan on Friday further eased its monetary grip to boost the country's economy, saying it aims to address downward pressure on prices.

The central bank will expand its massive asset purchase program. It will buy Japanese government bonds from financial institutions so that their amount outstanding will increase at an annual pace of about 80 trillion yen, up about 30 trillion yen.

---------- State memorials to be built in 2 cities hit by 2011 quake, tsunami TOKYO - The government decided Friday to build national memorials in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, and Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, to victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.

The government hopes to finish building the memorials in March 2021, the 10th anniversary of the disaster, which killed nearly 15,900 people, with some 2,600 others still missing.

(c) 2014 Kyodo News

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