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Kyodo news summary -3-(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO, Feb. 28 -- (Kyodo) _ ---------- Popular nursery rhyme poet Mado dies at 104 TOKYO - Michio Mado, a Japanese poet known for his nursery rhymes, died of old age at a Tokyo hospital Friday, his family said. He was 104. Mado penned many poems and children's songs including the popular "Zosan" (Elephant), "Yagi-san Yubin" (Goat mail service) and "Ichinensei ni Nattara" (When I become a first grader), becoming a well-known figure in postwar Japan. ---------- Sony to sell former headquarters building as part of restructuring TOKYO - Japanese electronics maker Sony Corp. is planning to sell some of its properties in Tokyo including its former headquarters building as part of its restructuring efforts. Sony owns more than 10 buildings in the district of Gotenyama in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward in an area once known as "Sony village," but a number of them will be sold off. Buildings to be kept include one housing Sony's museum. ---------- Japan's consumer prices rise 1.3% in Jan. on higher energy prices TOKYO - Japan's consumer prices rose 1.3 percent in January from a year earlier for the eighth straight month of increase, led mainly by higher prices of energy as well as televisions and other home appliances, the government said Friday, partly reflecting the effects of rush buying before a sales tax hike. The core consumer price index, excluding fresh foods, stood at 100.4 against the 2010 base of 100, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. The 1.3 percent increase followed a 1.3 percent gain in December. ---------- Tokyo stocks nearly flat in morning, upside capped on yen's rise TOKYO - Tokyo stocks ended Friday morning's range-bound session nearly flat, with the market's upside capped by the yen's appreciation and worries over instability in Ukraine. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 2.46 points, or 0.02 percent, from Thursday to 14,920.65. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 4.83 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,212.52. ---------- Japan's Jan. industrial output recovers to pre-quake level TOKYO - Japan's industrial production index in January recovered to the level before the eastern part of the country was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, aided by increasing demand ahead of a sales tax hike in April, government data showed Friday. The output at factories and mines grew a seasonally adjusted 4.0 percent from the previous month for the second consecutive monthly rise, with the index standing at 104.1 against the base of 100 for 2010, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said in a preliminary report. ---------- Japan's Jan. jobless rate flat at 3.7% TOKYO - Japan's jobless rate was flat at 3.7 percent in January from the previous month, while job availability improved for the 14th straight month as the nascent economic recovery helped boost corporate profits, government data showed Friday. The number of unemployed people fell a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent from December to 2.42 million, as those quitting jobs voluntarily fell 8.4 percent to 870,000, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a preliminary report. ---------- Japan's key bond yield rises slightly in morning TOKYO - The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond ended Friday morning slightly higher on position-adjustment selling following recent rises in bond prices. The yield on the No. 332, 0.6 percent issue, the main yardstick of long-term interest rates, ended morning interdealer trading at 0.590 percent, up 0.005 percentage point from Thursday's close. (c) 2014 Kyodo News International, Inc. |