- FRANCE 24

13/02/2012 - JAPAN

Fukushima operator to post $8.95 billion in net losses

The operator of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant said Monday it expects to post an $8.95 billion annual shortfall, due to costs and compensation payments related to last year’s crisis. The government pledged the firm a similar amount in aid.

10/02/2012 - THE WEEK IN ASIA

Maldives : Trouble in paradise

In the Maldives, the nation's first democratically elected President was ousted from office but he is vowing to fight back. Could the Japanese be facing extinction? New data shows that Japan's population is aging at a staggering rate... And rebranding Kolkata... the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal is working on making its gritty image a thing of the past.

13/01/2012 - JAPAN

Louvre to send art to Japan's Fukushima

Paris’s world renowned Louvre art gallery announced on Friday it is to send numerous works of art to Japan in a gesture of solidarity with the country 10 months after it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami.

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13/01/2012 - JAPAN

Japan's PM reshuffles cabinet to salvage tax hike plan

The Prime Minister of Japan replaced five members of his cabinet on Friday in a bid to appease the opposition and garner their support for his tax reforms. The new 17-member cabinet will be installed later in a ceremony with the country’s Emperor.

12/01/2012 - JAPAN

Japan vows 'concrete' steps to cut Iran oil imports

Japan vowed to take serious measures to cut Iranian oil imports on Thursday after visiting US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (pictured) looked to Tokyo for support as the White House steps up pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

01/01/2012 - JAPAN

'No danger' of tsunami as earthquake shakes Japan

Japanese officials said on Sunday a tsunami was unlikely after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded several hundred miles off the coast of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in Tokyo. No injuries or damage were reported.

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30/12/2011 - JAPAN - MARKETS

Nikkei closes at lowest year-end level since 1982

Japan's Nikkei closed 2011 at its lowest year-end level since 1982, and down 17.34% from 2010's closing figure. Japan's financial woes were worsened by the Fukushima disaster in March as well as eurozone-related panic selling.

27/12/2011 - JAPAN

Inadequate response exacerbated Fukushima crisis, probe finds

Poor preparation and communication after disaster struck were among shortcomings that turned a nuclear accident at Japan’s Fukushima plant into the worst atomic crisis in 25 years, a panel probing the disaster said on Monday.

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24/12/2011 - CULTURE

Merry Christmas!

Forget crowded shopping centres and overpriced tat, the Culture Show is putting the magic back into Christmas. Join the team as we uncover the delights at Europe's oldest seasonal market in Strasbourg and meet the modern day Santa Claus.

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21/12/2011 - BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

Hanks, China's Zhang to feature at Berlin film festival

The 62nd annual Berlin film festival revealed its selections Monday, including a 9/11 family drama with Tom Hanks (pictured left) and "The Flowers of War" from Zhang Yimou, on Japan's brutal World War II-era occupation of the Chinese city of Nanking.