Asian stocks were mixed on Friday and the dollar rebounded as rising tensions in the Middle East clouded the investment outlook.
Japan
Taiwan, Norway seek to join China-backed AIIB, Japan still cautious
Japan remains cautious about signing up to the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), indicating that Tokyo will miss the March 31 deadline for application, but both Taiwan and Norway said they would seek to join the institution.
BOJ's lone voice Kiuchi starting to be heard as QE deadline looms
Takahide Kiuchi often appears a lone voice of dissent on the Bank of Japan board as his proposals to change key elements of its massive monetary stimulus are consistently voted down, but two years into the policy he is looking increasingly prescient.
Japan industrial output decline raises doubts about domestic demand
Japan's industrial output fell in February at the fastest pace in eight months due to declines in production of machinery, cars and electronics in a worrying sign that domestic demand could be faltering.
Japan's Fujifilm agrees to buy Cellular Dynamics for $307 million
Japan's Fujifilm Holdings Corp (4901.T) said on Monday it has agreed to acquire U.S. biotechnology firm Cellular Dynamics International Inc (CDI) (ICEL.O) for $307 million.
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U.S.-based property investment fund Aetos Capital Real Estate is preparing to sell Simplex Investment Advisors, a Japanese real estate asset management firm, seeking as much as 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion), people with knowledge of the deal said.
U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital LLC plans to acquire Japan Wind Development Co Ltd through a tender offer in a deal worth up to 9.7 billion yen ($81 million), the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.
A rift is emerging between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his hand-picked central bank boss on how to fix Japan's tattered finances, which could blunt the impact of the "Abenomics" stimulus policies they have worked together to prosecute.
Japan is split over joining a China-led development bank, concerned about missing out on the rapidly coalescing global movement for the institution while also worried about alienating ally United States and helping bolster rival China, officials said.
Australia said on Friday there was a lot of merit in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) while Japan's finance minister signalled cautious approval of the institution that the United States has warned against.
Sharp Corp is cutting more than 10 percent of its Japanese workforce starting in April, according to a Nikkei report. The embattled electronics manufacturer will slash about 3,000 jobs through voluntary retirements and expects to book about 30 billion yen
Rakuten Inc (4755.T) plans to buy U.S. eBook company OverDrive Inc for around 50 billion yen ($415 million), the Nikkei business daily reported, the latest in a spate of overseas acquisitions by the Japanese online retailer.
Panasonic Corp said on Wednesday it has agreed to increase the base salary for its employees by 3,000 yen a month, higher than last year's 2,000 yen hike, following annual wage negotiations with the electronics maker's labor union.
Shares in video game maker Nintendo Co were overwhelmed with buy orders on Wednesday as investors welcomed its long-awaited move to bring its iconic game characters such as Super Mario to smartphones.
