Euro zone businesses performed much better than forecasters expected this month and China's vast factory sector grew a shade faster but there were worrying signs that the upturn could be short-lived.
Tags: Japan
SoftBank's humanoid robot lands job as Nescafe salesman
Nestle SA will enlist a thousand humanoid robots to help sell its coffee makers at electronics stores across Japan, becoming the first corporate customer for the chatty, bug-eyed androids unveiled in June by tech conglomerate SoftBank Corp.
Japan's Rakuten Inc launches cheap smartphone service
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc said it will offer a cut-rate smartphone service for about a third of the monthly fees charged by the country's three dominant operators, adding to increasing price competition in the sector.
Asian shares rise on earnings optimism, dovish Fed
Asian shares advanced to one-month highs on Wednesday, helped by Wall Street which gained on optimism over corporate earnings and prospects the U.S. Federal Reserve will reaffirm its willingness to wait longer before raising interest rates.
Japan's SoftBank buys $627 million stake in Indian online retailer Snapdeal
Japanese telecom and media group SoftBank Corp has agreed to buy a $627 million stake in Indian online retailer Snapdeal, seeking to tap into potentially huge e-commerce growth in the market with the world's third-biggest Internet user base.
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After the Fukushima disaster crippled Japan's nuclear energy sector three years ago, the government pledged the biggest shake up in the history of the fragmented electricity industry to boost competition and contain a surge in power prices.
SoftBank Corp announced Wednesday it will lead a $100 million investment round in Indonesian ecommerce giant PT Tokopedia, the Japanese mobile carrier's third investment overseas under Vice Chairman Nikesh Arora.
Asian stocks clawed back some of this week's losses on Friday after a solid set of U.S. data calmed turbulence in global financial markets, though underlying worries about slowing world economic growth kept investors on edge.
Staffing firm Recruit Holdings Co Ltd (6098.T) surged in its market debut in Tokyo on Thursday, with investors leaping at a rare opportunity to grab part of a big Japanese company with strong online growth prospects.
Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Wednesday it would recall a total 1.67 million vehicles globally in a voluntary move to address three separate defects including a faulty brake master cylinder that could hinder the brake's performance.
Japan's Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co Ltd (8750.T) will raise $1 billion by issuing dollar-denominated subordinated bonds in overseas markets, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.
Manuel Medina-Mora, head of Citigroup Inc's (C.N) consumer banking and chairman of the company's troubled Mexico unit, is preparing to leave in the coming months, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people with knowledge of the situation.
European stocks reversed early losses on Monday as airline shares gained after crude oil prices fell to near a four-year low, though broad dollar weakness and a jump in gold signaled investor concern over global economic health.
The finance ministers of Japan and South Korea will hold their first bilateral meeting in nearly two years on Friday, on the sidelines of this week's autumn IMF gathering in Washington, the Japanese Ministry of Finance said.
