Japan s largest business body appoints 1st female vice chair
The Japan Business Federation said Monday it has appointed Tomoko Namba, founder and chairwoman of online service provider DeNA Co., as the first female vice chair in its 75-year history.
Supplied photo shows Tomoko Namba. (Kyodo)
But Namba will be the only woman to occupy one of the 20 vice chair posts in Japan s most powerful business lobby with the rest held by men, reflecting the country s male-dominated business circle that is lagging behind other countries in promoting gender equality.
Namba, 58, will assume the post after the business body, also known as Keidanren, formally approves the appointment at an annual general meeting on June 1.
Japanese Market Drifts Lower
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese stock market, which resumed trading after a holiday in the previous session, slipped into negative territory after opening higher as investors tracked the mixed cues overnight from Wall Street.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is down 111.43 points or 0.38 percent to 29,451.50, after touching a high of 29,650.51 in early trades.
Market heavyweight SoftBank Group is declining more than 1 percent and Fast Retailing is edging down 0.1 percent. Among automakers, Honda is lower by more than 3 percent, while Toyota is rising more than 2 percent.
The major exporters are also mostly lower despite a weaker yen. Sony is losing more than 1 percent, Mitsubishi Electric is declining almost 1 percent and Canon is down 0.2 percent, while Panasonic is adding 0.2 percent.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stock markets are lower on Friday in thin holiday trading with investors treading cautiously following the lackluster cues overnight from Wall Street and lower commodity
Japanese Market Rises
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese stock market is rising on Monday despite the mixed cues from Wall Street Friday as investor sentiment received a boost after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use. Investors also cheered news that Britain and the European Union have agreed to continue Brexit trade talks beyond Sunday s deadline.
In addition, the Bank of Japan s Tankan survey showed that business sentiment improved for the second straight quarter in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is adding 176.22 points or 0.66 percent to 26,828.74, after rising to a high of 26870.47 earlier. The Japanese market closed lower on Friday.
Asian Markets Mostly Higher
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stock markets are mostly higher on Monday despite the mixed cues from Wall Street Friday. Investor sentiment was boosted after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use.
In addition, investors cheered news that Britain and the European Union have agreed to continue Brexit trade talks beyond Sunday s deadline.
The Australian market is advancing after two straight days of losses.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is adding 32.30 points or 0.49 percent to 6,674.90, after rising to a high of 6680.70 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is rising 28.20 points or 0.41 percent to 6,914.60. Australian stocks closed lower on Friday, extending losses from the previous session.