Some of the world's wildest action in financial markets is roiling around the Japanese yen. The value of Japan's currency has tumbled so much that for a moment on Monday it took 160 yen to equal $1. A few years ago, it took closer to 100 yen to make a U.S. dollar.
Hirotake Yano, who founded the retail chain Daiso known for its 100-yen shops, Japan’s equivalent of the dollar store, has died. Yano died Feb. 12 of heart failure, Daiso Industries Co. said in a statement Monday. Yano founded his business, based in Hiroshima, as Yano Shoten in 1972, changing the name to Daiso in 1977.
Uramusashiya, a ramen restaurant chain in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, is offering lifetime passes for 300,000 yen ($1,995). About the passes: The pass grants customers a free bowl of noodles on every visit to Uramusashiya restaurants. It even covers more expensive menu items like the eateries' 1,350-yen ($9) chashu ramen.