Foreign Affairs ministers from Brazil and Japan announced that over 100 nations have expressed support for a proposal to expand the United Nations Security Council.
Japan is attending the Mercosur summit in Paraguay with an eye on proposing the launch of a dialogue to boost bilateral economic relations and explore the possibility of signing a free trade agreement, reports the Japanese news agency Kyodo.
A complicated week for Japan: car production in April plunged as manufacturers continue to face a shortfall in parts supply and credit rating agencies downgraded the outlook on the country’s debt to negative from stable.
Japan's economy shrank much more than expected in the first quarter and slipped into recession after the triple blow of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit business and consumer spending and tore apart supply chains.
Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co on Wednesday said it will leave redundant 400 workers and halve production at a factory in Brazil beginning next month because of a shortage of parts from earthquake-affected plants in Japan.
The Australian government filed a written submission at the International Court of Justice in Netherlands calling for an end to Japan's Antarctic whaling program on the grounds that it breaches the international ban on commercial whaling. Australia made the official presentation of its case Monday at the ICJ.
Last Sunday Chile’s customs agency in the northern Iquique port detained a cargo ship carrying 2,500 Hyundai cars after at least 21 of the cars were found with traces of radioactive contamination.
Japan's industrial output fell a record 15.3% in March from the previous month, while household spending tumbled the government announced Thursday, direct result of the earthquake impact and ongoing nuclear crisis.
Risk rating agency Standard and Poor's threatened to cut Japan's sovereign credit rating again, warning the huge cost of last month's devastating earthquake will hurt already weak public finances unless bickering politicians can agree to raise taxes.
High levels of radioactive iodine and cesium were detected by Japan’s Fisheries Ministry in fish caught near the Fukushima nuclear power plant this week. Japan has responded to the findings by announcing its first legal limits for radiation in fish and said it is considering a ban on exports of some marine products.