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Daniel Leussink

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  • Autos and Mobility Technology Correspondent, Reuters
Tokyo
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@Reuters correspondent in Japan. Contact me at daniel.leussink@tr.com. DM for Signal number.
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Okinawa's snakeskin banjo stands test of time

Okinawa's snakeskin banjo stands test of time

AFP — Enormous python skins hang from a wire inside the sweltering workshop where Seibun Nakamine sculpts a piece of Okinawa's musical identity. They are essential for the wiry 69-year-old craftsman who has spent nearly half a century making the three-stringed sanshin. The snakeskin-covered instrument, similar to a banjo, sits at the heart of the sub-tropical island chain's rich musical history.
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Japan approves huge stimulus for sluggish economy

Japan approves huge stimulus for sluggish economy

AFP — Japan's cabinet Tuesday approved a mammoth 28-trillion yen ($273 billion) package in its latest attempt to stimulate lacklustre growth, including cash to improve infrastructure and raise the birthrate in the ageing nation. The stimulus plan announced last week is the latest in a series in recent
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Japan latest battleground in Airbnb home-sharing war

Japan latest battleground in Airbnb home-sharing war

AFP — Sarah Takeda thought she had a good little business renting a traditional tatami-mat room in her house on Airbnb. Calls for change have reached the highest levels of government, which is mulling a revision to the rules, as Japan's tourist numbers hit fresh records and Tokyo scrambles to build enough
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Too busy to text: Messaging app Line bets on stickers

Too busy to text: Messaging app Line bets on stickers

AFP — A year ago, Siobhan Stollznow would have scoffed at the idea of using cartoon characters instead of words to chat with friends on her smartphone -- until she got hooked on messaging app Line.
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World's biggest pension fund boss 'to stay course' through Brexit rout

World's biggest pension fund boss 'to stay course' through Brexit rout

AFP — The boss of Japan's $1.37 trillion public pension fund, the world's biggest, says he will stay the course on a stocks-focused investment strategy despite financial chaos sparked by Brexit, believing prices will soon settle. In an interview with AFP, Norihiro Takahashi said an earlier decision
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SoftBank's founder reverses retirement plans

SoftBank's founder reverses retirement plans

AFP — The boss of SoftBank Group on Wednesday admitted his desire to hang on to power a little longer had pushed away the former Google executive seen as his heir apparent.
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Protesters rally against US military on Okinawa

Protesters rally against US military on Okinawa

AFP — Tens of thousands rallied Sunday on the Japanese island of Okinawa to protest against the heavy US military presence and violent crimes by American personnel that have angered residents for decades. Okinawa's governor Takeshi Onaga, who attended the rally, is among those opposing the relocation.
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US military on Okinawa fights to check stigma of crime

US military on Okinawa fights to check stigma of crime

AFP — Crimes by US troops based on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa have long angered residents, who for decades have claimed the American military was out of control. Statistics do not suggest a major problem with US military crime on the sub-tropical island. The island hosts about 26,000 US troops
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Okinawa protesters scuffle with police at US base

Okinawa protesters scuffle with police at US base

AFP — Under a scorching sun, about 30 demonstrators occupied part of a road outside Camp Schwab in northern Okinawa, obstructing trucks and cars leaving the facility for around 15 minutes before being forced to disperse. Japanese policemen in navy blue pushed away the protesters - some of whom were lying on the floor - to let more than a dozen vehicles, some driven by U.S.
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SoftBank to sell part of stake in China's Alibaba for $7.9 bn

SoftBank to sell part of stake in China's Alibaba for $7.9 bn

AFP — SoftBank said Wednesday it will sell at least $7.9 billion worth of its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, as the Japanese firm looks to pay down a whopping debt load. The mobile carrier, led by colourful billionaire Masayoshi Son, first invested in Alibaba in 2000, which has since ballooned
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Japan consumer prices down for second month in April

Japan consumer prices down for second month in April

AFP — Japan's core consumer prices fell for a second straight month in April, dealing another blow to Tokyo's faltering war on deflation, data showed Friday. The negative reading of minus 0.3 percent offered fresh evidence of the challenges faced by the government and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) in their
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Fuel-cheating scandal wipes $2.5 bn off Mitsubishi stock

Fuel-cheating scandal wipes $2.5 bn off Mitsubishi stock

AFP — Mitsubishi Motors shares nosedived again Thursday as panic selling wiped about $2.5 billion off the automaker's market value in response to its shock admission that it cheated on fuel-efficiency tests. The embarrassing revelation is the latest in a string of recent scandals to hit Japanese firms
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Japan's Asahi says buying Peroni and Grolsch brands from AB InBev

Japan's Asahi says buying Peroni and Grolsch brands from AB InBev

AFP — Japanese beer giant Asahi Group said Tuesday it would buy the Peroni and Gro lsch brands from the world's top brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the Belgium-based firm's tie-up with SABMiller. Terms of the deal -- which also includes UK craft brewer Meantime --
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First day on the job for Japan's nervous new recruits

First day on the job for Japan's nervous new recruits

AFP — Hundreds of thousands of Japanese started their first day on the job Friday in an annual ritual born from the country's fast-disappearing jobs-for-life work culture. More than 500 recruits pumped their fists in the air and shouted "yacchae, Nissan" ("go for it, Nissan") at the
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Tokyo jumps but Asian markets retreat after lacklustre session

Tokyo jumps but Asian markets retreat after lacklustre session

AFP — Tokyo stocks rose sharply on Tuesday, fuelled by weakness in the yen, but broader Asian markets were subdued as last week's rally waned. A sense of stability has returned to global markets following the Federal Reserve's decision last week to scale back its forecasts on hiking borrowing costs
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Asian markets rally ahead of key central bank meetings

Asian markets rally ahead of key central bank meetings

AFP — Markets across Asia rose Monday as investors focus on key central bank meetings, and after the new head of China's new market regulator hinted at more action to support volatile mainland bourses. The Bank of Japan started a two-day meeting Monday, while the Federal Reserve and Bank of England also
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Japan's silver-haired seniors still punching the time clock

Japan's silver-haired seniors still punching the time clock

AFP — Many people his age would be happy to slip on a cardigan and put their feet up, but not Teruo Sugiura. The 86-year-old makes his way to a seniors' work centre in Tokyo several days a week where he repairs traditional Japanese sliding doors.
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Asian stocks extend global rally on US data, China stimulus

Asian stocks extend global rally on US data, China stimulus

AFP — A global stock market rally continued Wednesday on bright US data, China's stimulus, steadier oil prices and growing hopes of more eurozone monetary policy easing, dealers said. Shanghai soared almost 4.3 percent, despite news that Moody's has downgraded the outlook on China's sovereign bonds from stable to negative.
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Asian markets rise on China central bank stimulus

Asian markets rise on China central bank stimulus

AFP — Asian markets were up Tuesday as oil prices rose and fresh stimulus from the Chinese central bank lifted hopes for the world's number two economy. Policymakers cut the "reserve requirement ratio" (RRR) for financial institutions by 0.50 percentage points, freeing up more funds for them to lend.
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Chocolate fries: sweet saviour or last gamble for McDonald's Japan?

Chocolate fries: sweet saviour or last gamble for McDonald's Japan?

AFP — Customers like Shigeaki Yamaguchi may be the last hope for McDonald's Japan as it battles slumping sales in the wake of an embarrassing string of food scandals. At a location in Tokyo's busy Shinjuku district, Yamaguchi munched on the chain's newest culinary offering -- french fries drizzled
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Nikkei stock index closes over 7% up after last week's rout

Nikkei stock index closes over 7% up after last week's rout

AFP — Tokyo stocks soared Monday as a weaker yen and bargain-hunting drove a rebound from last week's hammering on global equity markets. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange jumped 7.16 percent, or 1,069.97 points, to 16,022.58, clawing back from a loss of more than 11 percent last
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Japan camera makers battle smartphone onslaught

Japan camera makers battle smartphone onslaught

AFP — Highschooler Nao Noguchi is a perfect illustration of why Japanese camera sales have plunged the past few years -- she uses her smartphone for everything and cannot understand why anyone would bother with a separate device for photos.
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Adele, Bond help revamped Sony escape spectre of losses

Adele, Bond help revamped Sony escape spectre of losses

AFP — British pop diva Adele and suave spy James Bond may be unlikely stars in Sony's turnaround, but the firm is betting they are key to a corporate makeover that analysts say still has a long way to go.
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Japan's 'Tuna King' laments Tsukiji market move | The Japan Times

Japan's 'Tuna King' laments Tsukiji market move | The Japan Times

AFP — Kiyoshi Kimura's ear-to-ear grin is tough to miss in Japan - it is splashed across ubiquitous billboards advertising his nationwide sushi chain. But the self-styled "Tuna King" is not smiling about plans to move Tokyo's Tsukiji market, the world's biggest raw-fish emporium, and says the famed institution's unique identity is at risk.
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