Japan's economy contracts annualized 2 pct in January-March

STORY: Japan's economy contracts annualized 2 pct in January-March SHOOTING TIME: April 30 & May 4, 2024 DATELINE: May 16, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:42 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street view in Tokyo 2. various of banks in Tokyo STORYLINE: Japan's economy shrank by an annualized 2.0 percent in the January-March period from the prior quarter, marking the first contraction in two quarters amid sluggish consumer spending, the latest GDP figures showed Thursday. Real gross domestic product (GDP) in this year's first quarter, adjusted for inflation, fell 0.5 percent from the previous quarter, according to preliminary data released by the Cabinet Office. Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of Japan's GDP, dropped 0.7 percent. It was the fourth straight quarter of decline, the longest streak since 2009, underscoring sluggish domestic demand. Capital spending fell 0.8 percent, down for the first time in two quarters, as Japanese firms curbed investment in mach

Switzerland's Simon Ammann wins World Cup meet in Sapporo

Switzerland's Simon Ammann wins World Cup meet in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan - Japan's Noriaki Kasai (L) and Switzerland's Simon Ammann pose during the award ceremony of the World Cup ski jumping meet in Sapporo on Jan. 17, 2010. Ammann registered the day's longest jump of 139.5 meters, winning his fourth title of the season, followed by Kasai in second.

Asia's longest road tunnel opened to public traffic in Taiwan

Asia's longest road tunnel opened to public traffic in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A nearly 13-kilometer tunnel linking Taipei and rural northeastern Ilan County was opened June 16, becoming the longest road tunnel in Asia and the fourth longest in the world.

Abe equals mark for 4th longest-serving postwar PM

Abe equals mark for 4th longest-serving postwar PM

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a parliamentary session in Tokyo on Dec. 2, 2016. Two days later, Abe matched former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone's 1,806 days in office in the 1980s, making him the joint fourth longest-serving Japanese leader in the postwar era. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Asia's longest road tunnel opened to public traffic in Taiwan

Asia's longest road tunnel opened to public traffic in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A nearly 13-kilometer tunnel linking Taipei and rural northeastern Ilan County was opened June 16, becoming the longest road tunnel in Asia and the fourth longest in the world. (Kyodo)

Switzerland's Simon Ammann wins World Cup meet in Sapporo

Switzerland's Simon Ammann wins World Cup meet in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan - Japan's Noriaki Kasai (L) and Switzerland's Simon Ammann pose during the award ceremony of the World Cup ski jumping meet in Sapporo on Jan. 17, 2010. Ammann registered the day's longest jump of 139.5 meters, winning his fourth title of the season, followed by Kasai in second. (Kyodo)

Abe becomes Japan's 4th longest-serving postwar PM

Abe becomes Japan's 4th longest-serving postwar PM

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enters the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 5, 2016, the day the 62-year-old leader of the Liberal Democratic Party became the fourth longest-serving Japanese prime minister in the post-World War II era. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Abe becomes Japan's 4th longest-serving postwar PM

Abe becomes Japan's 4th longest-serving postwar PM

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks with reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 5, 2016, the day the 62-year-old leader of the Liberal Democratic Party became the fourth longest-serving Japanese prime minister in the post-World War II era. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo