Economy of Japan

At a train station used by hundreds of workers at struggling Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, an advert is apparently trying to poach staff worried by their employer's precarious financial position.

Yoko Kojima loves zipping around Tokyo in her Daihatsu Tanto with its tiny wheels and pint-sized engine, but Japan's beloved 'kei cars' may have a rocky road ahead despite a legion of loyal fans.

Sales of the cutesy box-shaped cars, a staple of the world's number three vehicle market, drove off a cliff after peaking at 2.27 million units in 2014.

Japan's Ajinomoto has said it has acquired a further 50 percent stake in Turkey-based food firm Kükre on Aug. 17 in a deal worth nearly 181 million Turkish Lira (5.7 billion Japanese Yen), Reuters has reported. 

Japan's economy grew 1 percent in the April-June period, notching up its sixth straight quarter of growth and its longest economic expansion in over a decade, government data showed on Aug. 14.

Toyota Motor Corp and Mazda Motor Corp  plan to build a .6 billion U.S. assembly plant, the two said on Friday, as part of an alliance that will also see the Japanese automakers jointly develop electric vehicle technologies, reported Reuters.

Japanese auto giant Toyota and smaller rival Mazda said on Aug. 4 that they agreed a capital tie-up to focus on joint development of electric vehicles, while building a $1.6 billion factory in the United States which will create up to 4,000 jobs.

The move comes as the automotive industry is faced with a major shift towards greener transport and greater use of information technology.

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Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp expressed condolences on June 27 to victims of its faulty air bags linked to at least 16 deaths and 180 injuries around the world, but stopped short of offering a full apology. 

Japan's crisis-hit car parts maker Takata filed for bankruptcy protection on June 26 and said its chief executive would quit after a deadly airbag crisis that triggered the auto industry's biggest ever safety recall.

The labor shortage in Japan is at its highest in more than four decades, according to new government data. Low birth rates and an aging population have resulted in a shrinking workforce.

There are currently 1.48 jobs for every applicant, the highest figure since 1974 when fast growth drove the ratio to 1.53.