Japan

On the 27th of January, 1868, the army of the Shogunate was marching toward Kyoto. For more than a quarter of a century, the Tokugawa Shoguns had ruled Japan in peace, but now the country was once again in turmoil. Foreigners had come to Japan, Dutch, British and French, and modern European weaponry and training had for the first time become influential in the land of the rising sun.

Japan reported on Jan 24 its first annual trade surplus since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster sent the country's energy import bills soaring.

The government trade data showed imports in 2016 fell nearly 16 percent, mainly due to the falling cost of crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

Many Japanese companies have recently made investments in the Aegean province of İzmir, which is seen as an opening gate to European, Middle Eastern and North African markets, İzmir Development Agency (İZKA) has said, as reported by state-run Anadolu Agency on Jan. 18. 

Numerous videos of the moment the powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Fukushima, Japan on Tuesday have been circulating around the internet. A clip uploaded by newspaper Guardian shows the suspended transit signs at a train station swaying back and forth the moment the tremor hits.

25 of the customs officers who were arrested during a special operation at the border cross checkpoint Lesovo have been set free, reported Nova TV.

A total of 31 persons were detained during the operation.

It is expected that the Prosecutor's Office will decide later on Friday which of the 6 arrested customs officers will be held in custody.

The robot’s name Kirobo comes from a combination of ‘kibo’, or ‘hope’, and ‘robot’, with its creators saying that its value is emotional and has the intelligence of a child.

Greek shipowners are among the net gainers in the global financial crisis, as they have managed to consolidate their domination of the global industry since 2009, while other national fleets have weakened.

Japan's economy minister Akira Amari said on Jan. 28 he was stepping down over graft allegations, dealing a major blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who faces a key leadership vote later this year.

Turkey is the 36th most innovative country in the world, according to the recently released Bloomberg Innovation Index.

With a score of 60.92, Turkey ranked 36 out of 84 countries in the 2016 index, retaining its position from 2015 after it had moved up a spot in 2014.  

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet on Dec. 24 approved Japan's biggest ever annual defense budget, as the country bolsters its military amid territorial rows and concerns over China's expanding naval reach.