News Headlines - 26 May 2020

▽Nikkei regains 21,000 mark after Japan lifts virus emergency | The Japan Times

Tokyo stocks rose Tuesday, with the benchmark Nikkei index topping the 21,000 mark for the first time in nearly three months, on hopes for a reboot of economic activity a day after Japan ended a nationwide state of emergency aimed at curbing the escalation of the coronavirus pandemic.

▽Japan still world's top creditor at end of 2019 | The Japan Times

Japan remained the world’s largest creditor at the end of 2019, with the net balance of external assets held by its government, companies and individual investors hitting a record ￥364.53 trillion ($3.40 trillion), the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
The figure, up 6.8 percent from a year earlier and the highest since comparable data became available in 1996, reflected increased direct investments abroad by Japanese firms and a rise in prices of foreign stocks held by domestic investors.

▽Hana Kimura death spurs new law to regulate cyberbullying in Japan - The Washington Post

Japan's government plans to draw up new legislation to counter cyberbullying, after the apparent suicide of 22-year-old Hana Kimura, a pro wrestler and star of the Netflix reality TV show "Terrace House: Tokyo."
Similar legislation has been proposed in South Korea after a K-pop singer who had also been subjected to considerable online abuse committed suicide last year, although the much deeper problems of misogynistic attitudes and intense pressures on young female celebrities largely remain unaddressed.
Kimura, 22, had suffered a barrage of hateful comments after her appearance on the popular show, raising questions not only about cyberbullying but also about subjecting young people to the harsh glare of reality television. The fact that she was female and half-Indonesian only appeared to make her more of a target.

▽Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho dies at 98 - CNA

Macau casino king Stanley Ho, who built a business empire from scratch in the former Portuguese colony and became one of Asia's richest men, died on Tuesday (May 26) at the age of 98, his family has confirmed... Known as the "godfather" of Macau casinos, the billionaire was instrumental in turning Macau into a gambling boomtown, with gaming revenue surpassing Las Vegas, holding a monopoly until 2002 when the enclave licensed five other operators to run casinos.
The flamboyant tycoon, who loved to dance but advised his nearest and dearest to shun gambling, headed one of the world's most lucrative gaming businesses through his flagship firm, SJM Holdings Ltd, valued at about US$6 billion.

▽Afghanistan to free 900 Taliban, urges ceasefire extension - Reuters

The Afghan government urged the Taliban to extend a three-day ceasefire set to end on Tuesday night, while announcing it would free 900 members of the insurgent group in the biggest such release yet.
The release is part of a prisoner swap under a deal struck by the Taliban and the United States in Doha in February, as a precursor to peace talks between the Islamist militants and an inclusive Afghan delegation aiming to end a two-decade-old war.