Japan

Square Enix America CEO Mike Fischer left the company this month and is now vice president of digital music and video for Amazon in Japan, Polygon reports. This follows news in April that Square Enix America eliminated "a number of positions" and Fischer was expected to leave in May. Those same reports said the head of marketing should be gone after E3, along with other employees in public relations. In March, Square Enix President Yoichi Wada stepped down and the company announced widespread restructuring that it expected to cost $106 million. Square Enix posted a net loss of $134 million for fiscal year 2013, citing "weak" sales of major console games, including Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider, the last of which sold 3.4 million in its first month.Report: Square Enix America CEO leaves, joins Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments More...

Square Enix America CEO Mike Fischer left the company this month and is now vice president of digital music and video for Amazon in Japan, Polygon reports. This follows news in April that Square Enix America eliminated "a number of positions" and Fischer was expected to leave in May. Those same reports said the head of marketing should be gone after E3, along with other employees in public relations. In March, Square Enix President Yoichi Wada stepped down and the company announced widespread restructuring that it expected to cost $106 million. Square Enix posted a net loss of $134 million for fiscal year 2013, citing "weak" sales of major console games, including Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider, the last of which sold 3.4 million in its first month.Report: Square Enix America CEO leaves, joins Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

BMW has launched a limited edition 7-Series V12 Bi-Turbo in Japan available for 22,600,000 yen (about 223,000 USD).

Yoshi Amao, Jerry Ford & Ai Ikeda – Photo by Kenji Mori Even after 7 years battling colon cancer, composer Fred Ho still doesn’t pull his punches. He has gathered a team of visionary collaborators for Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon!, a spectacular mash up of contemporary and traditional Japanese forms, currently running at La Mama through June 2. After a 2005 workshop presentation at Japan Society and a premiere in Philadelphia, Ho was diagnosed with Stage 3B colorectal cancer and plans for future development were halted. Endless rounds of chemo, several surgeries, and a complete nutritional revolution have kept him alive til now, but with a recent diagnoses of 6-18 months left, Ho decided this project could not be left behind. The production’s director Sonoka Kawahara and her company Crossing Jamaica Avenue co-produced this NY version and with Masaru Koga leading Ho’s Afro Asian Music Ensemble, writer Ruth Margraff, choreographers Yoshi Amao and Emmanuel Brown, production design by Anka Lupes, lighting by Chad McArver, and a stellar cast of martial artists and La Mama regulars, Ho has channeled the creation of a theatrical production that can match the ballsy audacity of his jazz compositions with similar ferocity and skill. There are richly layered musical and visual references. Lupes’s costumes provide perfect textures for each role, bringing anime-like characterizations to these larger-than-life characters. The choreography is a beautifully varied array of performance combat vocabularies with both Brown and Amao bringing refinement and expertise in the composition of every battle. The fighters are truly martial Artists, dazzling in their virtuosity and engaging as live performers. Teake and Yoshi Amao – Photo by Kenji Mori The “Martial Arts-Samurai Sword Fighting-Music/Theater Fantasy Action-Adventure Blockbuster” serves as an homage to the famous 70′s manga Lone Wolf and Cub, an epic Japanese comic that has spawned several film adaptations (including an upcoming Hollywood production directed by Justin Lin) and TV shows. The Deadly She Wolf production follows the Lone Wolf story of the Shogun’s executioner (played by a ferociously stalwart and embattled Yoshi Amao) who, after disgrace through false accusations from the villainous Iyagu (Perry Yung) becomes the Rogue Assassin and, with his young son (Jet Yung and Bradley Fong at alternate shows), travels the land seeking revenge. However, the addition of a deadly female assassin (an enigmatic and dazzling Ai Ikeda) who has been raised as a weapon since birth by Iyagu to kill her own family, and a capitalist killing venture called Armageddon, Inc. folds in additional layers of epic tragedy, ass-kicking, and political commentary. Ai Ikeda – Photo by Kenji Mori Ikeda’s She-Wolf is reminiscent of many a Hong Kong heroine (you know, raised by wolves or weird old men and fated to a path of destruction and great personal loss). Her physical prowess comes from an excellent blend of ballet and wu shu, perhaps more Zhang Ziyi than a young Michelle Yeoh. Her presence, along with Takemi Kitamura (as She-Wolf Sister and other female roles) and the  omniscient and multi-voiced Narrator (in a tour-de-force performance by Marina Celander) evens the gender balance on what can often seem like a boy’s game. Armageddon, Inc. is a coalition of three super-warriors “from the West” gathered by the panicked Shogun (a delightfully pompous Richard Ebihara) to defeat the Lone Wolf/Rogue Assassin. Teake’s nimble, fallen Shaolin monk Bok Mei Lotus, Luca Nicora’s grandiose and flirtatious Colonel Ulysses Sam Armageddon, and Jerry Ford’s terrifying (and, ahem, JACKED!!) Qaseem the Killing Machine are each responsible for some form of genocidal actions in China, the US, or Africa. Along with the bellicose visions of the globe from Armageddon, Inc. where native sons will sell their own into s

Square today announced the availability of its hugely popular and successful mobile payments solution in Japan. Essentially, the Jack Dorsey-founded company made it official: Square is on the march toward global mobile payments domination. “I am honored to introduce Square to a country with a rich history of design, innovation and tradition. Square shares the same values and attention to detail in our products. Our tools are made to enable business owners to create a delightful, seamless experience for their customers,” said Dorsey. “I look forward to Square assisting in Japan’s continued economic growth and entrepreneurship opportunities.” Square is available in Japan with the support and partnership of Sumitomo Mitsui Card Corporation (SMCC). Responsible for introducing Visa to Japan, SMCC is widely recognized and respected for its ability to provide a wide range of solutions, including a comprehensive and highly secure credit card and payment solution. Over 4 million individuals and businesses can already accept credit cards with Square in North America, and Square is processing over $15 billion in annualized payments.

Amazon tends to be a bit focused on the United States because, well, it's a US company. But they're expanding the reach of both the Amazon Appstore (which now works in almost 200 countries) and the Kindle itself. A press release this morning announced that the Kindle Fire HD is now available for pre-order in more than 170 countries, in both the standard 7" model and the premium 8.9". Hardware will begin shipping out to customers on Thursday, June 13th. To say that they're a bit late is an understatement - the 7" tablet has been available in the US since September of last year, with releases in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan before the end of 2012. Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:Amazon Announces Best-Selling Kindle Fire 'Sold Out' Ahead Of September 6th Press Conference Users Will Be Able To Opt Out Of Kindle Fire/HD Ads For A One-Time Fee Of $15 [Deal Alert] Gameloft Offering 6 Games For $0.99 Each In The Amazon Appstore, Most For The Kindle Fire Deal Alert: $50 Off Any Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Model For Amazon Prime Student Members Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7" And 8.9" Pre-Orders Open In Over 170 Countries, Ships Out June 13th was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Amazon announced Thursday that the Amazon Appstore is now truly cosmopolitan. The app store is, as of this writing, available in nearly 200 countries. This announcement is the latest in a series of global expansions, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China and Japan. Amazon Appstore will come to Brazil in the coming months. Customers around the world can now buy apps and games directly from the Amazon Appstore on Macs, PCs or Android phones and tablets (including Kindle Fire). According to today’s announcement, the Kindle Fire is globe-hopping almost as fast as the Amazon Appstore. Amazon confirmed today that the Kindle Fire will be available in over 170 new countries on June 13. “We are thrilled to be expanding the reach of our global app distribution to nearly 200 countries. We think our customers will love the app selection we have to offer and also find features such as Free App of the Day and personalized recommendations very helpful as they discover and explore new apps and games,” says Mike George, Vice President of Apps and Games at Amazon. “By further expanding the distribution of apps to millions of customers around the world, we are continuing to make it easy for customers to enjoy their Amazon apps on Kindle Fire and any Android device.”

Dec 29, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Junior Dos Santos leaves the ring after being defeated by Cain Velasquez during UFC 155 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Former UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos vs. K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt. This fight has been over a year in the making. After obstacles such as travel issues and misunderstandings between bosses, the match between these world champions will finally happen at UFC 160 and not only are both men looking to score a vicious knockout, but also, they are hoping to move one more step closer to No. 1 contender status. Although dos Santos is coming off of a loss in his rematch against current title holder Cain Velasquez, the fighter known to fans as “Cigano,” has the hands to send anyone to the canvas, including Hunt. Other than the lone KO loss to Melvin Manhoef on his record, the “Super Samoan” had gone up against the best strikers in MMA, and managed to make it out of the fight due to his solid chin. Hunt has also shown improvement in his ground game since his loss to Sean McCorkle, but dos Santos has grappling skills that could send anyone to the canvas. If the former UFC champion wants to get the quick win, he should take Hunt down in the opening frames of the fight. Dos Santos faces the same challenge as several former champions when they returned to action after losing their title. In his last fight against Velasquez, he had said he was facing some personal problems – something we all face. Obstacles, no matter how big or small, physical or emotional, can sometimes sneak up on his and keep us from our full potential.  The loss aside, Cigano seems more focused on getting his fighting career on track. Even if he loses the match to Hunt, the former champion For dos Santos, winning this fight means he is one step closer to getting back his UFC title, but for Hunt there seems to be more at stake for him in this fight. The Super Samoan came into the UFC with a 5-7 record. After his loss to McCorkle, some have speculated that his career, at least in the UFC, was over. Even I had my doubts that Hunt would return to the octagon. But then came the KO over Chris Tuchscherer and then decision victory over Ben Rothwell at UFC 144. Hunt quickly added Chieck Kongo and Stefan Struve to his list of wins. The victory over Struve earned Hunt his first “Knockout of the Night” bonus. Hunt, who had made a name for himself competing in Japan, was gaining success in the UFC, which has been difficult for some fighters who have come from Japanese organizations like Pride, Dream and Hero’s. Even if he loses to dos Santos, Hunt has gained enough of a winning streak and fan following to warrant him another fight in the octagon. Putting the future aside, I’ll just come out and say it. For fans of the stand up game – myself included – this fight will be a treat. Both dos Santos and Hunt are known for their powerful hands and, between the two of them,  have a who’s who of names that have fallen after tasting their fists. I’ll also come forward and say that I do not care who comes out the winner. I am a fan of both fighters and I will be happy no matter who gets their hands raised. Who do you think will emerge victorious in this clash of strikers? Answer with a comment below or send a tweet to @alstover

Photographer Rob Whitworth has created a number of beautiful time-lapse videos that have received huge numbers of views online. This past April, Whitworth had the opportunity to take his skills to the city of Da Nang, Vietnam to document the Danang International Fireworks Competition 2013, one of the world’s “biggest and best” firework contests. The video above documents the two nights on which the competition was held, and it also includes some glimpses of the day in between. There were 3 firework displays on the first night and 2 displays on the second. Leading firework makers from around the world — or more specifically, the US, Russian, Japan, Italy, and Vietnam — showed off their latest and greatest fireworks in the skies above the Han River. On the third night of the competition, the winning team is awarded the DIFC Trophy. This year it was the team from the United States that took home the prize. Here is a selection of the long-exposure photographs captured by Whitworth (these are the images that went into making the time-lapse video seen above): You can find more of Whitworth’s photography and time-lapse work over on his website.

Back in April 2011, hedge fund manager Kyle Bass advised the University of Texas (disclosure: my Alma Mater) on taking delivery of nearly $1 billion worth of gold bars. Now that bet has gone sour. WSJ's Gregory Zuckerman reports: Gold's slump has saddled the second-largest U.S. college endowment with more than $300 million in paper losses. But the swoon hasn't shaken the faith of Bruce Zimmerman, who since 2007 has been chief executive of University of Texas Investment Management Co. "We always prefer that our assets go up, rather than down, but we're not day traders," said Mr. Zimmerman, whose company invests $29.5 billion for the benefit of the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems. "Gold is a hedge, and it still fills that role." Meanwhile, Kyle Bass continues to make his multi-year argument that Japan is going to blow up. And after last night's 7% decline he slammed "Macro Tourists" as being behind the selloff. This is utterly hilarious. "Macro Tourists" is a phrase that was coined by former policy economist and global macro trader Mark Dow to characterize investors who left their comfort zone to make big pronouncements about how macroeconomics really works. Kyle Bass's expertise is in private credit, mortgages, and so forth. He recently unveiled an intriguing contrarian bet on a phone book company. This stuff is his wheelhouse. He's been famously incorrect on Japan blowing up, and his arguments about a "Keynesian endpoint" is a made-up phrase. So in other words, the term Macro Tourist was originally coined to describe an investor like Bass going from private credit to global economics and sovereign debt. Now slamming other people about this? Hilarious. Please follow Clusterstock on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »