VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Japan's legions of retail foreign-exchange traders, popularly known as Mrs Watanabe, are turning into sellers of yen.

Asian stocks slipped on Thursday, giving back earlier gains as initial cheer from a rebound on Wall Street fizzled out, while the New Zealand dollar hit a one-year low when the central bank governor decried the currency's recent strength.

Asian stocks rose early on Thursday, cheered by a sizeable overnight rebound on Wall Street, while the dollar resumed its advance after upbeat economic data undercut safe-haven bids and pushed yields higher.

National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) is considering the sale of its life insurance unit worth an estimated $800 million, seeking to boost earnings and returns on capital, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) on Tuesday said it plans to buy the remaining 60.5 percent share of Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd (2712.T) that it does not already own in a two-step deal valued at about $913.5 million.

Fortress Investment Group (FIG.N) is prioritizing investments in hotels in Japan, a senior executive said on Monday, as the U.S. asset manager seeks to cash in on a government drive to boost tourism ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Financial policymakers of Japan, China and South Korea agreed to work together to ensure that geopolitical tensions will not threaten the region's economic recovery.

Financial leaders of the Group of 20 top economies remain committed to chasing higher global growth, but were divided on how to achieve it as Germany pushed back at calls from the United States and others for more immediate stimulus.

Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) on Thursday issued a recall of 453,225 minivehicles in Japan to fix a defect in the blower fan motor of the air-conditioning unit that has resulted in three fires so far.

Amid a revival in sales of Japanese goods in China and talk of renewed investment from some big firms such as Toyota, a dusty industrial park near Nanjing offers a cold reality check on the health of ties between Asia's two biggest economies.

Asian shares tumbled on Wednesday as markets wagered the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates earlier than expected, sending U.S. bond yields higher and keeping the dollar well bid near 14-month highs against a basket of major currencies.

Japan's economy shrank an annualised 7.1 percent in April-June from the previous quarter, more than a preliminary estimate, underscoring concerns the hit from an April increase in the sales tax may have been bigger than expected.

Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) is recalling 55,000 vehicles in Japan over a glitch in the gasoline engine starter motor, the company said on Thursday.

The Bank of Japan will maintain its existing stimulus policy and optimistic economic view on when it meets on Thursday, sources say, preferring to take more time to gauge whether a run of weak data is sufficient to threaten a fragile recovery.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Japan on Saturday seeking to capitalise on his affinity with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to strengthen security and business ties on his first major foreign visit since his landslide election victory in May.