VENTURE CAPITAL POST

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.

Japan's SoftBank Corp and its U.S. mobile carrier Sprint Corp will offer a Sony smartphone for the first time, sources with knowledge of the matter said, as the two technology titans confront daunting challenges in the U.S. market.

The dollar marched higher against the euro and yen on Monday as investors wagered that interest rates were set on a diverging course in the United States, Europe and Japan, giving a lift to Tokyo stocks in the process.

SoftBank Corp (9984.T), Japan's No.3 mobile carrier, will cut its smartphone charges in Japan with a flat rate for unlimited voice calling and cheaper data plans, in a sign that price competition may be starting to pick up in Japan's mobile market.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will soon release its first tablet, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, expanding the fast-growing company's product lineup in a potential challenge to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Apple Inc.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is planning to start a commercialized space-based solar energy farm that would convert sunlight into electricity in a bid to replace the many nuclear power plants built on earthquake-prone areas.

San Francisco, California-based nutrition and fitness startup MyFitnessPal is set to launch localized apps with additional languages to build its audience in Asia, particularly in China, Japan, and South Korea.

Mining tycoon Andrew Forrest acquired Perth, Western Australia-based beef processor and exporter Harvey Beef for an undisclosed amount through his company Minderoo, and announced expansion plans for the newly-acquired firm.

New York, US-based mobile gameplay-recording startup Kamcord raised $7.1 million in a Series A funding round led by TransLink Capital to conquer the giant gaming markets of Japan, China, and South Korea.