Japan

Japan has formally asked the U.S. to end all military-related rapes, deaths and other violence in their country.  The Japanese Prime Minister said that he has “no words to express” his horror at an incident involving the disappearance of a Japanese woman, and the involvement of an American working on a U.S. military base who was arrested in connection with her disappearance. Pressfortruth.ca reports: The Japanese leader told the public that he urged the U.S. to “take thorough measures to prevent the recurrence” of any similar events in the future.

Submitted by Mish Shedlock of MishTalk

Trade With Japan Collapses: Exports Decline 7th Month, Imports Decline 16th Month

Abenomics was back in the spotlight tonight. Global trade with Japan has collapsed. Exports are down and imports are down even more. The result is an unexpected rise in Japan’s trade surplus, yet another failure of abenomics.

Japanese Output Shrinks at Fastest Pace Since 2012

Following the latest month abysmal trade and PMI data out of Japan overnight (April exports crashed -10.1 %, worse than the exp. -9.8 and worse than last month's -6.8% while imports plunged -23.3% also far worse than exp. -18.8 and March -14.9%; PMI 47.6, Exp. 48.3, last 48.2), it was supposed to be a straight up for the USDJPY, and its carry linked E-mini.

Protests were held outside the Kedana U.S. Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan, after a young woman was murdered by a former marine. Kenneth Shinzato, a 32-year-old civil employee of the US military base in Okinawa, and former US Marine, has been arrested for his  involvement in the woman’s death. The latest incident comes just two months after a US soldier was arrested over the rape of a Japanese woman at a hotel in Naha in the south of Okinawa. These are not the only times that US military personnel have committed crimes in Japan.

At the end of February, shortly after Japan's disastrous attempt to crush the Yen at the expense of a stronger dollar when the BOJ unveiled its first episode of Negative Interest Rates, only for everything to go spectacularly wrong for Kuroda, the world's financial leaders met in Shanghai where the so-called Shanghai Accord took place when in no uncertain terms central bankers around the globe (and especially the Chinese) came down on Janet Yellen like a ton of bricks demanding that the Fed do a "dovish relent", and stop the Fed's monetary tightening talk, ease back on expectations of furth