Tankers Keep Greece Top

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/tankers-keep-greece-top#gs.ZTl5u5g

BY MAREX 2018-02-03 16:42:44

Greece has topped the world fleet values ranking by VesselsValue, with an owned fleet worth just under $100 billion, followed closely by Japan and China, worth $89 and $84 billion respectively. The top 10 global fleets are worth an estimated $516 billion.

Greek owners remain the dominant force in global shipping. The value of the Greek fleet is concentrated in the tanker ($36 billion), bulker ($35.75 billion), and LNG ($13.5 billion) vessel types. Hellenic control of these markets stands at about 19 percent of the total worth of the fleets.

The strong commitment of Greek owners to the global shipping markets looks unlikely to change as others, such as Germany, are liquidating assets, says VesselsValue. However, the trend in Chinese ownership is rising, as state owned companies are consolidating and placing new orders,  a reminder that there are always new challengers for the top spot. Greek owners, with their sharp focus on commercial results, should continue to lead the pack for the foreseeable future.

North Korea fires four ballistic missiles into sea, angering Japan and South

Mon Mar 6, 2017 | 3:43am EST

Reuters

By Ju-min Park and Kaori Kaneko | SEOUL/TOKYO
North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as a preparation for war.

South Korea's military said the missiles were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which can reach the United States. The missiles flew on average 1,000 km (620 miles) and reached a height of 260 km (160 miles).

Japan economy: Exports help faster-than-expected growth

BBC

Japan's economy expanded at a faster-than-expected rate between July and September, due to higher exports.
Gross domestic product rose at an annualised rate of 2.2% in the three months to September, the third consecutive quarter of expansion.
Japanese firms have relied on overseas sales to make up for lacklustre domestic demand.
There are concerns a Donald Trump US presidency will hurt Japan if anti-free trade rhetoric became a reality.

Trump sees Japan's Abe as ally in push back against China: adviser

 Fri Nov 11, 2016 | 2:16am EST

Reuters

By Tim Kelly | TOKYO
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's meeting next week with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may mark the start of talks to garner Japan's support for a push back against China's growing influence in Asia, a security adviser to Trump said.

Trump's campaign comments, including a demand Japan pay more for the upkeep of U.S. forces on its soil, have worried Tokyo about a rift in a security alliance with Washington, in the face of a rising China and a volatile North Korea, that has been the bedrock of its defense since World War Two.

A tougher stance against China, however, and a call for Japan to play a bigger security role through a Trump-Abe axis would however fit with Abe's hawkish policies that include allowing the military to operate more freely overseas.

Japanese Government Urges Another Increase in Military Spending

By MOTOKO RICHAUG. 30, 2016
The New York Times

TOKYO — The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is requesting another increase in spending on Japan’s armed forces, with a plan to expand missile defenses that would test the nation’s commitment to pacifism and escalate a regional arms race with China and North Korea.

With rising threats from North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program and repeated incursions by Chinese ships into waters surrounding a string of islands claimed by Japan, the request would let the Defense Ministry develop new antiballistic missiles and place troops on southern islands closer to the chain in dispute with China.

If approved, the budget proposal for 5.17 trillion yen, or $50.2 billion, formally submitted on Wednesday, would be the nation’s fifth-straight annual increase in military spending. It is a 2.3 percent rise over last year.

China and Japan trade barbs after close encounter over South China Sea

Chinese defence ministry calls on Japan to stop all reconnaissance activity after jet incident over disputed territory

Associated Press in Beijing

theguardian.com, Sunday 25 May 2014 16.10 BST

Chinese and Japanese officials have traded accusations after Chinese fighter jets came within a few dozen metres from Japanese military aircraft that had entered Beijing's air defence zone over the East China Sea.

China's defense ministry claimed that a Japanese surveillance plane and one other entered the zone on Saturday during a joint military drill with the Chinese and Russian navies.

China training for ‘short sharp war’ with Japan, Navy official says

The Washington Times

Capt. James Fannell, the chief of intelligence of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, believes that China is training for war with Japan.

A recent training exercise by the Chinese military included an amphibious invasion geared toward securing Japanese resources in the East China Sea, the U.S. Naval Institute News reported.

Japan’s Inflation Accelerates as Abe Seeks Wage Gains

By Chikako Mogi, Masahiro Hidaka and James Mayger  Jan 31, 2014 3:49 AM GMT+0200

Japan’s inflation accelerated in December, industrial output gained and a measure of demand for workers strengthened, signaling gains for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s campaign to end two decades of stagnation.

Prices excluding fresh food increased 1.3 percent from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said today in Tokyo, above a median estimate of 1.2 percent in a Bloomberg survey of 32 economists. Industrial production rose 1.1 percent from the previous month, while the number of jobs for every seeker rose to 1.03, exceeding 1 for the first the time since October 2007.

Japan to bolster military, boost Asia ties to counter China

BY LINDA SIEG AND KIYOSHI TAKENAKA

TOKYO Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:55am EST

(Reuters) - Japan will boost its military spending in coming years, buying early-warning planes, beach-assault vehicles and troop-carrying aircraft, while seeking closer ties with Asian partners to counter a more militarily assertive China.

The planned 2.6 percent increase over five years, announced on Tuesday, reverses a decade of decline and marks the clearest sign since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office a year ago that he wants a bigger military role for Japan as tension flares with China over islands they both claim.

China Auto Sales Gain 16% as Japan Automakers Extend Rebound

By Bloomberg News - Dec 10, 2013

China’s passenger-vehicle sales rose 16 percent in November as Japanese automakers extended their recovery in the world’s largest auto market.

Wholesale deliveries of cars, multipurpose and sport utility vehicles climbed to 1.7 million units last month, the state-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said today. That compares with the median 1.69 million units estimate of four analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.