Announcement

DC5m United States japan in english 13 articles, created at 2016-10-19 12:13

1 Bach says no need to expand 4-party talks on Tokyo 2020 cost

(2.05/3) IOC President Thomas Bach on Wednesday rejected calls to expand four-party talks aimed at reducing the costs of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 2016-10-19 03:48 1KB www.charlotteobserver.com

2 Japan's Watanabe elected president of gymnastics federation TOKYO (AP) — Morinari Watanabe of Japan was elected as the president of the (1.02/3) International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) at the world governing body's congress... 2016-10-19 01:18 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk

3 Nissan to name CEO Ghosn as chairman of Mitsubishi Motors -Nikkei

(0.02/3) TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd will appoint its chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, as chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corp as Japan's second-biggest... 2016-10-19 03:09 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

4 Shocking moment Toyota driver misses woman on zebra crossing in Queensland This video captures the shocking moment a woman was almost flattened by a car that failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing in Toowoomba, Queensland. 2016-10-19 03:48 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

5 Got that sinking feeling? Terrifying photos of circling sharks, giant jellyfish and monster waves prove the ocean is a place of nightmares Here, in case you were in any doubt, MailOnline Travel has amassed 22 reasons why the sea is indeed petrifying, from whale encounters in Australia to giant jellyfish invasions in Japan. 2016-10-19 03:27 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk

6 Brazilian President seeks foreign investment, access to Japan's markets By Minami Funakoshi TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Faced with a deep recession at home, Brazilian President Michel Temer on Wednesday sought to lure Japanese inve... 2016-10-19 01:07 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

7 Former Yankee Kuroda to retire after TOKYO (AP) — Former New York Yankees pitcher announced he will retire at the end of the Japan Series. Kuroda, 41, went 10-8 this season with a... 2016-10-19 00:53 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 8 FOREX-Dollar steps back from 7-month high; Aussie trims gains By Masayuki Kitano and Hideyuki Sano SINGAPORE/TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The dollar stepped back from a seven-month high against an index of currencies on We... 2016-10-19 00:39 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk

9 Japan companies experiment with work robots A crowd gathers near the entrance of Tokyo's upscale Mitsukoshi Department Store, which traces its roots to a kimono shop in the late 17th century. 2016-10-19 00:24 3KB rss.cnn.com

10 Japan's maglev train sets world record: 603 kph

It's a bird -- It's a plane -- It's an insanely fast Japanese bullet train. 2016-10-19 00:24 2KB rss.cnn.com

11 NASA photographs Kuiper Belt; Japan orbits Venus NASA has given us a glimpse of one of the most distant visible objects in the solar system as Japan's space agency prepares for a close orbit of Venus. 2016-10-19 00:03 3KB rss.cnn.com

12 ‘Shin Godzilla,’ ‘Your Name’ to Give Toho Profits Boost TOKYO – Japan’s leading film distributor and exhibitor Toho has announced a revised forecast for fiscal 2016 that predicts a 28% jump in year-on-year profit, to JPY33 billion ($318 million). This r… 2016-10-18 23:08 1KB variety.com

13 Toyota's move to Texas goes far beyond moving employees Toyota is fundamentally changing the way it manages its businesses in North America as it moves from California to Texas 2016-10-18 23:05 4KB rssfeeds.freep.com Articles

DC5m United States japan in english 13 articles, created at 2016-10-19 12:13

1 /13 Bach says no need to expand 4-party talks on Tokyo 2020 cost (2.05/3) IOC President Thomas Bach on Wednesday rejected calls to expand four-party talks aimed at reducing the costs of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Bach said negotiations between the International Olympic Committee, Tokyo organizers, the city government and Japan's central government should result in cost reductions.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike had suggested including international and national sports federations in the four-party talks but Bach said the makeup of the group has been agreed.

A Tokyo government panel set up by Koike said the cost of the Olympics could exceed $30 billion — four times the initial estimate — unless drastic cuts are made.

Koike also said she expects the Tokyo metropolitan government to lead the talks.

Olympic president to meet S. Korea 'surprised' by 2020 Tokyo governor to discuss Games relocation reports venue dailymail.co.uk charlotteobserver.com

2016-10-19 03:48 The Associated www.charlotteobserver.com

2 /13 Japan's Watanabe elected president of gymnastics federation (1.02/3) TOKYO (AP) — Morinari Watanabe of Japan was elected as the president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) at the world governing body's congress in Tokyo on Wednesday. The 57-year-old Watanabe, the secretary general of the Japan Gymnastics Association, received 100 of 119 votes in an election against France's Georges Guelzec, head of the European Union of Gymnastics. Watanabe will replace 82-year-old Italian Bruno Grandi, who is stepping down as president in December after 20 years in charge. Watanabe becomes the first Asian to head FIG and is the first Japanese president of an Olympic international federation since Ichiro Ogimura was president of the International Table Tennis Federation from 1987- 1994.

Japan’s Watanabe elected president of gymnastics federation wtop.com

2016-10-19 01:18 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

3 /13 Nissan to name CEO Ghosn as chairman of Mitsubishi Motors -Nikkei (0.02/3) TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd will appoint its chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, as chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corp as Japan's second-biggest automaker is set to buy 34 percent of its smaller peer, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Wednesday. Ghosn, who also serves as CEO of Renault SA, Nissan's alliance partner, has asked Mitsubishi Motors Chairman and President Osamu Masuko to remain president when Nissan takes a controlling stake in an automaker recovering from a mileage-cheating scandal, the Nikkei reported. Spokespeople at both companies declined to comment. Shares of Mitsubishi Motors rose as much as 10 percent after the report. Nissan in May said it would buy control of Mitsubishi for around 237 billion yen ($2.3 billion) after Mitsubishi admitted to falsifying the mileage on four minivehicle models, including two produced for Nissan. The admission prompted a sell-off of Mitsubishi Motors shares. In August, Mitsubishi Motors was also found to have overstated the mileage of eight additional models, including the Pajero and Outlander sport utility vehicle. The automaker blamed poor communication, lax governance and internal pressure for its lack of compliance. After Nissan's purchase is finalised, Mitsubishi group companies - trading house Mitsubishi Corp, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ - will see their total shareholding diluted to around 17 percent. Nissan has said it will refrain from selling its stake to a non-group company for 10 years without Mitsubishi Motors' consent. Mitsubishi Motors will make a formal decision on executive appointments after a shareholder meeting in December, the Nikkei reported. Nissan is set to close the deal by the end of the year. ($1 = 103.6800 yen) (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu, Chang-Ran Kim and Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)

Nikkei rises for 4th day on Nissan to name CEO Ghosn Wall Street rise; Sharp, as chairman of Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Motors shine Motors - Nikkei dailymail.co.uk dailymail.co.uk

2016-10-19 03:09 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

4 /13 Shocking moment Toyota driver misses woman on zebra crossing in Queensland A woman has narrowly avoided being over on a zebra crossing after a quick- thinking motorist warned her of an incoming car by beeping his horn. The woman, who is lucky to be alive, would have been flattened by a vehicle that failed to stop if it was not for the other motorist's last- second warning. Dramatic footage, taken in Toowoomba, Queensland, shows the woman thanking the driver who stopped so she could use the pedestrian crossing. She passes by the first car but does not appear to look across into the inside lane, where another car was fast approaching. The waiting car's driver suddenly blasts his horn as a blue Toyota roar past, missing the woman by just millimetres. The incident could have been far worse, with the pedestrian only leaping back out of the way at the last possible moment. 'F*** me,' the waiting driver says as the shocked woman finishes crossing the road. The driver who stopped captured the footage on his dashcam and posted it online. 'An older bloke failed to stop and give way to pedestrian at a marked pedestrian intersection almost striking the pedestrian,' he wrote. 'I saw him approaching at speed from the rear and sounded my horn to warn the pedestrian. Fortunately no one was injured. 'You will notice the the driver who almost the pedestrian failed to brake at any time before, during or after the near miss and continued.' The video has been viewed more than 350,000 times, with commenters torn over who was to blame. 'Not looking if a car is coming is dumb too,' William Castonguay said. But another YouTube user said: 'Wow, that was a close one. Don't people realise that cars stop in front of a crosswalk for a reason?'

2016-10-19 03:48 Ollie Gillman www.dailymail.co.uk

5 /13 5 /13 Got that sinking feeling? Terrifying photos of circling sharks, giant jellyfish and monster waves prove the ocean is a place of nightmares Do you ever get hit with that sudden feeling of dread during a perfectly pleasant paddle in the ocean? If so, your fears are not unfounded. To date, we've explored less than five per cent of the ocean, and considering it covers more than 70 per cent of our planet, this notion alone is unnerving. What we do know is that the sea is home to all manner of terrifying creatures, has the power to decimate entire cities with its force, and is so deep and dark we can hardly even see what's under there. This trepidation in its most extreme form even has a name: thalassophobia - a condition classified as having an intense and persistent fear of the ocean. And from creepy aquatic spiders to whales that have capsized sailing ships, you'd be forgiven for never wanting to dip your toes in again after seeing the following evidence. Here, in case you were in any doubt, MailOnline Travel has amassed a visual menu of reasons why the deep blue is unequivocally the stuff of nightmares.

2016-10-19 03:27 Annabel Fenwick www.dailymail.co.uk

6 /13 Brazilian President seeks foreign investment, access to Japan's markets By Minami Funakoshi TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Faced with a deep recession at home, Brazilian President Michel Temer on Wednesday sought to lure Japanese investments, saying there is "much potential" in investing in the country's airport, oil and gas sectors. Temer, making the first visit to Japan by a Brazilian head of state in 11 years, aims to repair ties frayed by his predecessor Dilma Rousseff, who twice cancelled official visits to Japan. "There are around 700 Japanese companies in Brazil. The goal of our trip (to Japan) is to promote trade, investment, and industrial relationships," Temer told a Japanese business lobby in Tokyo. Temer last month launched a sweeping plan to auction off licenses to operate oil and gas, electricity and infrastructure projects in an attempt to boost private investment and pull the economy out of Brazil's deepest recession since the 1930s. His centre- right government plans to sell concessions for private companies to operate airports and railways and build roads and port terminals needed to ship out exports by the South American agricultural powerhouse. Besides the aim of attracting Japanese investment in Brazilian infrastructure, Temer also hopes Japan's markets will be opened to Brazilian commodities such as fresh beef and fruit. Japan poured 23.59 billion U. S. dollars in direct investments in Brazil at the end of 2015, according to Japan External Trade Organization. Currently, the import of fresh Brazilian beef to Japan is largely blocked. Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday it hopes to boost its share of Japan's beef and fruit market in mid-2017. Separately, the Brazilian leader also said his country was aiming to mend its national balance sheet and cap state expenditure, adding it was important for Brazil's central bank to stabilise prices and control inflation. Temer's government has warned that Latin America's largest nation could follow Greece's path to financial meltdown if spending is not controlled. (Reporting by Minami Fuakoshi; Editing by Eric Meijer & Shri Navaratnam)

2016-10-19 01:07 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

7 /13 Former Yankee Kuroda to retire after Japan Series TOKYO (AP) — Former New York Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda announced he will retire at the end of the Japan Series. Kuroda, 41, went 10-8 this season with a 3.09 ERA to help the Carp to its seventh title in Japanese professional baseball. Kuroda turned down a lucrative contract with the Yankees to return in 2015 to the Carp, where he spent his entire career before his first season in Major League Baseball in 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Carp last won the Japan Series championship in 1984 and face the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Oct. 22-30th Japan Series.

2016-10-19 00:53 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

8 /13 FOREX-Dollar steps back from 7-month high; Aussie trims gains By Masayuki Kitano and Hideyuki Sano SINGAPORE/TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The dollar stepped back from a seven-month high against an index of currencies on Wednesday after U. S. consumer prices showed a moderation in underlying inflation, prompting markets to trim bets on a December Federal Reserve rate hike. The U. S. dollar's index against a basket of six major currencies stood at 97.846, off Monday's seven-month high of 98.169. The Australian dollar pared some of its earlier gains after a barrage of Chinese economic data. The overall reaction across major currencies was limited, however, as there were no huge surprises. China's third-quarter gross domestic product matched market forecasts, while September industrial production came in below expectations. "There was probably some profit-taking in the wake of the (Australian dollar's) rise seen since yesterday," said Hirofumi Suzuki, an economist for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in Singapore, adding that there may have been some reaction to the slightly disappointing data on industrial output as well. Still, Suzuki said the Chinese data overall suggests that Chinese authorities still have solid control over the economy and that the risks of a sharp deterioration are limited. That bodes well for the Aussie dollar in the near term, he said. The Australian dollar last traded at $0.7670. Earlier on Wednesday, the Aussie dollar rose to $0.7691 at one point, matching its high on Oct. 4. The Aussie had gained support following comments from Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe on Tuesday that he was comfortable with the current exchange rate. The dollar struggled to gain traction in the wake of U. S. inflation data on Wednesday. The so-called core CPI, which strips out food and energy costs, gained 0.1 percent last month after climbing 0.3 percent in August, slowing the year-on-year increase in the core CPI to 2.2 percent following a 2.3 percent rise in August. Fed fund futures imply around a 65 percent probability of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates by December, down from 70 percent ahead of the U. S. CPI data. "There was a bit of correction on the dollar's broad strength. The dollar's decline was notably against sterling most, as the British currency was heavily shorted," said Yukio Ishizuki, currency strategist at Daiwa Securities. The euro held steady at $1.0984, just above Monday's 2-1/2- month low of $1.0964. A break of that level could open the way for a test of $1.0912, a low marked on June 24 in the wake of the Brexit vote. The common currency is weighed by wariness ahead of the European Central Bank's policy meeting on Thursday. The central bank is widely expected to keep its policy unchanged with any decisions on the future of its asset purchase scheme expected to be deferred until December. But some traders are nervous ECB chief Mario Draghi could take a dovish stance to counter recent talk that the ECB is considering tapering its asset purchases. The British pound slipped 0.1 percent to $1.2287. Still, sterling held on to the bulk of the gains made on Tuesday, when it climbed 0.95 percent for its biggest daily gain in six weeks. Short-covering in sterling was triggered after a UK government lawyer said parliament would "very likely" have to ratify any deal to take Britain out of the European Union, and following stronger-than-expected inflation numbers. Investors generally assume British lawmakers as a whole are less in favour of a hard line on Brexit than Prime Minister Theresa May and the ministers she has put in charge of negotiations. Against the yen, the dollar eased 0.1 percent to 103.80 yen. (Reporting by Hideyuki Sano; Additional reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Editing by Eric Meijer and Jacqueline Wong)

2016-10-19 00:39 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

9 /13 Japan companies experiment with work robots Fitting with the store's history, the new greeter wears a traditional Japanese kimono while delivering information to the growing crowd, whose expressions vary from amusement to bewilderment.

It's hard to imagine the store's founders in the late 1600's could have imagined this kind of employee.

That's because the greeter is not a human -- it's a robot.

Aiko Chihira is an android manufactured by Toshiba, designed to look and move like a real person. It was put on temporary display at the department store.

Toshiba says Chihira has 43 motors allowing it to move, speak in sign language and even sing.

The regular greeter, Ayako Seiryu, says she's not worried about a robot replacing her -- even one made to resemble a real 32-year-old woman.

"Communication is important," she says. "My strength is I can actually talk to people. "

Chihira can't have a conversation yet, acknowledges Hitoshi Tokuda, Toshiba spokesperson. But he says the technology is evolving quickly and someday, robots like Chihira could replace humans for certain jobs.

Robots in the workforce?

A growing number of Japanese businesses are testing out robots as a possible solution to the country's shrinking workforce.

They're appearing in stores, banks and soon even hotels.

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ is trying out "Nao," a customer service robot that answers basic questions and is designed to speak 19 languages. The robotic polygot could prove useful serving foreign customers during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

By then, the bank hopes to have even more robots on staff.

"Pepper" is a humanoid robot that "chats" with customers. A humanoid has human-like characteristics such as arms, legs and a head -- but is designed to look like a robot. Pepper first began appearing in Tokyo stores last year.

Manufacturer Softbank hopes it'll eventually be a "family robot," like a sleeker version of Rosie on "The Jetsons. "

Meet Pepper -- the world's first emo robot

A hotel scheduled to open at Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki this summer plans to have 10 robot staff members and aims to increase that to more than 90% of hotel services operated by robots.

Today's novelty could be tomorrow's necessity. Japan has an aging population that has prompted serious talks about how to incorporate robots into the nation's shrinking workforce.

One group that seems willing to embrace robots are Japan's senior citizens.

A survey by nursing home operator Orix Living found more seniors would feel comfortable being cared for by a robot than a foreign nurse.

In a nation with a dwindling population, waning workforce, and deep resistance to immigration, it seems robots will only play a larger role in Japan's future.

2016-10-19 00:24 rss.cnn.com

10 /13 Japan's maglev train sets world record: 603 kph A Japan Railway maglev train hit 603 kilometers per hour (374 miles per hour) on an experimental track in Yamanashi Tuesday, setting a decisive new world record.

A spokesperson said the train spent 10.8 seconds traveling above 600 kilometers per hour, during which it covered 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles).

That's nearly 20 football fields in the time it took you to read the last two sentences.

Takeo Ookanda, who runs an exhibition center next to the test track, said witnesses erupted with excitement and applause when the new record was set.

"I was moved just like many other visitors here today," he told CNN. "This maglev project... (increases) the hope that Japan can have a good growth again in the future. "

Fastest in the world

The train broke its own record from last Thursday, when it ran at 590 kilometers per hour (366 miles per hour) on a test track.

That beat the old record of 581 kilometers per hour (361 miles per hour), which was set in 2003 during another Japanese maglev test.

Right now, China operates the world's fastest commercial maglev, which has hit 431 kilometers per hour (268 miles per hour) on a route through Shanghai.

By contrast, the fastest train in the United States, Amtrak's Acela Express, is only capable of 241 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), though it usually plods along at half that speed.

Look ma, no tracks!

Unlike traditional trains, maglev trains work by using magnets to push the train away from the tracks and drive the train forward.

Japan's maglevs don't use metal tracks — instead, they float nearly 10 cm (4 inches) above special guideways, allowing for frictionless movement.

Japan Railways has been testing their train to figure out the best operational speed for a planned route between Tokyo and Nagoya, scheduled to begin service in 2027.

That trip can take nearly 5 hours by car. But in the future, a maglev train could finish the journey in 40 minutes.

READ MORE: The future of transportation will blow your hair back

2016-10-19 00:24 rss.cnn.com

11 /13 NASA photographs Kuiper Belt; Japan orbits Venus Japan's Akatsuki probe -- the name means "dawn" in Japanese -- was originally launched in May 2010 but missed its window to enter orbit around Venus due to a technical malfunction, instead going spinning around the sun for five years.

Following a 20-minute blast from its thrusters, the second time lucky probe is now in orbit around the planet and in "good health," according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Sister planet Venus offers a great deal for us to learn about the solar system and the formation of its planets, including our own, JAXA said, given that the planet is a similar size and distance from the sun as Earth and because its "birth formation is considered to be similar to that of the Earth. "

The worlds are so similar they are sometimes referred to as sister planets, with only Venus' incredibly thick atmosphere -- made up of more than 96% carbon dioxide -- setting the two apart. The planet's runaway greenhouse effect means its surface is the hottest of any planet in the solar system, at a roasting 462 degrees Celsius (863 degrees Fahrenheit), hotter even than Mercury.

Orphaned planet and twin Earths that 'could share life' revealed

Originally Akatsuki was intended to enter an elliptical orbit, 300 to 80,000 kilometers above Venus' surface, which would enable "comprehensive observations" of the planet's atmosphere and meteorological conditions, including the intense storms that roil its upper atmosphere.

According to the scientific journal Nature however, even on a best-case scenario, the new orbit will be far wider, reaching as far as 500,000 kilometers from the surface as it loops around the planet every 14 to 15 days.

Distant cousin

As JAXA approaches Venus, its U. S. counterpart has been examining objects at the furthest reaches of the solar system.

New Horizons, which last week beamed back the most detailed images of Pluto's surface ever taken , has captured four photos of a Kuiper Belt object 90 miles (150 kilometers) across from a distance of 170 million miles away (280 million kilometers).

"This sets a record, by a factor of at least 15, for the closest-ever picture of a small body in the Kuiper Belt, the solar system's 'third zone' beyond the inner, rocky planets and outer, icy gas giants," the New Horizons team said in a statement.

The object -- designated 1994 JR1 -- was around 3.3 billion miles (5.3 billion kilometers) from the sun at the time the photos were taken, the statement said.

The Kuiper Belt describes the huge mass of just visible objects that orbit the sun beyond Neptune, including comets, frozen rocks, and three dwarf planets : Pluto, Haumea, and Makemake (of which Pluto is by far the largest and most massive).

New Horizons is planned to conduct a close flyby of another Kuiper Belt object -- 2014 MU69 -- in January 2019 that would give us insights into the bodies at the furthest reaches of the solar system. 2016-10-19 00:03 rss.cnn.com

12 /13 ‘Shin Godzilla,’ ‘Your Name’ to Give Toho Profits Boost TOKYO – Japan ’s leading film distributor and exhibitor Toho has announced a revised forecast for fiscal 2016 that predicts a 28% jump in year-on-year profit, to JPY33 billion ($318 million).

This reverses an earlier forecast for a 14% profit drop. Toho’s 2016 fiscal year ends in February 2017.

The two big reasons for the revision are Makoto Shinkai’s hit animation “ Your Name ,” which recently passed the JPY15 billion ($148 million) milestone on the 52nd day since its Aug. 31 release, and the Toho-produced “ Shin Godzilla ,” which is expected to end its run with $72 million.

Toho managing director Toshiyuki Urai told reporters: “We could have never predicted from Shinkai’s past work how big ‘Your Name’ would become.”

2016-10-18 23:08 Mark Schilling variety.com

13 /13 Toyota's move to Texas goes far beyond moving employees Toyota isn't just relocating its North American headquarters from Torrance, Calif., to Plano, Texas — it's fundamentally changing the way it operates its businesses in North America.

"Most everyone, when they think of Toyota, they think of a company in the U. S., and we are really not," Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, said Tuesday during a one-day visit to Detroit. "We are a group of affiliated companies working together. "

Toyota announced its plan to relocate in 2014 after the company decided that maintaining three separate hubs in California, northern Kentucky and Michigan became unwieldy. The Japanese automaker operates separate sales and marketing, finance, manufacturing and engineering companies in North America. "Each of these entities had their own legal departments, (information technology) departments and communications," Lentz said. "All of that now has been integrated. "

Lentz said Toyota has even considered formally disbanding some of its corporate entities.

"I want to make sure we have a high-performing team first," Lentz said. "And that they wanted to work together and will work together before they are forced to make a change. "

Lentz made the move from Torrance to Plano about two years ago. Now, about 100 employees are arriving each month. By next year, Lentz said, about 1,800 will be working out of the new headquarters, and over time that will grow to more than 4,000 employees.

Toyota's restructuring also came after the automaker changed how it operates around the world. In 2009 and 2010 the company was slow to react to a massive recall involving the sudden acceleration of its vehicles. After the crisis the automaker decided to overhaul its management structure to give regional management teams around the globe more decision-making authority. As part of that corporate consolidation Toyota is moving about 250 purchasing jobs from Erlanger, Ky., to the Toyota Technical Center campus in York Township near Ann Arbor.

Toyota also said last week it plans to hire a total of 1,000 new employees. About 350 of those jobs are open now and those positions are posted on www.toyota.com/careers and on Linkedin and Glassdoor using @ToyotaNorthAmerica.

Lentz was in Detroit on Tuesday to visit a Detroit school to see a family literacy program funded by the automaker. Called Toyota Family Learning, the program helps parents and their children learn together and teaches parents how to teach their children.

Over the past 25 years Toyota contributed $46 million to the program and has helped it expand to 286 sites in 56 communities.

Sharon Darling, President and Founder of NCFL, said Toyota's support goes far beyond simple financial aid. Darling said Toyota forced the organization to think about its long-term mission before it got involved.

"We were a fledgling organization when Toyota came along," Darling said.

Founded in Kentucky, the program now includes many inner-city schools, including Harms Elementary School in southwest Detroit and three other locations in Michigan.

"It was really exciting to see the energy level and the engagement level of the families working together," Lentz said after his visit.

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Toyota gives U-M $22M for robotics, AV research

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Potentially deadly brake defect triggers Toyota Prius recall

2016-10-18 23:05 Brent Snavely rssfeeds.freep.com Total 13 articles.

Created at 2016-10-19 12:13

Items detected: 921, scanned: 921, accumulated: 13, inserted: 13, empty media: 6, not matched limits: 73, skipped: {total: 908, by unique value: 121, by limits: 2, by similarity: 5, by unicity: 0, dates: 1, by classifier: 780, by blacklist: 0, by mandatory tag: 908}, bad dates: 0, similar from same domain: 85; tag `description` the same value found 6 times; tag `title` the same value found 182 times; the same images URLs found 4 times; total 12 languages detected: {u'fr': 2, u'en': 783, u'nl': 1, u'af': 3, u'ca': 10, u'de': 2, u'da': 5, u'tl': 1, u'no': 5, u'ro': 4, u'id': 1, u'es': 1}