Elaine Kurtenbach

Read the latest stories and analysis from Elaine Kurtenbach.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker deliver a keynote speech during a "Rebalance meets Revitalization in the Pacific; Opportunities for American and Japanese Firms at a Time of Promise" in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

US urges Japan to be bolder in opening markets

Elaine Kurtenbach · October 21, 2014 9:07 am

In this Oct. 2, 2014 photo, people pass the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. Stocks are opening mostly lower Monday, Oct. 20, 2014, as traders look over some disappointing corporate results. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Asian stocks meander after China growth slows

Elaine Kurtenbach · October 21, 2014 2:50 am

People are reflected on the electronic board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. Shares rose in Asia on Tuesday as investors encouraged by strong China trade shrugged off a tumble on Wall Street triggered by fears that slowing growth in Europe and Asia could hobble the global recovery. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Asian shares boosted by strong China trade data

Elaine Kurtenbach · October 14, 2014 5:06 am

FILE - in this Oct. 1, 2014 file photo, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, center, stands when the national anthem of China is played during a flag-raising ceremony in Hong Kong, as thousands of protesters watching from behind police barricades yelled at him to step down. The story Leung, Hong Kong's top leader, is a rags-to-riches tale that is generally admired in this commercially-minded city. But Leung is deeply unpopular, thanks mainly to his longstanding ties with mainland China. Beijing's burgeoning influence in this former British colony is a key factor driving protests that have paralyzed parts of this dynamic city and brought on some of the worst confrontations in decades. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

Hong Kong standoff reflects wide rifts in society

Elaine Kurtenbach · October 5, 2014 7:39 am

Protesters rest outside a shopping mall during a rally in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014. Shops in Hong Kong have closed and the local stock market has plunged but protesters are gambling their agitation for greater democracy will pay off by preserving institutions that made this former British colony a profitable asset to China. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Hong Kong protests hit city’s role as finance hub

Elaine Kurtenbach · October 2, 2014 5:35 am

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2014 file photo, a port worker walks past a piles of cargo at a container terminal in Tokyo. Japan has logged a 948.5 billion yen ($8.8 million) trade deficit in August, the 26th straight month of red ink, as weak demand at home hit imports while exports also fell. The Finance Ministry reported Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 that exports fell 1.3 percent from a year earlier to 5.71 trillion yen ($53.3 billion) while imports dropped 1.5 percent to 6.65 trillion yen ($62.1 billion). (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Japan logs trade deficit for 26th month in a row

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 18, 2014 2:53 am

Sony Corp. President Kazuo Hirai bows at the end of a press conference at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. Sony expects its annual loss to swell to $2 billion and has canceled dividends for the first time in more than half a century after writing down the value of its troubled smartphone business. Citing intense competition, especially from Chinese rivals, Sony said it anticipates a net loss of 230 billion yen ($2.15 billion) for the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Toru Takahashi)

Sony forecasts $2B loss as smartphones lag

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 17, 2014 11:22 am

IMF chief Christine Lagarde delivers a speech during the World Assembly for Women (WAW! Tokyo 2014) at Japan Business Federation in Tokyo, Friday, Sept. 12, 2014. The head of the International Monetary Fund says equal opportunities and empowerment of women are crucial for driving a stronger global recovery, and for revitalizing Japan.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

IMF’s Lagarde says women vital for global recovery

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 12, 2014 8:59 am

Japan Rakuten to buy cash-back site Ebates for $1B

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 9, 2014 9:52 am

Japan says economy contracted 7.1 percent in 2Q

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 8, 2014 9:18 am

A visitor takes photos of some mosquitoes warning posters at closed gate of Yoyogi Park in Tokyo Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. Yoyogi Park, a popular park in downtown Tokyo, has been closed temporarily after dozens of cases of dengue fever were contracted by people who visited the area. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Tokyo closes park seen as local source of dengue

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 5, 2014 5:01 am

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014 file photo, customers take sushi of a bluefin tuna which was bought by sushi restauranteur Kiyoshi Kimura at the year's celebratory first auction, at his restaurant near Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. The multi-nation fisheries body that monitors most of the Pacific Ocean has agreed to cut the catch of juvenile bluefin tuna to half of its average level in 2002-2004. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

Fisheries to cut catch of endangered bluefin tuna

Elaine Kurtenbach · September 4, 2014 9:13 am