ASIA

Japanese Invest Record Amount in Continent: Booming economies in Asia attracted a record amount of direct investment from Japan in the business year ended March 31, and the surging yen may accelerate the trend, the Finance Ministry said. North America was the biggest recipient of Japanese investment, but Asia overtook Europe to become No. 2 for the first time in eleven years, the ministry said. New Japanese investment in Asia soared 47% to a record $9.7 billion for the year, accounting for 24% of Japan’s overall foreign investment.