A fire ripped through more than 170 buildings and killed one person in a southern Japanese coastal city on Wednesday, with military and firefighting helicopters scrambling to extinguish the country's largest urban blaze in almost half a century.

Yields on the benchmark 10-year bonds, which move inversely to price, climbed 2 basis points to 1.765 per cent on Wednesday — the highest level since June 2008 and the global financial crisis. The sell-off extended to longer-dated notes. Yields on 40-year JGBs rose to a record high of 3.695 per cent.

Tension between Japan and China has escalated over the new Japanese leader's suggestion Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing attacks Taiwan.

Japan has reported its economy contracted at a 1.8% annual pace in July-September as President Trump's tariffs hurt exports.

Firefighters in Oita, Japan, were battling an out-of-control fire Wednesday morning that has burned through a neighborhood.

Bear sightings and attacks have increased in parts of Japan, especially in municipalities close to or adjacent to populated zones,” the U.S. Embassy said in a wildlife alert.

Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places amid a deepening dispute between Asia's two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan.

In the west, we tend to treat socks as an afterthought. Most of the time when we are out and about, they are covered by trousers. Women are accustomed to not wearing socks with leather shoes, and loafers without socks have been a menswear staple since the mid-20th century.

China and Japan face their worst diplomatic clash in years, following remarks from Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi regarding Taiwan