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Tokyo cherry blossoms to bloom early on March 23
The Japan Meteorological Corporation (JMC) has announced its fourth forecast for the cherry blossom season in 2024, predicting that blossoms in Tokyo will start opening on March 23 and reach full bloom on March 30. The JMC attributes the earlier bloom dates to higher-than-normal temperatures this year. In Kyoto, sakura is expected to start blooming on March 24 and reach peak bloom on April 1, according to the JMC’s estimation. The latest forecast also suggests that Northern Japan will see the blossom a day or two earlier compared to the previous forecast, while there will be a delay of one to two days for many areas in Eastern and Western Japan. The JMC anticipates the earliest blossoms to appear in Kochi on March 20, followed by areas such as Kanto Koushin, Tokai, and Kyushu. Additionally, Weathernews, a private weather information provider, has released its "third sakura bloom forecast," which aligns with the JMC’s prediction of an earlier bloom period this year, particularly in the Hokuriku Region and Northern Japan, where it will start over a week ahead of schedule.2024/02/16 13:38 -
Taiwan Q3 GDP growth revised down to 2.32%
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) has revised Taiwan’s third-quarter GDP growth forecast to 2.32%, down from the previous estimate of 2.54%. The revision is attributed to a slowdown in private capital formation, including government and public enterprises’ fixed investments and stock changes. However, the DGBAS official, Wang Tsui-hua, stated that Taiwan’s economy is still improving, with a third-quarter GDP growth rate of 10.47% on a seasonally adjusted annual rate (saar). If fourth-quarter forecasts are maintained, this year’s GDP will be revised downward to 1.55%.2023/11/02 19:45