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 Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
BUSINESS
May 28, 2010
Sony, KDDI, Asahi, Toppan in e-book tieup
Sony Corp., KDDI Corp, the Asahi Shimbun Co. and Toppan Printing Co. announced Wednesday they will jointly establish a company to sell and distribute electronic books and attempt to launch the service by year's end.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 19, 2010
Softbank debuts handsets with Twitter applications
Softbank Mobile Corp. unveiled new cell phones Tuesday boasting applications for the micro-blogging service Twitter.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 14, 2010
Shibuya 109 eyes rebound
It's no surprise that retailers are hurting amid the economic downturn and deflation. What is shocking, however, is that one of them is Shibuya 109, one of Tokyo's most popular fashion complexes.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2010
Son vows overseas flat rate for Softbank devices
Softbank Mobile Corp. President Masayoshi Son said recently on Twitter the company will consider a flat-rate unlimited mail and Web service for people taking its mobile gadgets overseas, responding to customer complaints that network fees are expensive when they go outside Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 8, 2010
Japan Post chief attempts to calm bankers
The president of Japan Post Holdings Co. tried Friday to allay bankers' fears about postal reforms, saying that doubling the deposit cap on postal savings accounts and the benefits paid out by Kampo insurance policies were unlikely to affect their profits.
JAPAN
May 7, 2010
Removing SIM lock not so simple
While the government has been raising expectations that removing the SIM lock on cell phones will enable consumers to switch carriers but keep the same handsets, it will give virtually no immediate benefits to users under the current network environment, according to people in the industry.
JAPAN
May 4, 2010
Constitution Day marked with rallies and protests
On the occasion of the 63rd Constitution Day, and with the national referendum law to take effect May 18, a group of conservative intellectuals on Monday stressed the need to kick-start debate on the Constitution, which they argued has been on the back burner for too long.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2010
Geos' fate sealed by failure to react quickly to rapid drop in demand
The failure of major language-school operator Geos Corp. occurred because the company didn't trim unprofitable branches fast enough at a time when the industry was facing a drastic drop in students, people in the industry said.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2010
Finance officials come up with work-habit ideas
A Finance Ministry project team compiled a set of proposals Monday to reform the ministry, focusing on achieving a more efficient working style and better work-life balance for its bureaucrats.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2010
Earth Day Tokyo spreads, celebrates 'green' issues
Worldwide environmental campaign Earth Day 2010 kicked off its Tokyo events Saturday stressing environmental friendliness and food self-sufficiency, as well as celebrating the 40th anniversary of the campaign, which originated in the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2010
Belfor Japan carving out a niche in Asia disaster-recovery services
Any smooth-running business can be devastated by fire, typhoon or earthquake, especially in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2010
New 3-D casts aside special glasses
While electronic makers are scrambling to release 3-D TVs, three-dimensional display technology that requires no special glasses is getting a lot of attention at a trade fair that kicked off Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 13, 2010
Screeners set to take on costly public-funded entities
With a sagging approval rating, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Democratic Party of Japan may be hoping for a turnaround with the second round of screening of costly government-backed entities that starts April 23.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2010
Kan: Tax hike doable, just needs proper sell
The government is ready to increase taxes to reduce the massive public debt, Finance Minister Naoto Kan indicated Monday, saying the only catch is to present it in a way that will convince voters.
JAPAN / ARRIVAL OF E-READERS
Apr 3, 2010
Apple turns the medium into the message
Amid the media hype over the iPad's potential to transform Japan's conservative publishing industry, experts say the tablet computer's potential is even broader: The gadget might change the way people view videos, play video games and music, or even how they get an education.
JAPAN / ARRIVAL OF E-READERS
Apr 3, 2010
Publishers don't see iPad revolution anytime soon
Many in the U.S. publishing industry feel Apple's release of the iPad, a multipurpose tablet computer with a built-in electronic reading device, will revolutionize the way consumers read and push the market into the digital age — just as the firm's iPod and iTunes did with music.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Mar 23, 2010
St. Patrick's Day festivities offer sampler of Emerald Isle culture
Irish culture enthusiasts in Tokyo celebrated St. Patrick's Day in the friendly confines of an Irish-style pub Sunday, enjoying traditional performances and Guinness beer at an annual gathering of the Japan-Ireland Society.
JAPAN / GOVERNMENT DEBT CRISIS
Mar 19, 2010
DPJ caught on the horns of a fiscal dilemma
While the Democratic Party of Japan-led government secured the passage of the ¥92.3 trillion fiscal 2010 budget this month, the party still faces a fiscal dilemma given its election pledge to realize ¥16.8 trillion worth of policy measures at a time when social security costs are ballooning.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2010
Foreigners rally over job security
Hundreds of foreign and Japanese people staged a rally Sunday in Tokyo demanding better working conditions and employment benefits for foreign residents.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2010
Laying the foundation of an intellectual property bridge
The Internet may arguably be the pre-eminent example of how recent technological developments have made life more convenient.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?