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 Kanako Takahara

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Kanako Takahara
Kanako Takahara is a staff writer who has covered national politics, diplomacy, business and the economy at The Japan Times. A graduate of Sophia University, she is currently a national news editor.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2007
Citigroup off to strong start on return to TSE
Shares of Citigroup Inc. rose by as much as ¥250, to ¥4,580, on its first day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, even as the U.S. financial giant was rocked by the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Charles Prince over widening losses stemming from housing loan debts.
BUSINESS
Nov 3, 2007
Gaba takes on students in lurch; EF woos staff
Gaba Corp., a Tokyo-based English-language school chain, said Friday it has begun accepting Nova lesson tickets from students left in the lurch by the sudden closure of their schools.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2007
First half a mixed bag for electronics makers
Digital products pushed up sales and profits of major electronics makers in the first half of business 2007, but the industry also suffered from tougher competition in the core flat-panel TV business in the U.S. as cheaper off-brand TVs won the hearts of consumers there.
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2007
Battery recall charge stings Matsushita's bottom line
Saddled with losses stemming from a recall of lithium-ion batteries in Nokia mobile phones, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday its group net profit for the April-September period dropped 8.7 percent from a year ago to ¥105.1 billion.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2007
Toshiba profit rises on PC, chip sales
Toshiba Corp. said Monday its group net profit rose 17.6 percent to ¥45.7 billion in the fiscal first half thanks to brisk sales of computers in Europe and the United States and its core semiconductor business.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2007
Nova seeks court protection from creditors
6649-9790 or by regular mail to: Midosuji Minami Building 4F, 2-3-2 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka Prefecture. Meanwhile, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said it has begun accepting calls from Nova teachers concerned about their salaries and job insurance at (03) 3204-8609 in Tokyo and (06)...
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2007
Sony profit up fourfold despite PS3 woes
Despite continuing to sustain heavy losses in its game business, Sony Corp.'s group net profit increased fourfold to ¥140.2 billion in the six months through September compared with the same period last year, thanks to vigorous sales of digital cameras and computers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2007
Tokyo Motor Show offers peek at future
CHIBA — With oil prices hitting new highs, producing eco-friendly and fuel-efficient cars has become the norm for most carmakers.
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2007
Motor show glitz belies car market glut
The Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public Saturday, is one of the world's biggest auto exhibitions and a place to show off global carmakers' research and development efforts and state-of-the-art technologies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 16, 2007
No-tell love hotels cash in catering to the carnal
In any town bigger than a hamlet, you are sure to find a patch of gaudy hotels styled after rococo palaces, Grecian temples, even rocket ships. Some sport a miniature Statue of Liberty on the roof, others lurid neon signs.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007
No change as BOJ keeps rate at 0.5%
The Bank of Japan Policy Board agreed Thursday to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent for the eighth straight month as prospects for the global economy remain uncertain in the wake of the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Q&A
Sep 29, 2007
All eyes on Japan Post as privatization begins
Japan Post will be reorganized Monday, paving the way for it to become a private company for the first time in its more than 130-year history. The following are questions and answers on how the privatization will affect Japan's postal services.
Japan Times
Reference / Special Presentations / WITNESS TO WAR
Sep 22, 2007
Nemuro raid survivor longs for homeland
Shohei Yamamoto still has to choke back tears when he talks about the day he was expelled from his village of Shibetoro on Etorofu Island off northern Hokkaido, two years after Japan was defeated in World War II.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2007
BOJ leaves key interest rate unchanged
The Bank of Japan Policy Board decided Wednesday to keep its key interest rate at 0.5 percent, after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate the day before.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Sep 20, 2007
Soccer pitchman scores big in small-market Niigata
Sunny but not too hot, the weather on the afternoon of May 6, 2001, was perfect for watching a soccer match. But there were only 4,800 people on hand to see Albirex Niigata take on Yokohama FC in the 18,671-seat Niigata City Stadium.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Sep 7, 2007
Ramen shop boss inherits, sheds recipe for disaster
Monday, May 26, 1997, is a day forever etched in the memory of Naoki Kusano.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2007
J:COM poised to show HBO hits on TV, for fee
Starting Oct. 1, viewers in Japan will be able to tune in to such popular Home Box Office programs as "The Sopranos" and "Band of Brothers" via Jupiter Telecommunications Co.'s cable TV service.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2007
Toyota announces goal of 10 million units in '09
Toyota Motor Corp. announced Friday that it plans to become the first carmaker worldwide to sell more than 10 million vehicles in 2009 thanks to vigorous sales in emerging economies, including China.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2007
New minister looks to close the rural economic gap, aid LDP
post to be a bridge between the central and local governments," Masuda said in a recent interview. The 55-year-old former Construction Ministry bureaucrat is also state minister in charge of decentralization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2007
McCafe aims for slice of coffee shop pie
McDonald's fans thronged Wednesday to be the first to taste cappuccinos, croissants and vegetable soups at McCafe, the fast-food giant's new chain of cafe-style eateries.

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A boom for business tourism in Japan?