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November 21, 2024
 

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Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003
Bankruptcy protection shifts burden to cosigner
Print shop owner Yoichi Iwasaki let out a deep sigh of relief when he filed for court protection from creditors in April 2002, but little did he realize that was not the end of his troubles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2003
Foreign meat producers blast tariff plan
A food service industry group and meat producers from the U.S. and Australia on Tuesday urged the Japanese government not to invoke emergency curbs on imported beef, saying such restrictions would hurt consumers as well as the food industry and exporters.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2003
IRCJ needs more time to select first help case
The state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan is taking longer than expected to select its first revival candidate, IRCJ President Atsushi Saito said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2003
Red tape hinders Singapore Airlines campaign
Attempts by the SARS-battered Singapore Airlines to offer travelers bargain deals have been stalled here by domestic regulations, despite high hopes for mutual promotion of tourism under a bilateral free trade agreement signed recently.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2003
Corporate responsibility in spotlight
If you make up the rules, you've got an excellent chance of winning the game.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 9, 2003
Corporate revitalization body rolls up its sleeves
The Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan, the government's latest attempt to deal with the nation's bad-loan mess and resuscitate ailing companies, launched full-blown operations Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 1, 2003
Flailing Japanese companies, government turn to U.S. recovery 'guru'
Japan, still struggling to find a way out of its bad-loan quagmire, is looking for salvation from a "guru" credited with turning around whole sectors of U.S. industry.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2003
IRC official to ensure it's free of political meddling
The Industrial Revitalization Corp. will hire a compliance officer to ensure that it operates ethically and without political meddling, IRC President Atsushi Saito said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003
IRC officials try to play down hardline image
It has a nickname that would turn most customers off.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2003
Army of Carlos Ghosns may be in the making
We all know the Carlos Ghosn story.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Apr 9, 2003
Domestic firms missing out on slice of medical device market
Dr. Kiyoshi Namba is a hard-core believer in medical technology. A breast cancer specialist, Namba has invested heavily in state-of-the-art medical equipment at his two clinics in Miyazaki Prefecture, claiming this provides exactly what he needs to counter the killer disease -- the earliest detection...
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2003
IRC execs implore banks to sell bad loans
Newly appointed executives of the government's planned industrial revival body delivered a zealous sales pitch Friday, urging banks to sell to the entity loans extended to debt-laden firms as soon as possible.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2003
Expert in resuscitating ailing firms to head IRC
The government has nominated Kazuhiko Toyama -- known as an expert in turning around apparently hopeless businesses -- as chief operating officer of a state-backed corporation given the task of doing just that.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003
New farm minister follows Oshima's lead
New agriculture minister Yoshiyuki Kamei said Tuesday he will seek a "realistic and balanced" agreement on farm trade liberalization during World Trade Organization negotiations, adopting the same stance as his disgraced predecessor.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003
Shops go against the grain to sell U.S. rice
U.S. rice farmers have found an unlikely ally in their endeavor to penetrate Japan's heavily protected rice market -- owners of mom-and-pop rice shops who themselves are bearing the brunt of the nation's market-opening reforms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2003
Executive, academic to head revival body
The Cabinet decided Friday to appoint a former Nomura Securities Co. executive and a high-profile academic to lead a proposed government-backed entity tasked with restructuring indebted firms and revitalizing industries.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2003
WTO spotlighted as trade chiefs gather for Tokyo meeting
Trade ministers from 25 nations will enter three days of intense negotiations in Tokyo on Friday as part of a new round of World Trade Organization trade liberalization talks. Here is a roundup of some basic facts on the organization and issues to be discussed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2003
'Bereavement industry' in flux
Most of the businesses providing funeral and other services pertaining to the dead are mom-and-pop operations catering to local needs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2003
Docs find flu drug dearth hard to swallow
Pediatrician Jiro Tsukada says that being stingy has become part of his job.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 8, 2002
Cashing in far away
Akihisa Fujita has always been a night owl. The 32-year-old former bartender spent much of his 20s serving drinks at high-end establishments in Tokyo's Ginza and Yoyogi-Uehara districts, all the while dreaming of owning his own.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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