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BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2009

Oops! Trade chief leaks GDP data

Trade minister Masayuki Naoshima jumped the gun in disclosing Japan's gross domestic product growth data early Monday, raising concerns over the rookie Cabinet's management of information.
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2009

New government finding its feet

More than a month has passed since the Hatoyama administration was inaugurated. People can see that it is trying in earnest to implement policy promises spelled out in the Democratic Party of Japan's election manifesto. The administration, which at its outset enjoyed an approval rating that topped 70...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 10, 2009

DPJ's budget-waste watchdog: ¥3 trillion in fat just a start

The Democratic Party of Japan will pare wherever possible wasteful government spending and also attempt to enhance the quality of the annual budget, state minister Yoshito Sengoku said Friday in an interview.
BUSINESS / Q&A
Oct 3, 2009

Devil's in the details on debt relief

To rescue cash-strapped small firms and households, financial services minister Shizuka Kamei is preparing to submit a bill at the extraordinary Diet session this month that will pressure financial institutions to ease loan conditions for borrowers.
EDITORIALS
Aug 29, 2009

Reining in the bureaucracy

The bureaucracy played a crucial role in the building of the modern Japanese state and its economic growth in the postwar years. But these days people's trust in bureaucrats has been shattered by events such as the pension records fiasco and the misuse of public money, especially in road construction....
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 24, 2009

Party shakeouts unlikely if the DPJ wins big-time

The latest major opinion polls seem to indicate that the general election on Aug. 30 will bring about a change of government in Japan, with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) unseating the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Prime Minister Taro Aso as the predominant force in the Lower House. One is left...
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2009

The LDP in disarray

The ruling and opposition blocs are heading for a showdown in the general election as the opposition bloc in the Upper House on Tuesday passed a censure motion against Prime Minister Aso Taro and started boycotting all Diet proceedings. Separately, in the Lower House, the ruling bloc earlier in the day...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2009

Aso attacked on all fronts

The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc easily shot down a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday, but the LDP slipped further into chaos as members pressed for their unpopular leader to exit.
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2009

Economic prognosis ticks up

The government on Wednesday upgraded its assessment of the nation's economy for the second month in a row, following a similar assessment made Tuesday by the Bank of Japan. Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano, who doubles as finance minister, even went as far to say, "It is strongly estimated...
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2009

Diet extension gives Aso breathing space

Now that the Diet session has been extended until July 28, the spotlight has shifted back to Prime Minister Taro Aso as politicians and analysts try to predict when he will dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election.
JAPAN
May 30, 2009

Aso's plan to split health ministry in trouble

Prime Minister Taro Aso's plan to split the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in two has apparently failed amid protests from members of his Liberal Democratic Party, drawing his leadership ability into question once again.
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2009

Past the economic free fall

For the first time since February 2006, the Cabinet Office, in its monthly economic report for May, upgraded its overall assessment of the economy. The Bank of Japan also raised its assessment of the economy for the first time in two years and 10 months. BOJ Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said the economy has...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 16, 2009

Machinery orders resume retreat, slip 1.3%

Orders for Japanese machinery resumed falling in March, the government said Friday, in a sign that managers remain wary of upgrading factories and equipment before an economic recovery takes hold.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2009

Mexico flights to Narita face flu scrutiny

The government issued orders Monday for doctors and nurses to board aircraft from Mexico at Narita airport starting Wednesday to check passengers and crew for infection of a deadly new virus that combines swine, avian and human influenza.

Longform

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