Search - 2000

 
 
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2001

December machinery orders rose but outlook is gloomy

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders rose a seasonally adjusted 3.8 percent to 1.096 trillion yen in December from the previous month, after a 2.9 percent drop in November, the Cabinet Office said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2001

Nippon Steel reclaims output crown from Pohang

Nippon Steel Corp. snatched back its title of the world's top steelmaker in terms of crude steel output in 2000 after being second to South Korea's Pohang Iron & Steel Co. for the past two years, Nippon Steel officials announced Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Feb 6, 2001

Why can't Russia be more reasonable?

I am fed up with Russia's unreasonable attitude on the reversion to Japan of the four Russian-occupied northern islands and on the conclusion of a Russo-Japanese peace treaty.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2001

2001 budget awaits nod from Diet

The government on Wednesday submitted an 82.65 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2001 to the Diet that features a record 48.66 trillion yen outlay meant to bolster the teetering economy.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2001

Trade surplus drops for a second year

Japan's merchandise trade surplus in 2000 shrank 12.5 percent from the previous year to 10.74 trillion yen, the second consecutive yearly decline, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry.
CULTURE / Books / POETRY MIGNETTE
Jan 21, 2001

A little home for poetry in Shinagawa

Keiyudoh is a book store specializing in rare art books, with a small gallery in the back. Currently the gallery features an exhibition of calligraphy by Sueo Akiyama, a self-taught artist, whose works have received cultural awards in Poland and France recently. Keiyudoh also publishes the journal Le...
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2000

Mitsui sets five-year reconstruction plan

Mitsui Construction Co. announced a five-year restructuring plan Friday under which the ailing general contractor will ask about 10 creditor financial institutions, including Sakura Bank, to forgive debts totaling 163 billion yen.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2000

Cabinet approves 2001 budget

The Cabinet on Sunday approved an 82.65 trillion yen general-account budget for fiscal 2001 that is aimed at ensuring the nation's recovery from the prolonged economic slump.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 24, 2000

Shinjo: Can he live up to media hype in New York?

played up the coverage of the signing of free agent Tsuyoshi Shinjo by the New York Mets last week. "He'll be the opening day starting center fielder," said one paper about the former Hanshin Tigers star. "He'll bat sixth in the lineup," read another. While it's nice to know they have high hopes for...
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

83 trillion yen budgeted for 2001

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Wednesday unveiled a draft general-account budget for fiscal 2001 that is smaller than its predecessor for the first time in three years but will nevertheless leave Japan 666 trillion yen in debt.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Outline of 82.7 trillion yen budget for 2001 unveiled by Miyazawa

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Tuesday unveiled the outline of the ministry's 82.65 trillion yen draft general-account budget proposal for fiscal 2001.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2000

Kumagai Gumi to restructure

Kumagai Gumi Co. unveiled a restructuring plan Monday under which the debt-ridden construction firm will ask 15 creditors to forgive debts totaling 450 billion yen.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2000

Striving for a healthier, wealthier Asia

Institutions and concepts cause poverty and environmental degradation.
OLYMPICS
Jul 5, 2000

Sydney Games shaping up despite flak: minister

Australian Minister for Sport and Tourism Jackie Kelly predicted Tuesday that September's Sydney Olympics will be a success, despite the scandals that have plagued preparations.
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2000

Upbeat 'tankan' may lead to rate hike

Business sentiment among the nation's corporations improved over the past three months, underscoring a recent recovery trend, according to the Bank of Japan's "tankan" business sentiment survey for June.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2000

Aborigines raise their cause's profile

SYDNEY -- On its way from Greece to the Sydney Olympics 2000, the Olympic flame this week passed by Uluru, a huge rock rearing up out of the vast emptiness of the "dead heart" of Australia. Watching it were Aborigines, this country's inhabitants for the past 50,000 years, to whom Uluru is sacred.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2000

NTT DoCoMo logs 19.3% sales increase

Boosted by the soaring number of mobile phone users, cellular operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced Wednesday that it posted consolidated sales of 3.72 trillion yen for fiscal 1999, which ended in March, up 19.3 percent from the previous year.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2000

Bluetooth wants bite of mobile market

Portable computers' claim to fame is that they allow you to access and send information anytime and anywhere. But what if you leave a cable at home or bring the wrong one on a business trip?
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2000

Major Red Army incidents

The following is a chronology of major incidents involving members of the Japanese Red Army:
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2000

Record-low pay raises offered in 'shunto' talks

Major corporations' ongoing restructuring measures dealt a heavy blow to workers as the auto, steel, shipbuilding and electrical appliance industries effectively ended their annual spring wage talks Wednesday offering record low pay increases.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2000

Tokyo barely balances budget despite spiking haloed items

The Tokyo governor has lost 7,000 supporters for his next election, promises marathon aficionado Taeko Hara.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2000

Miyazawa says government spending spree must continue

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Friday called for swift passage of the 84.99 trillion yen fiscal 2000 state budget in an attempt to achieve a full economic recovery. In a fiscal policy speech before the House of Representatives plenary session, Miyazawa said the worst is over for the economy thanks...
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2000

Sliding toward recovery

Japan's economic prospects are improving. After a decade of stagnation, the consensus forecast is that a fragile recovery will, with careful tending, continue. The emphasis belongs on "fragile," however, not "recovery." While the future holds many unknowns, the government can do its part to minimize...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 3, 2000

Bad predictions ring out 1999; New Year to see games in Nagano

Apparently, my ability to predict where Japanese free agent ballplayers would sign new contracts is no better than my infamous skill at picking pennant winners. You may recall in the Nov. 21 Baseball Bullet-In, I speculated on which teams the three high-profile Japanese free agents would eventually sign...
JAPAN
Dec 31, 1999

Obuchi rings in the new year with old pledge for recovery

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi greeted the New Year with a pledge to keep striving for full-scale economic recovery and to create a society in which all generations can live in harmony. "In 2000, I want to push ahead with the 'economic renaissance' policy for real economic recovery," Obuchi said during...
JAPAN
Dec 20, 1999

Miyazawa unveils 85 trillion yen budget

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Monday proposed a draft general-account budget for fiscal 2000 worth 84.99 trillion yen intended as the "final push" for economic recovery. The budget, featuring massive public works spending and expanded funds to handle bank failures, is the largest-ever and 3.8...
JAPAN
Nov 10, 1999

Ban won't slow lawmaker cash flow

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1999

Cabinet establishes Y2K team

The government established a crisis-management task force Friday within the Cabinet to cope with the Year 2000 computer problem and fully prepare itself for the worst, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Muneo Suzuki said Friday.
JAPAN
May 24, 1999

Ishihara firing from hip at status quo

Staff writer
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 1999

Break the stalemate with Russia

During a recent meeting in Moscow, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and Russian President Boris Yeltsin reaffirmed a 1997 Russo-Japanese agreement that the two nations will do their utmost to sign a long-pending peace treaty by 2000. Mr. Hashimoto, who enjoys a close personal relationship with...

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