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BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2002

Sanyo ties up with China's Haier

OSAKA -- Sanyo Electric Co. said Tuesday it has signed a wide-ranging business tieup with Haier Group Co., China's largest home appliance manufacturer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2002

Japan's business leaders see growth elusive in fiscal 2002

The leaders of Japan's four most powerful business groups said Monday that Japan's economy will continue to be sluggish in fiscal 2002, predicting an annual growth rate of between 0.5 percent and a contraction of 1 percent.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2002

Argentina crisis not yet a danger

The economic woes of Argentina are not likely to have major negative effects on the rest of the global economy, Vice Finance Minister Toshiro Muto said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2002

Localities favor postal privatization

Local government chiefs in favor of privatizing postal services outnumber those who oppose it, according to a recent survey by Kyodo News and its member newspaper publishers nationwide.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2002

New national nursing-care system gives the poor short shrift: survey

About half of local government heads think the national nursing-care insurance system introduced in April 2000 lacks measures for helping people with low incomes and for coordinating facilities, according to a survey conducted by Kyodo News and its associated newspapers.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2002

Mad cow solution remains elusive

On Sept. 22, the Japanese government announced what had been suspected for more than a month: that a dairy cow raised in Chiba Prefecture had indeed been infected with a brain-wasting disease.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2002

Falun Gong follower deported from China

A Japanese Falun Gong follower has said that he was deported from China after protesting Beijing's ban on the group.
COMMUNITY
Jan 6, 2002

Life in the new year: Que sera sera

What joys and sorrows will the coming year bring for Japan? Fast forward to Jan. 1, 2003, apply tongue firmly to cheek and enjoy the benefit of hindsight by reading the alternative futures contained in the 2002 diaries of long-suffering Tokyo banker Gamansuruzo Nostrodoomus, and go-getting Kansai career...
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2002

Koizumi hints at more public funds for banks

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pledged to take every possible step to avert financial crisis, hinting at yet another injection of public money into banks suffering from bad loans.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 5, 2002

13 another lucky number for 'surimono' albums

David Bull is as insistent as he is stubborn. No sooner has he sat me down beside his workbench (the only warm room in the house), with younger daughter Fumi (16) creating a Web page on the computer on top of the "kotatsu," then he is demanding how much I know about "hanga" (woodblock prints).
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

Yoshimoto hopes to give Chinese TV comic relief

OSAKA -- Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., a major Osaka-based entertainment company, plans to enter the comedy entertainment business in China, the president of the company said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 4, 2002

Town ties fate to remnants of an industry

KUSHIRO, Hokkaido -- Although the new year was just around the corner, there was little joy to be seen in the southeast end of this port city.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2002

This summer it's Sydney's turn 'to sizzle'

SYDNEY -- At times like these, Australians are wondering whether they really do live upside down. While the Northern Hemisphere, shivering in the cold, was welcoming in 2002 with hot drinks, Australia has been battling bush fires.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2002

Newly noticed whiskey makers forced to diversify products

It's winter, the perfect season to sip a glass of whisky on a long, quiet night to warm up, as well as a good time to sample the variety of quality whiskeys available on the market.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2002

Municipalities leaning toward mergers

More than 60 percent of the nation's cities, towns and villages, particularly those with aging or declining populations, are considering mergers, according to a poll released Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2002

Hatoyama to visit India this month

Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, said Monday he will make a four-day visit to India this month to call for a peaceful solution to the country's standoff with Pakistan.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2002

Nikkeiren pushes job-sharing to stabilize unemployment

Employers and employees will eventually agree on wage cuts in the form of work-sharing as they undergo the much expected pains of ongoing structural reforms initiated by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the chief of Japan Federation of Employers Association (Nikkeiren) said.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2002

Economy to be severe in first half: BOJ

The state of the nation's economy will likely remain severe in the first half of 2002 as a result of the Prime Minister's ongoing structural reforms, according to the chief of the central bank.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2002

Bad times spark new breed of lottery fan

Masao Kitasawa, 58, is a lottery fan. He buys about 10 lottery tickets a week, spending roughly 10,000 yen a month to "dream a little."
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2001

A year of fear and confusion

The war in Afghanistan is just about over. Contrary to most expectations, the U.S.-led coalition avoided the traps that had ensnared previous enemies of governments in Kabul. Its bombing campaign succeeded in exterminating a loathsome regime and the terrorists it harbored. Yet despite that impressive...
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2001

Sunken mystery ship's sister vessel docks in North Korea

A vessel suspected of being in a fleet that included an unidentified ship that sank Dec. 22 in the East China Sea after exchanging fire with Japanese patrol boats has returned to North Korean shores, according to well-placed sources.
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2001

Little bags of luckiness

Just about a month ago, at the start of the holiday shopping season, consumers in Japan and other affluent countries were being urged to sit on their wallets for "Buy Nothing Day," the now annual and global act of homage to self-restraint. Get in the habit of buying only what you need, not what you want,...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2001

2001 a banner year for Beijing

The year 2001 has been a good one for China. It won the right to host the 2008 Olympics, which should raise the country's status in the world. After 15 arduous years of negotiations, it finally joined the World Trade Organization, which will provide momentum for additional economic reforms. And despite...
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 30, 2001

A holiday basking in the blue glow

Depending on how you feel about the New Year's holidays and Japanese TV programming in general, the first week of the year is either the best week for TV or the worst. Most New Year's specials mimic what the average Japanese family is doing at home. Celebrities sit around in their finest holiday duds...
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 30, 2001

Reasons to celebrate good-tasting bargains

Recent Vineland columns have focused on distinctive, luxury wines for holiday gift-giving and festive dinners. For our last column in 2001, we pursued an elusive category -- delicious bargain party bottles. It's a tantalizing quest. Few achievements are more gratifying to a wine lover than discovering...
COMMUNITY
Dec 30, 2001

O-Shogatsu: a custom-made holiday

Yoshio Mamiya doesn't need reminding that o-shogatsu is almost here. For several weeks, the 78-year-old craftsman has been working 12-hour days, seven days a week at his studio in the Sanno district of Tokyo's Ota Ward, where he busily stitches away to meet his customers' demand to renew their domestic...

Longform

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