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BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2001

Growth forecast at minus 0.3%

The government is likely to set its official growth forecast for fiscal 2002 at minus 0.3 percent in the wake of news that the economy contracted a real 0.5 percent in the July-September quarter, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2001

Aoki goes under with 522 billion yen in liabilities

The construction industry was dealt another blow on Thursday when general contractor Aoki Corp. effectively went bankrupt, filing for court protection from creditors under a civil rehabilitation law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Bookstores cashing in on royal birth

The birth of a girl to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess has led major bookstores in Tokyo to promote popular reading material relating to the Imperial family as well as books related to the new mother.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Sachiyo Nomura arrested in tax probe

Sachiyo Nomura, the high-profile wife of Hanshin Tigers manager Katsuya Nomura, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly hiding roughly 570 million yen in income and evading 210 million yen in taxes.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2001

Egypt: a mirror of what is wrong with U.S.-Arab relations

CAIRO -- In a workshop in the Khan Khalil bazaar in the heart of medieval Cairo, Atef Hamid unwraps three beautifully crafted copper plates, each with designs taken from ancient and famous mosques, on which his grandfather has been laboring.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2001

Face to face with Imperial evil

Japanese Devils Rating: * * * * 1/2 Director: Minoru Matsui Running time:160 minutes Language: Japanese Now showing
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2001

Government to allow 11 refugees

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Tuesday that 11 applications for refugee status submitted by foreigners will shortly be accepted, bringing the total number of such accepted applications to 21 this year.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2001

Steel firms look to cut costs with tieup

Nippon Steel Corp. and Kobe Steel Ltd. said Tuesday they will enter a comprehensive tieup in steel production and distribution in a bid to reduce costs and improve their competitiveness.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Dec 5, 2001

Stock rally may be corporate red herring

A stream of disappointing corporate profit reports has thus far failed to spur extensive selloffs on the Tokyo stock market.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2001

'Happoshu' hike opposed by Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi voiced opposition Tuesday to a Finance Ministry proposal that the tax on low-malt "happoshu" beverages be increased.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2001

Debate likely on Imperial succession rules

The birth of a baby girl to the Crown Prince and Princess on Saturday, the first in the couple's 8 1/2-year marriage, is likely to refuel debate within political circles over whether the Imperial House Law should be revised to allow the nation to have a reigning empress.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2001

Birth of an Imperial princess

A new baby is always cause for rejoicing, but the birth of a child to the Crown Prince and Princess on Saturday comes as especially bright news at this somber time. In an instant, the symbolic value of the monarchy -- sometimes doubted or forgotten -- becomes clear again. For a brief, shining moment,...
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

Your click-and-go guide to the snow

Although 75 percent of Japan is mountainous, and there are 600 ski resorts nationwide, the process of arranging a ski holiday can often be full of trials and tribulations.
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 2, 2001

They're playing our song . . .

The Japanese penal system is a murky realm since contact between inmates and the outside world is limited. Much of what is reported about prison life is received from indirect sources.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

Third mad cow case diagnosed

A third Japanese cow has been diagnosed as having mad cow disease, although a final confirmation of the animal's condition will only be made by a panel of experts later today, according to the health ministry.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

Birth of princess 'a delight' for the nation, Koizumi says

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement Saturday congratulating the Crown Prince and Princess on the birth of their first child, describing it as a delightful event for the Japanese people.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

Jobless rate hits 5.4%

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.4 percent in October, hitting a record high as more people lost jobs due to corporate restructuring, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

328 at Foreign Ministry penalized for fund misuse

A total of 328 Foreign Ministry officials were punished Friday for illicitly pooling more than 200 million yen in public funds, using about 160 million yen for mostly unofficial purposes over 6 1/2 years, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Enron's fall would stifle liberalization: Hiranuma

The expected collapse of U.S. energy giant Enron Corp. will hinder Japan's efforts to liberalize its energy market, Takeo Hiranuma, the minister of economy, trade and industry, said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Ministry seeks early passage of consolidated tax

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Friday that his ministry will try to introduce a consolidated corporate tax system as early as possible in fiscal 2002 and make it retroactive to April 1.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 1, 2001

Uses for the Japanese Proficiency Test

Tomorrow, foreigners from all over the world, from China to Mars, will be sitting for the Japanese Proficiency Test.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Dentsu's TSE debut makes a big splash

Dentsu Inc., the nation's largest advertising agency, registered on Friday the maximum daily allowable gain -- 50,000 yen -- to end the day at 470,000 yen on its first day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2001

Elderly folks bond in makeshift cafes

Tokyo's Suginami Ward is making a name for itself as an area where senior citizens can meet at least once a month and chat over a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa at a private home or assembly hall converted into a makeshift cafe by volunteers.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2001

Justice Ministry reveals deportee's bank deposits

The Justice Ministry has revealed that about 100 million yen was deposited into a bank account of one of nine Afghan men who were denied refugee status in Japan on grounds that they lack credibility as refugees.
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2001

Consolidated tax may debut after all

Facing pressure from within the government, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday that the April deadline for introducing a consolidated taxation system can still be met.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2001

U.N. seeks ongoing assistance from Japan

The United Nations is seeking Japan's continued support for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and other countries, despite tight fiscal conditions, a top visiting U.N. official said Tuesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Nov 28, 2001

U.S. set to rebound, not Japan

Investors have taken heart from recent U.S. economic reports that show a 7.1 percent rise in retail sales in October, the strongest surge on record, and a continued fall in the number of weekly jobless claims.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 28, 2001

Indispensable designs

When you pull a foil bag of potato chips down from the shelf in the supermarket, you're usually thinking only about its contents. But when that same colorful bag is used as a cover for an art catalog, the disposable wrapping has suddenly turned into an ambiguous, sophisticated artifact.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2001

Second budget takes page from Nakasone's book

Only 10 days after the first supplementary budget was enacted, the government performed an almost acrobatic feat to finance a second extra budget for this fiscal year -- tapping the proceeds from government sales of shares in Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.

Longform

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