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BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Japan, Mexico to hold FTA talks

Japan and Mexico will hold a two-day meeting in Mexico City to study details of a proposed bilateral free trade agreement, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2001

Cable & Wireless eyes PSINet unit

Cable & Wireless PLC of Britain announced Monday it has agreed to acquire the Japanese subsidiary of PSINet Inc. of the United States for 7.2 million British pounds to expand Net-related business here.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2001

Jichiro execs 'knew of tax evasion'

Former executives of the scandal-hit Jichiro labor union were aware it was allegedly evading tax by not declaring commission income from insurance companies in the 1990s, labor and investigative sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2001

Jerusalem attacks benefit extremists on both sides

LONDON -- Hamas has had a very good weekend. The suicide bomb attacks that killed at least 25 people in Jerusalem and Haifa last Saturday and Sunday have driven any last remaining thoughts of a compromise peace settlement with the Palestinians out of the minds of most Israelis. Since the Islamic extremists...
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2001

Jazz singer only trying to make today better than yesterday

Making one's musical debut at the age of 40 night be seen a source of amusement in an industry dominated by the younger generation, but for jazz singer Chie Ayado the release of her first album, "For All We Know," in June 1998 was the start of her rise to fame.
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2001

Economy still lagging under 50%

The government said Thursday its key gauge of the economy remained below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in October, marking its 10th consecutive month under this line.
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2001

Deregulation panel seeks to relax medical advertising curbs

A final report currently being drafted by a government deregulation panel says restrictions on advertising by medical institutions should be relaxed by the end of March, panel sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2001

Revised code limits liability of executives

The Commercial Code was revised Wednesday to make it easier for firms to limit the damages corporate executives must pay in lawsuits brought by shareholders.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Group to rally NGOs next week over Afghan aid

A Japanese nonprofit organization will hold a conference for nongovernmental organizations in Tokyo next week to discuss ways to provide assistance to Afghanistan, according to organization officials.
COMMUNITY
Dec 6, 2001

Theme park operator laughs in face of yakuza, Mickey Mouse

While yakuza gangs and Mickey Mouse may be intimidating for her colleagues, Hatsue Takai merely brushes them aside.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Ex-Itoman chief to pay 2 billion yen

OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court on Wednesday ordered a former president of the now-defunct trading house Itoman Corp. to pay 2 billion yen in damages to the trading firm that absorbed Itoman.
COMMENTARY
Dec 5, 2001

Koizumi and LDP square off

With the government's decision to scrap or privatize seven key public corporations, including four highway corporations, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has cleared a major hurdle on the road to "structural reform with no sanctuary." Now his battle against the "resistance forces" -- the old guard of...
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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 5, 2001

The man with the plan

Jack Matsumura is a man with a mission: to turn Nippon Columbia, Japan's oldest label, into a profitable, hit-making record company once again.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2001

State postpones plan to release shares in three JR firms

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has decided not to sell its remaining equity stakes in East Japan Railway Co., West Japan Railway Co. and Central Japan Railway Co. this fiscal year, sources close to the case said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2001

State, consortium to link on rocket development

A consortium of several companies, including Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., plans to jointly develop with the government a small rocket, the GX, next year, consortium sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2001

Moody's mulls downgrade for Japan Finance

Moody's Investors Service Inc. said Monday it has assigned a domestic currency issuer rating of Aa2 to the governmental Japan Finance Corp. for Small Business (JFS) and has placed the entity under review for a possible downgrade.
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2001

Mr. Misuari's ill-timed tantrum

Muslim insurgents are once again fighting in the Philippines. Bandits and criminals who justify their activities by invoking Islam have been all too active in recent months, but the large-scale uprising earlier last month could signal a resumption of a conflict that was thought to have ended five years...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2001

Jiang unleashes revolutionary change

CAMBRIDGE, England -- There is a long tradition in China of requiring the people to study the words of their political leaders. In the late 17th century, the whole population of China was required to come together in small groups twice a month to study and recite the "16 moral maxims" published by the...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2001

Uptick noticed in N. Korean economy

LONDON -- There is a bustle on the streets of Pyongyang that has been sorely missing for at least five years. The shops -- never consumers' havens -- have some goods on the shelves. Restaurants on Changgwang Street, North Korea's pale equivalent of Tokyo's Ginza, are open and serving. Even street vendors...
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

Royal baby expected to bring 14 trillion yen boost to economy

The birth of a royal baby is expected to motivate the Japanese to spend 14 trillion yen, providing welcome stimulus to the decelerating economy.
SUMO
Dec 2, 2001

Hawaii's heavyweight hero is living his dream

Musashimaru is one of only two top-ranked yokozuna currently in Japan's national sport of sumo (the other is Takanohana), and last weekend he won the autumn basho in Fukuoka -- a victory that will boost earnings already estimated at 60 million yen a year.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

BOJ keeping more than 14 trillion yen in current accounts

The Bank of Japan on Friday left the balance of its current accounts held by financial institutions at more than 14 trillion yen, the highest level since March 31, 2000, in a bid to hold rates stable, financial industry officials said.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

Internet exchanges planned for Japan-China anniversary

Japan is planning to promote online exchanges with China in cultural, scientific and other fields next year when the two countries commemorate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties, according to Foreign Ministry officials.
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.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat