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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 31, 2003

Reform is required to untangle pension system

A woman I know recently went to her local Social Insurance Agency office to find out about her pension. Since she is 68, she is past the age when she should have started collecting benefits, but she was never sure what she was supposed to do because the SIA never contacted her.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Aug 12, 2003

Ajinomoto's amino acid products draw athletes, health-conscious consumers

Don't be surprised if you see Seattle Mariners sensation Ichiro Suzuki downing an Ajinomoto Co. amino acid drink in the dugout at Safeco Field during a baseball game.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2003

Housing suppliers cash in on demand for homes that reflect seasonal change

More and more housing suppliers are pitching eco-friendly "symbiotic housing" that incorporates traditional Japanese aesthetic values such as the texture of wood and the ability to reflect seasonal changes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2003

Brands vie for your thirst

"Advertising," as it's often defined, "is the creation of wants."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jul 24, 2003

Got milk delivery? Doorstep service doubles in last 10 years

Although once destined to share the same road to oblivion as black and white TVs and rotary telephones, doorstep milk deliveries have been staging a solid comeback.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2003

Dutch companies rethink corporate responsibility

AMSTERDAM -- In Europe, Dutch companies are widely considered to be the front runners along with British companies in addressing the need for corporate social responsibility.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Jul 15, 2003

Tokyo firm develops extra-sharp 'painless' needle

A six-employee company in Tokyo has developed a "painless" injection needle, much to the relief of children as well as adults.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2003

Vodafone, Ripplewood sign Japan Telecom deal

British mobile phone giant Vodafone Group PLC reached a final accord Saturday on the sale of its fixed-line subsidiary, Japan Telecom Co., to U.S. investment fund Ripplewood Holdings LLC for about 260 billion yen, company sources said.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2003

Narita airport takes step to privatization

The Diet enacted legislation Friday "privatizing" New Tokyo International Airport, initially putting the airport in Narita into the hands of a 100 percent government-owned company, which will be turned into a private concern in 2007.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2003

Shareholder meetings no longer for the meek

Individual and institutional investors were assertive at shareholders' meetings held by many companies in late June, raising questions about low stock prices and directors' retirement allowances.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2003

Hailing a cab easier for foreigners

Taxi companies have decided to give a helping hand to those who do not speak Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2003

Bullying bosses said sign of times

Staffing a hotline for victims of abusive bosses, Yasuko Okada has heard it all -- from complaints about one manager who would communicate only by e-mail with an employee he disliked to another who kicked, slapped and ridiculed a worker in front of clients.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 15, 2003

Shades of good sense

Parasols are peculiar things. Meaning "to ward off the sun" in Latin-based languages, these lightweight umbrellas were long ago the height of coquettish fashion in Europe. Until recently though, in Japan they were the preserve of its distinctly uncoquettish obasan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2003

UPS to buck economic trend and expand in Japan

Despite the current volatility of the economic climate, United Parcel Service Inc., the world's largest package delivery company, will actively expand operations in Japan, according to the head of UPS Asia Pacific Region.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2003

Kobe Steel eyes 20-fold profit growth by 2005

Kobe Steel Ltd. said Monday it aims to expand its group net profit by more than 20 times by fiscal 2005 to 36 billion yen from 1.7 billion yen in fiscal 2002, which ended March 31.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 25, 2003

Kansai rides the onsen wave

It's a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Spa World in Osaka's Naniwa Ward is crowded with people of all ages drawn to its 16 different kinds of baths. True to its name, it's an onsen theme park with a global approach.
EDITORIALS
May 25, 2003

Auguries in a coffee cup

Eight years ago, there was no such thing as a Starbucks coffee shop in Japan. Now they are part of the landscape; in the big cities, you can often find two or three of the ubiquitous stores with the round green logo within a couple of blocks of each other. That might sound like the ultimate definition...
BUSINESS
May 20, 2003

43-year-old to become president at Sega Corp.

Sega Corp., which saw two potential merger deals slide down the drain earlier this month, announced Monday that a 43-year-old senior officer will replace Hideki Sato as president.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2003

JAL expects revenue to fall by 162 billion yen

Japan Airlines System Corp. revealed Friday that it could lose revenue of 162 billion yen during the current fiscal year due to a drastic fall in passengers on international flights.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2003

Mitsubishi Estate back in the black

Mitsubishi Estate Co.'s group net balance returned to the black in fiscal 2002 due to a much smaller special loss than the previous year, when it booked huge valuation losses on fixed property.
BUSINESS
May 3, 2003

SMBC eyes 40% stake in Mitsui Mutual Life

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Co. are in final talks to make the insurer a joint-stock company by next April, with the bank taking a roughly 40 percent stake in it, officials at both companies said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Apr 29, 2003

Latecomer Sharp leads the pack in LCD TV sales

It took a while for the average engineer at Sharp Corp. to tune into the idea of the company dumping cathode-ray tube televisions by 2005.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Dad, son held on extortion charge

An 84-year-old man and his son were arrested Tuesday for allegedly attempting to extort 100 million yen from consumer finance company Takefuji Corp., police said.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2003

Millea Insurance companies finally announce merger

After a series of false starts, the companies of the Millea Insurance Group on Friday officially announced their merger, which will take place in October 2004.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2003

'Sokaiya' payments result in suspended prison terms

The Tokyo District Court gave four former officials of consumer credit firm Nippon Shinpan Co. suspended prison terms Wednesday for paying a "sokaiya" racketeer to ensure its shareholders' meetings were not disrupted.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2003

Japan looks to H-IIA as it enters satellite-launching business

Japan's aerospace industry is getting ready to enter the commercial satellite-launching business amid moves to transfer the government's H-IIA rocket technology to the private sector.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2003

Asahi group's pretax profit sinks 5.1% on weak sales

Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Friday its group pretax profit for the business year to Dec. 31 fell 5.1 percent from the previous year to 57.55 billion yen due to weak sales.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2003

Bandai to adopt holding firm system

Toy maker Bandai Co. said Tuesday it will adopt a holding company structure by March 2006 as part of a new three-year business plan that will be implemented in April.

Longform

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