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CULTURE / Books
May 13, 2001

'Earth Mother' Randy Taguchi wins plaudits for her fiction

The novelist Randy Taguchi, known as queen of the e-mail magazine, is enjoying something of a boom. Although she started writing on the Internet in 1996 and now draws some 78,000 readers for the weekly essay she posts on the Web, she came to more general attention when her first novel, "Consent," was...
BUSINESS
May 9, 2001

Ministry urges NTT to voluntarily reform

The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications on Tuesday urged Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. to submit a voluntary business plan to boost competition among NTT group firms, a ministry official said.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2001

Domestic PC shipments surge with Internet use

Domestic shipments of personal computers hit record highs in value and volume in fiscal 2000, amid growing demand from individuals as the Internet continues to gain popularity, an industry group said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2001

DoCoMo to cut phone fees by offering free calls

NTT DoCoMo Inc. will effectively cut its monthly mobile phone fees by adding free calls worth up to 400 yen starting in June, company officials said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 9, 2001

3G phones -- putting your music where your mouth is

Today's topic, class, is how to promote music in Japan and keep the Japanese music biz afloat. Are you ready? Then I'll begin.
JAPAN
May 8, 2001

Widow's appeal over stocks rejected

The Tokyo High Court has thrown out an appeal by the widow of a supporter of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi demanding the return of shares in NTT DoCoMo Inc. from the late prime minister's chief secretary, her lawyer said Monday.
JAPAN
May 4, 2001

Internet signals making waves with radio astronomy project

The growing number of Internet service providers using fixed wireless access technology is posing a problem for radio astronomers in Japan because the transmissions are threatening a project to explore the outer reaches of space.
BUSINESS
May 3, 2001

DaimlerChrysler plans new fuel-cell pact

The Mitsubishi group and DaimlerChrysler AG plan to jointly develop fuel cells with the aim of producing pollution-free motor vehicles, sources close to the project said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2001

DoCoMo to commence 3G service in October

NTT DoCoMo Inc. officially delayed the launch of its next-generation cellular service from May 30 to Oct. 1 but refused to call it a postponement.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Japan, U.S. settle squabble over port calls

Japan and the United States agreed Tuesday that the U.S. Navy will improve measures for giving prior notification to the Japanese government of port calls by U.S. submarines.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2001

E-mail pals nabbed for stealing 500,000 yen in Okinawa

A pair of men who apparently met two weeks ago on the Internet were arrested Sunday for stealing 500,000 yen from a coffee shop in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, after threatening an employee with a knife, police said Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2001

Single Tokyoites lash out on entertainment, phones

Young, single Tokyoites spend 40 percent of their living expenses on food, drink and phone bills, according to a recent survey.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 21, 2001

A time of rapid change and slow speech

Are you, or have you ever been, a member of the Japanese workforce? Like cards, you have been shuffled and dealt out to a different department or location within your company, as if you worked for Trump.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 19, 2001

Has the Japanese market for video games peaked?

Sega closed several Japanese arcades last year, including a few of its flagship Joypolis entertainment centers. And according to Sega Enterprises President Hideki Sato, Sega's two biggest competitors in the arcade market, Taito and Namco, are about to close many of their arcades as well.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2001

Toyota sells off J-Phone stake, backs KDDI

Toyota Motor Corp. has sold its stakes in the J-Phone group to the mobile phone operator's parent, Japan Telecom Co., to clarify its commitment to rival carrier KDDI, Toyota officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2001

Obara favored Zushi for rapes, police say

Accused serial rapist Joji Obara assaulted nearly all his female victims in his condominium in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, despite having several other metropolitan-area dwellings, police alleged Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2001

Obara destroyed rape video: cops

Police suspect alleged serial rapist Joji Obara destroyed a videotape depicting his rape of Briton Lucie Blackman as well as a shovel and the electric saw used to dismember her body, investigative sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2001

A view of the world from sidewalk level

Nami Kawase finds it hard to sit down. The world is too exciting. There are too many people to talk to, even if she can't speak their language.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2001

Postwar corporate model shed in quest for success

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., known for its Panasonic brand, embarked this month on a drastic reform of its groupwide business by gradually dismantling its "business unit" system, established by founder Konosuke Matsushita.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2001

Microsoft wants Xbox to be center of gaming

The launch of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox is designed to secure a foothold in the home video-game market for the company, an area seen as critical for long-term growth, according to a top executive of the game console project.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2001

Homegrown IT plans are best

The government has unveiled the "e-Japan" strategy that it hopes will turn Japan into the most advanced information-technology-based nation in five years. Most mass media and IT experts are critical of the strategy. They say it lacks vision and workable plans, is late and is designed to benefit only...
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2001

Deregulation plan skirts issue of dismantling NTT structure

The government launched a new three-year deregulation program Friday that features measures to promote information technology but skirts the proposed dismantling of the holding-company structure of NTT Corp.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2001

Profit-based nursing-care system under fire from providers

It's almost become routine for Yoshiko Nakamura to wake up at 2 a.m. to a phone call from a desperate elderly person who has no one else to turn to.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2001

Government waters down bills for breaking NTT phone monopoly

The government will impose looser regulations than previously planned on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. according to a new outline of two amendments to laws governing the dominant carrier's operations, government sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 25, 2001

Covering Japan on foot, for abused women, kids

In late 1999, photojournalist Mary King and IT systems analyst Etsuko Shimabukuro began to get itchy feet. Back in 1996 they had completed a two-year trip that took them through three continents. This time they decided to stay closer to home.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

Sharp adopts Java for PDA series

Sharp Corp. said Friday it has adopted the Java programming language for its personal digital assistants, mobile phones and other electronics gadgets with telecommunications functions.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

Chip makers to make 20% cut in capital outlays

Five major Japanese semiconductor makers are expected to reduce their combined capital investment by around 20 percent in fiscal 2001 due to uncertainty over demand for information technology products, industry sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
Mar 22, 2001

Toshiba drives up its sales targets

Toshiba Corp. said Wednesday that it has set its consolidated sales target for fiscal 2003 at 7.9 trillion yen, up more than 30 percent from fiscal 2000.

Longform

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