Search - 2003

 
 
BUSINESS
Oct 7, 2003

1 trillion yen cut planned for local subsidies in '04

The Finance Ministry plans to cut subsidies to local governments by 1 trillion yen in the budget for fiscal 2004, ministry officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2003

Record wage cuts approved for government employees

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved record wage cuts for central government employees for fiscal 2003 to bring their pay in line with sagging private-sector wage levels, government officials said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Aug 7, 2003

"Tell the Moon to Come Out," "Illustrated Oxford Dictionary"

"Tell the Moon to Come Out," Joan Lingard, Puffin Books; 2003; 208 pp.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2003

Auto sales log first rise in two years

Domestic sales of new cars, trucks and buses in the first half of 2003 rose 3.7 percent from the same period last year to 2.09 million vehicles, the first year-on-year increase in two years, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2003

Soft drink market forecast to shrink

The Japanese soft drink market will probably be worth 4.92 trillion yen in 2003, down 200 million yen from the previous year, a private research firm said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2003

Economic reform package unveiled to mixed reviews

The nation's key policy-setting panel on Thursday released an economic reform package for 2003, featuring local finance changes and deregulation in some sectors.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2003

Takeda Chemical reports record earnings

Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd., the nation's top drugmaker, on Friday reported record earnings and revenue for fiscal 2002, despite a cut in prescription drug prices.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2003

Toyota Motor logs third straight year of record earnings

Toyota Motor Corp. continued to perform strongly in fiscal 2002, setting new sales and profit highs for the third consecutive year, the nation's leading automaker said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
May 7, 2003

One door opens, another one closes

"The closing of a door can bring blessed privacy and comfort -- the opening, terror. Conversely, the closing of a door can be a sad and final thing -- the opening a wonderfully joyous moment."
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2003

Honda reports record group net profit and sales

Honda Motor Co. reported Friday a record group net profit of 426.66 billion yen for fiscal 2002, up 17.6 percent from the previous year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Apr 17, 2003

"The Sands of Time," "Smile, Crocodile, Smile"

"The Sands of Time," Michael Hoeye, Penguin Putnam Books; 2002; 277 pp. Once in a rare while, there comes a book in which the characters outlive the story. It was certainly not easy to say goodbye to Hermux Tantamoq, the dignified little hero of Michael Hoeye's terrific debut novel, "Time Stops for...
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003

Business groups seek a freeze on capital gains tax

The nation's three major business lobbies, hoping to bolster stock prices from their 20-year lows, called Monday for a freeze on the tax on capital gains from the sale of shares.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 25, 2003

Rugby boys pack down for sevens extravaganza

Tradition has it that in 1883 the Melrose rugby club in Scotland was casting around for ideas to help the club's finances when the suggestion of a rugby football tournament was put forward by the now legendary "Ned" Haig.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2003

Ruling bloc, opposition lawmakers defer Oshima spat to pass budget

Putting their spat aside for the time being, the ruling and opposition camps got together in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to approve an 81.79 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2003.
EDITORIALS
Feb 17, 2003

Revival of the 'twin deficit' threat

A budget crisis is returning to the United States. Along with worsening trade deficits, record budget shortfalls projected for the fiscal year 2003 and beyond are reviving a nightmare threat of "twin deficits." It is worrisome for global growth and security that the world's only military and economic...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Osaka unveils slimmer draft budget

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka unveiled on Thursday a belt-tightening 1.78 trillion yen draft budget for fiscal 2003 featuring cuts in subsidies, public projects and personnel outlays.
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2003

Tax, welfare burden to ease: ministry

The burden of taxes and social welfare costs on individuals will probably fall slightly in fiscal 2003, mainly due to tax cuts designed to boost the economy, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

Ministry sees state bond issues rising

The value of government bonds issued to cover the fiscal 2006 budget deficit is expected to hit 45.5 trillion yen, 25 percent higher than the planned issuance for the 2003 budget, according to a report released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Feb 2, 2003

Getting a word in edgewise with Howling Guitar

"This is my 1958 Gibson LP-Jr. You know that Johnny Thunders played the same model. This guitar is my life and if it dies I would like to give it an honorable burial. But . . . I hope we get buried together."
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 10, 2003

Buffs open vault for Nakamura

OSAKA -- Norihiro Nakamura signed a free-agent deal with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes on Wednesday, becoming the highest-paid Japanese baseball player with an estimated annual salary of 500 million yen for 2003 plus incentives.
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2003

Time to rock economic boat

After remaining in the doldrums for more than 10 years, the Japanese economy is now plagued by deflation. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei index has fallen to the 8,500 level, and the nation's unemployment rate remains high. Last fall the government announced a policy package for expediting...
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2002

Fiscal panel urges restraint, streamlining and discipline

The Fiscal System Council, an advisory panel to the finance minister, proposed Wednesday that a "reform-oriented" budget be compiled for fiscal 2003 that restricts government bond issuance and scrutinizes tax grants for local governments.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 20, 2002

Expos evoke memories of Japan's 'gypsies'

There's a lot of speculation about what will happen to the Montreal Expos and where the team will play its home games during the 2003 season.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2002

EU 'withholds funds' for N. Korea reactors

The European Parliament has decided to temporarily withhold its 2003 funding to a consortium charged with building nuclear reactors in North Korea following Pyongyang's admission that it is developing nuclear arms, EU sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2002

Budget requests total 86.78 trillion yen

Requests for the fiscal 2003 general account budget from government ministries and agencies stand at 86.78 trillion yen, up 6.8 percent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2002

Tax Commission looks to cut exemptions

The government's Tax Commission on Tuesday proposed abolishing in fiscal 2003 certain tax exemptions granted to salaried employees with a working spouse.
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2002

Japan's economy grows 0.5%

The nation's economy expanded 0.5 percent in the April-June quarter, up for the first time in five quarters, on the back of strong performance by exports, government data showed Friday.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2002

FSA plans to offer cash incentives to banks that merge

The government may provide as much as 1 trillion yen to banks that agree to consolidate, according to a proposal outlined Thursday by the Financial Service Agency.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?