Search - 2002

 
 
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 6, 2003

Koizumi hit over wishy-washy North Korea policy

In Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Sept. 17, 2002, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi emerged from his government jet with an air of determination.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 3, 2003

Was 'reform without sanctuaries' an empty pledge?

When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001, he told the public that pain was a necessary evil in the process of rehabilitating the corporate sector and achieving financial stability.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 2, 2003

Koizumi's failings linked to inflexible fiscal policy

Some economists compare it to trying to lose weight by fasting when the real solution is exercise, while others talk about repairing an airplane's altimeter when it's the engine that needs attention.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 31, 2003

When your number's up ...

Emiko Kameyama has two close friends she likes to hang out with. In addition to their monthly dinners and the occasional trips they take together, two years ago the trio began a new tradition -- playing the Jumbo takarakuji (lottery).
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2003

Bad-loan disposal costs still higher than profits

Bad-loan disposal costs at the nation's banks totaled 6.6 trillion yen in fiscal 2002, exceeding banks' core operating profits for the 10th straight year, the Bank of Japan said Monday in a report.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 19, 2003

Cometh the man, cometh the charisma

Adashing & suave lady-killer and a misfit loser?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / CLOSE-UP
Aug 3, 2003

Activist draws on his talents to expose U.S. militarism

American sociologist and antiwar activist Joel Andreas, 46, is the author of "Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can't Kick Militarism."
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2003

EBook market hit 1 billion yen in '02

The Japanese market for eBooks soared to 1 billion yen in 2002, according to a recent market survey conducted by publishing house Impress Corp.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2003

Major banks pin losses on stockholding declines

Five major banking groups told the Financial Services Agency on Wednesday that they posted losses in fiscal 2002 not because their earnings deteriorated but because their stockholdings bled massive red ink.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2003

Indicted prison guards to receive pay, benefits

The Justice Ministry will pay five Nagoya Prison guards accused of taking part in fatal assaults on inmates in 2001 and 2000 part of their salaries and allowances, ministry officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Rail staff taking passenger violence on chin

A drunken man gets up from his train seat and suddenly decks a railway employee, whose only offense was to wake him up at the end of the line.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2003

'Kenpo' deficit widens

Japan's health insurance system for private-sector employees (Kenpo) is sinking deeper into deficit. It is estimated that eight of 10 health insurance associations booked losses in fiscal 2002. At this rate, an increase in insurance premiums seems inevitable.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2003

Honda looks to shape brighter future by remodeling the past

Honda Motor Co. hopes to recover from a slump in domestic car sales by launching redesigned models of popular vehicles, according to Honda President Takeo Fukui.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Loose talk in chat room costs operator

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ordered the operator of an Internet chat room to pay a total of 4 million yen to a cosmetics firm and its head because content on one of its message boards defamed them.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 13, 2003

Heartfelt poetry from and inspired by Asia

EPITAPH FOR MEMORIES, by Yoko Danno. The Bunny and The Crocodile Press, 2002, 53 pp., $10 (paper). NINETY-FIVE NIGHTS OF LISTENING, by Malinda Markham. Mariner Books, 2002, 80 pp., $12 (paper).
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2003

Japanese women living longer

Japanese women, who have the longest life spans in the world, are living even longer these days.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2003

Governors' wages rise while mayors' drop

The average income of governors in 35 prefectures rose to 24 million yen in 2002, while that of mayors of 10 of the nation's 13 largest cities fell to 22.37 million yen, with many having their pay and bonuses cut due to tight budgets, according to income reports released Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2003

TV = money for politicians

National lawmakers who regularly appear on television to give their opinions on various matters saw their miscellaneous income jump in 2002, according to income data released Monday by the Diet.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2003

Some firms hold early stock meetings

NTT DoCoMo Inc., Nissan Motor Co. and NEC Corp. were among firms that held general shareholders' meetings Thursday, ahead of a slew of such meetings June 27.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2003

Guard abuse evident in only two of 1,566 deaths: ministry

The Justice Ministry said Friday that a special probe into suspicious prisoner deaths between 1993 and 2002 has found evidence of abuse by guards in just two of the 1,566 cases under scrutiny.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2003

5.24 million foreign visitors seen in '02; many had gripes

Foreign visitors to Japan in 2002 increased by 9.8 percent from the previous year to 5.24 million, topping the 5 million mark for the first time, the transport ministry reported Tuesday in presenting a to-do list for achieving the government goal of attracting 10 million annual visitors by 2010.
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.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2003

Net overseas assets off slightly on stronger yen

The outstanding balance of Japan's net overseas assets stood at 175.31 trillion yen at the end of last year, down 2.2 percent from a record high marked a year earlier and the first drop in three years, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2003

Coalition task force approves bill to bolster stock-purchasing body

A coalition task force scrutinizing financial policies on Tuesday approved a legal amendment aimed at reinforcing the functions of a stock-purchasing body, lawmakers said.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

White paper asks for transparency in land prices

The land ministry compiled a draft white paper on land for fiscal 2002, urging that real estate trading prices be made public, and presented it Thursday to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, ministry officials said.
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

J-Pop helps Columbia Music out of seven years of red ink

Columbia Music Entertainment Inc., reviving itself under Ripplewood Holdings LLC, reported Thursday its first profit in seven years on a group operating basis.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2003

Nissho Iwai, Nichimen report net losses

Trading houses Nissho Iwai Corp. and Nichimen Corp., which integrated their management under a holding company April 1, reported Thursday sizable group net losses for fiscal 2002.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2003

JR East posts increases in revenue, profit

East Japan Railway Co. reported Tuesday an increase in revenue and consolidated profit in fiscal 2002, despite seeing a 3 billion yen decline in its core transport business due to the sluggish business environment, officials said.

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