Search - 2004

 
 
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2006

Marubeni to buy IRCJ stake in Daiei within week

Trading house Marubeni Corp. will lead Daiei Inc.'s rehabilitation by acquiring a 33.4 percent stake in the struggling retailer now held by Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan, sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 22, 2006

UNSC passes the test, so far

HONOLULU -- Hat's off to Pyongyang! It has helped to accomplish in 10 days what American officials had failed to accomplish in almost four years of diplomacy: a unanimous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that not only condemns its July 5 (Fourth of July in the United States) missile...
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 21, 2006

Onitake gets nod for J. League top job

The J. League finalized the appointment of vice chairman Kenji Onitake as its chairman on Thursday, taking over from Masaru Suzuki who left the post at the expiration of his term.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 21, 2006

Celtic epic set in Ryukyu

In an outdoor treat to rival summer's traditional fireworks displays, Satoshi Miyagi's renowned Ku Na'uka contemporary theater company is this week staging its version of the Celtic chivalry epic,"Tristan and Isolde" in the grounds of the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno from July 24-30.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2006

Ex-additive salesman warns of hidden dangers

A one-time food-additives salesman and chemist is using his insider information to warn people about the dangers lurking in the prepared-food sections at supermarkets and convenience stores.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2006

Toyota not looking to block GM tieup talks

Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe said Thursday his firm has no plan to block alliance talks involving General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2006

Fraud allegations spur police raids of Aum locations

Police on Thursday raided the home of a former Aum Shinrikyo member in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, and related places on suspicion that the man and another ex-cultist had fraudulently opened a bank account to evade taxes and to support their condemned guru's family on the sly.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2006

Trust banks sue Seibu over delisting

Seibu Holdings Inc. said Wednesday its subsidiaries Seibu Railway Co. and Prince Hotels Inc. have been sued by five trust banks over the railway's delisting as punishment for falsifying financial statements.
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 18, 2006

Morimoto gets offer from Italy

Tokyo Verdy striker Takayuki Morimoto has received an offer to play for Italian League club Catania, officials of the J. League second-division club said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2006

GSDF goodness elated Samawah: Iraqi journalist

Many Iraqis in the southern city of Samawah feel grateful to withdrawing Japanese troops for rebuilding roads, hospitals and other vital facilities there, but some have felt disappointed because they had higher expectations for what the troops could do, a Samawah-based Iraqi journalist said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 18, 2006

Preventing suicide and axing overtime pay is a risky mix

More than 30,000 people kill themselves each year in Japan, bestowing the country with the shameful honor of the highest suicide rate in the developed world. To deal with this reality, a group of lawmakers from across the political spectrum pushed an antisuicide bill through the Diet last month to force...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2006

Better schools trump caste preferences

BOMBAY -- The United States has long been divided over what it calls "affirmative action," a system of racial preferences intended to overcome the lingering consequences of slavery and discrimination against black Americans. India is now becoming divided in much the same way, and for much the same reason...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 16, 2006

And now for some good news -- on tap for everyone

We have become so used to environmental portents that whenever we hear good news we blink in disbelief, so blink away: It appears that the various concerted efforts to get people in Japan to save water has paid off.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2006

Plan to disband defense facilities agency is ready

The Defense Agency compiled a plan Friday for disbanding the Defense Facilities Administration Agency, whose senior officials were embroiled in bid-rigging.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2006

Matchmaker looks to cash in on population woes

For the government, the declining birthrate and delayed marriages are its biggest headaches as the graying of Japan accelerates.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 15, 2006

Alison Pockett

In 1995, Alison Pockett of Britain set up Magellan, her own personal financial advisory company, in Tokyo. She said, "When I came here, this country shocked me deeply, positively. I didn't expect so many opportunities to set up on my own and go as far as I could. There are so many things to do here....
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2006

Japan, Chile agree to continue FTA talks

Japan and Chile agreed to continue working to settle their differences on market access in goods, after wrapping up their latest round of talks Friday on a free-trade agreement, a Japanese official said.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2006

Runup to war in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO -- My plane lands smoothly at Colombo's plush Bandaranaike International Airport, but beyond the runway lies the turbulence of ethnic strife that for 20 years has ravaged this hauntingly picturesque island nation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 14, 2006

A confluence of buzzes

Artistic restlessness is not a quality normally associated with rookie rock bands. It applies more to established groups who've outgrown their signature sound. TV on the Radio, a Brooklyn quintet whose second album, "Return to Cookie Mountain," was already being touted by tastemakers as the year's best...
EDITORIALS
Jul 14, 2006

Moral boost for Mr. Putin

Russia's most wanted man is dead. Shamil Basayev, the leader of Chechen rebels who has masterminded acts of terror that have claimed hundreds of lives, was killed this week in an explosion. His death is a victory for the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a blow to the cause Basayev headed;...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2006

Guantanamo: shame on U.S.

David Hicks is a young man from Adelaide who was corrupted by al-Qaida propaganda and volunteered to train with them in Afghanistan. He left Afghanistan without having committed any terrorist or criminal act, then decided to go back to collect his meager belongings. Rather stupidly, that was after the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2006

Firm pioneers dealing with belongings of departed

With more than 4 million people over 65 living alone and many dying a solitary death, a niche business has emerged in dealing with the belongings of those who pass away.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2006

Student loan defaults hit 142,000 in '05

A record 142,000 people have failed to repay their student loans even a year after the deadline, a survey by the government-affiliated Japan Student Services Organization showed Wednesday.

Longform

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