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COMMENTARY
Jul 19, 2012

Character assassination on the campaign trail

It's getting down and dirty in election land. Last week, President Barack Obama's campaign suggested Mitt Romney might be guilty of a felony for filing misleading papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission (a charge The Washington Post discounted); and Romney's team aired a new ad portraying...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 7, 2012

The price you pay for electronic bells and whistles of businesses

The setsuden (power-saving) campaign is now in full force, as residents all over Japan are being encouraged to conserve electricity so there is enough to get through the high-use summer months. Even on my small island of 609 people, each household received a list of suggestions on how we can help Japan...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2012

Japan to become No. 2 solar market

Japan is poised to overtake Germany and Italy to become the world's second-biggest market for solar power as incentives that started Sunday drive sales for equipment makers from Kyocera Corp. to China's Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2012

Clarity in the conflict of austerity versus growth

It seemed clear that Germany (or at least this rather large gathering of government, business, and labor leaders) remains committed to the euro and to deeper European integration, and recognizes that success will require Europe-wide burden-sharing to overcome the ongoing eurozone crisis. The reforms...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2012

Skytree a mixed blessing for locals

A month after the opening of Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Skytree Town in Sumida Ward, the world's tallest broadcasting tower and its shopping and entertainment complex continue to draw hordes of visitors, reaching 1.6 million in just the first week, according to operator Tobu Tower Skytree Co. and its parent,...
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2012

Aeon agrees to buy 50% of Tesco unit

Aeon Co., Japan's largest retailer, agreed to buy 50 percent of Tesco PLC's operations in the country for a "nominal sum," almost a year after the U.K. retailer said it was looking for a buyer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2012

Translating smartphone is boon for DoCoMo

Smartphones are getting smarter. Maybe nearly as smart as a multilingual interpreter.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2012

Public to Tepco: Don't hike rates

Citizens attending the first public hearing Thursday on Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s request to increase electricity rates for households voiced opposition to the plan and urged the utility to cut costs instead.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 28, 2012

Unmachinable, unreformable, but necessary

One recent topic for The Wall Street Journal's front-page space set aside for stories other than the daily shenanigans of business, politics and wars was the community in Florida created for retired letter carriers. ("In Florida, These Retirees Deliver a First-Class Protest," March 27.)
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 26, 2012

Young goldfish breeders rise to challenge in Aichi

Breeding goldfish has been a dying industry in and around the city of Yatomi, Aichi Prefecture, but a glimmer of hope remains as a younger generation of breeders are taking over their family businesses.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2012

Japan Tobacco buys Belgium's Gryson

Japan Tobacco Inc. agreed to pay €475 million ($597 million) for Belgium-based Gryson NV to boost growth in Europe's roll-your-own cigarette market in the biggest purchase by a tobacco company since 2009.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2012

Mazda tying up with Fiat, plans new roadster

Mazda Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will form a business tieup with Italy's Fiat, a step that could help it climb out of the red ink it has been mired in since 2008 amid harsh global competition.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
May 21, 2012

For better or worse, Japan might remain nuclear-free forever

On May 5, Japan's last operating nuclear reactor was shut down, turning it into a nuclear energy-free country. The government is working desperately to restart two reactors in the town of Oi in Fukui Prefecture, but the outcome is difficult to predict.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 20, 2012

Economic woes, political volatility may creep into U.S. foreign affairs

No matter who wins the presidential election in November, the United States appears headed for a prolonged period of political volatility as leaders do not seem to have good answers to voters' anxieties about their economic future. This threatens to spill over into U.S. relations with the rest of the...
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2012

Restructuring of Tepco

Trade and industry minister Yukio Edano Wednesday approved a 10-year comprehensive business plan which Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the government-backed Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund on April 27 submitted to the government for restructuring the power company in the wake of the nuclear crisis...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 8, 2012

A decade serving the community

Wednesday marks the 10-year anniversary of the Community pages, which have been providing news, analysis and opinion by, for and about the foreign community in Japan since May 9, 2002.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2012

Sekisui foresees China home sales boosting profit to record by 2015

Sekisui House Ltd., Japan's second-biggest home builder, said it expects operating profit to increase almost 80 percent to a record in three years as business in China starts to generate earnings.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2012

S. Africa's rebranding as tourist destination pays off

South Africa's tourism sector has grown robustly since it successfully rebranded itself as a top sightseeing destination, especially among business travelers, according to visiting tourism minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat