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BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2006

Capital spending up 16.6% in April-June quarter

Companies' capital spending rose 16.6 percent in the April-June quarter on an all-industry basis from a year earlier, marking the sharpest expansion since comparative data became available in July-September 2002, according to a Finance Ministry survey released Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 2, 2006

Asahi Tec to buy U.S. car parts rival Metaldyne

Auto parts maker Asahi Tec announced Friday it will buy U.S. rival Metaldyne Corp. for $1.2 billion.
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2006

Sony braces for impact of massive battery recall

Sony Corp. is cooperating fully with personal computer maker Dell Inc.'s recall of 4.1 million notebook computer batteries supplied by Sony, but it does not know how much the recall will cost, a spokesman said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2006

Consumers loosen purse strings, splurge on glitzy electronic goods

Japanese home electronics and appliance manufacturers are churning out expensive, high-grade products to take advantage of the growing number of free-spending consumers.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2006

Bridgestone's profit skids 68% in fiscal first half

Tire maker Bridgestone Corp. reported Wednesday a 68 percent plunge in net profit for the fiscal first half because of expenses related to closing a U.S. plant and the surging cost of raw materials, including crude oil and rubber.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2006

First U.S. beef since ban goes on sale at Costco

U.S. beef went on sale Wednesday for the first time since the lifting of a ban imposed in January over mad cow disease, officials from the stores selling the meat said.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2006

Inpex books 25.76 billion yen profit

Inpex Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it booked a 25.76 billion yen group net profit in the April-June quarter in the first earnings report it has released since it was formed in April by the merger of Inpex Corp. and Teikoku Oil Co.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2006

KDDI phones hit by e-mail glitch

Two mobile phone models sold by KDDI Corp. automatically switch off after sending or receiving certain e-mail characters, the major phone carrier said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2006

McDonald's logs 545 million yen loss

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Wednesday it booked a group net loss of 545 million yen in the first half of this year on impairment losses on fixed assets, while its sales expanded 8.2 percent to 170.60 billion yen.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2006

DoCoMo quarterly profit declines

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Friday its group net profit in the April-June quarter dropped 21.3 percent from the previous year to 163.51 billion yen as an operating profit fall in its cellular phone division coincided with a loss expansion in other divisions.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2006

Hokuetsu materials costs take 33% bite out of profit

Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd., the target of a takeover bid by Japan's largest papermaker, Oji Paper Co., said Wednesday its group net profit fell to 746 million yen in the April-June quarter, down 33 percent from the same period a year ago.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2006

NEC to tie with Matsushita unit on cell phones

NEC Corp. and Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., aim to form a 50-50 joint venture this autumn to develop new cell phone handsets, company officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2006

KDDI profit jumps 44% in quarter

The Associated Press KDDI Corp. said Friday profit climbed 44 percent in the April-June quarter on rising sales and forecast overall earnings to slide this year due to a weak fixed-line business.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2006

McDonald's plans tandoori on pita

McDonald's Co. (Japan) said Thursday it will introduce two health-conscious pita bread sandwiches at its outlets nationwide in a three-week campaign beginning Aug. 4.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Toyota recalls 268,000 cars over faulty engine

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it is recalling 268,000 vehicles in Japan over a faulty engine, the latest in a string of recalls rasing doubts over whether the automaker can maintain quality standards amid booming sales.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2006

Convenience store trio circle wagons against Seven-Eleven

Three major convenience store chains have agreed to jointly develop and market soft drinks in cut procurement costs and to better compete with industry leader Seven-Eleven Japan Co., sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2006

Company can keep selling cheap classic films: court

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday rejected a request by a U.S. movie company to suspend sales of low-priced DVDs of old movie classics like "Roman Holiday," which was released in 1953, on grounds that they violate copyrights.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Chubu Electric cuts profit estimate

Chubu Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it has lowered its pretax profit projection for fiscal 2006 by 100 billion yen due to losses stemming from an accident last month at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Porn 'anime' boasts big U.S. beachhead

recognizable among anime fans worldwide. Hentai is now used overseas to describe anime with strong sexual content. While Mandarake capitalizes on the kinky boom, other retailers are reluctant to export such products.
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2006

Key gauge shows firm May growth

A key gauge of the current state of the economy moved above the boom-or-bust threshold of 50 percent in May, the government said Thursday, underscoring the steady growth.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2006

Lawson opens test stores tailored to elderly shoppers

Convenience store operator Lawson Inc. has opened outlets tailored for the elderly in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, and in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture, the first attempt of its kind among major convenience store operators.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 2, 2006

To be, or not to be published? That no longer is the question

SELF-PUBLISHING IN JAPAN: What You Need to Know to Get Started, by Kathleen Morikawa. Forest River Press, 2006, 76 pp., 1,800 yen (paper). The largest media development since the Gutenberg printing press is coming. The full force has not yet hit, but the waves are lapping our shores. Computers, scanners,...
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2006

Three auto firms' overseas output up

Three of Japan's five major automakers increased overseas production in May from the same month a year ago on strong overseas demand, according to figures released Monday.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2006

Son says Vodafone can top rivals with content

Mobile phone carrier Vodafone K.K., which Softbank Corp. acquired in April, can outperform rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. by funneling content from Softbank subsidiary Yahoo Japan Corp. into its mobile business, Softbank President Masayoshi Son said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2006

Ban on U.S. beef to end after meatpacker checks

Japan agreed Wednesday to lift its ban on U.S. beef imports after on-site inspections of U.S. meatpackers by Japanese experts starting early next week, Japanese officials said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 22, 2006

The D.I.Y. route to rock stardom

From the suburbs of Tokyo to downtown Toronto is hardly the most direct route to pop stardom -- or one assured of success. But it was the path that blues-rock outfit Stone Deaf chose earlier this month in what was a bold move for a group whose sole claim to fame is having been Marky Ramone's backing...

Longform

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