Search - 2003

 
 
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 24, 2004

Mycal brings high-flying fashion grad to Tokyo

Back in March, my traveling companion en route from London to Narita was Ben Archer, English crew chief of an airship -- one of those zeppelin-type balloons that fly around advertising companies and products. We tried to meet up, but schedules failed to mesh. Sorry about that, Ben.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2004

Taxi drivers sue over smoking in cabs

A group of 26 taxi drivers and users filed a lawsuit Thursday at the Tokyo District Court, demanding 13.6 million yen in damages from the state over its alleged failure to actively curb smoking inside cabs.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2004

Ueno Zoo tries to impregnate panda again

Officials at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo said Wednesday that a female giant panda on loan from a zoo in Mexico City was artificially inseminated with sperm from an Ueno Zoo panda last week.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2004

Foreign Ministry reorganizes to boost crisis-management

The Foreign Ministry will upgrade its consular affairs department to a bureau and create senior crisis management posts to better ensure the safety of Japanese abroad, according to ministry officials.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2004

More Americans see Japan as reliable

A record 68 percent of Americans see Japan as a reliable partner, up 1 percentage point from 2003, according to a recent Foreign Ministry poll.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2004

Opaque dental group donations

Tokyo public prosecutors are probing the alleged embezzlement of political campaign funds from the Japan Dentists Federation, the lobby for the Japan Dental Association. The investigation reached a new stage last week when a former Lower House member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Mr. Yukihiro Yoshida,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2004

Going global with civic virtues

How do we instill civic virtue in the global marketplace to civilize and tame it so that we arrive at the place where the market serves the people instead of where people are served up to the market? Around half of the world's 100 largest economies are private companies. This gives the private sector...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Clutch housing find poses more trouble for Mitsubishi Fuso

Government examiners searching a Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. factory in Kawasaki have found a broken clutch housing that apparently fell off a bus.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Sumitomo Trust tries to block tieup

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Corp. on Friday filed an application with the Tokyo District Court to seek an injunction to halt merger talks between UFJ Holdings Inc. and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc., saying the UFJ group's decision to cancel its plan to sell UFJ Trust Bank to Sumitomo is a breach...
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Suzuki aide in fund scam sees suspended term upheld

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a suspended 16-month prison term for a former aide of ex-House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki convicted of funds misuse and bid-meddling.
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2004

Lawyers set sights on alcohol producers

WASHINGTON -- There's nothing new about lawyers, especially in the United States, attempting to profit from tragedy. When an individual dies after behaving irresponsibly, an attorney always can be found to blame someone with deep pockets.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Suzuki aide in fund scam sees suspended term upheld

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a suspended 16-month prison term for a former aide of ex-House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki convicted of funds misuse and bid-meddling.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2004

Struggling UFJ pursues merger deal with MTFG

Ailing UFJ Holdings Inc. on Wednesday asked rival Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. to merge with it in a deal that would create the world's biggest banking group, with 190 trillion yen in assets.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Jul 15, 2004

Japan's kindergartens could serve families better

Procreation just ain't what it used to be.
Japan Times
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Jul 14, 2004

Brewers hope to bask in suds sales as mercury rises

The mood at breweries goes up with the mercury -- when it's blazing hot, ice-cold beer is irresistible and sales skyrocket.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Postal privatization talks to resume next week

Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka said Tuesday the government will resume postal privatization discussions next week and draw up a final report on the issue in September.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Record 74% of Japan manufacturers see profits in China

A record 74.4 percent of China-based Japanese manufacturers responding to a poll posted operating profits in 2003, the Japan External Trade Organization said Tuesday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 13, 2004

The big squeeze

The news from Japan these days is untypically sunny. The economy is performing at its sharpest clip for 13 years, investment and profits are up and analysts are gingerly forecasting a sustained recovery.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

Tokyo food price gap shrank in '03

Gaps in retail food prices between Tokyo and New York, Paris and London shrank last year, according to survey results released Monday by the government.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Singer, skier, Korean win seats

Okinawa singer and peace activist Shokichi Kina, one of the celebrity hopefuls who ran in Sunday's House of Councilors election, won a seat in the Diet.
COMMENTARY
Jul 12, 2004

Summits of East Asian unity

East Asia is moving toward regional integration, albeit at a slow pace. In a series of meetings held in Indonesia from late June to early July, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on a package of measures to expedite economic, financial, political and security integration. This signals...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 11, 2004

Classic love-tragedy finds new blood

Noh, contemporary classical music and calligraphy -- each is an artistic form with its own appeal.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 11, 2004

Believe it ... or not

Japan's vast hoard of war booty known as Yamashita's Gold was long thought to be buried in caves in the Philippines. But in their book 'Gold Warriors,' Sterling and Peggy Seagrave sensationally claim that the treasure trove was secretly recovered -- and continues to oil the wheels of politics in Japan...
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Hunger-striker returns to cell after hospital visit

IBARAKI, Osaka Pref. -- A 37-year-old Iranian who has been held at the West Japan Immigration Center here since February 2003 and has been on a hunger strike for over a month, was briefly hospitalized Friday, according to his supporters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Jul 9, 2004

Dancing in the streets

South of the Chinzanso/Four Seasons Hotel on the Kandagawa -- where our walk finished last month -- Kagurazaka is a vibrant town named after its sloped main street, The Kagurazaka. This hilly area has a maze of lanes and short but steep hills, making it a thrilling adventure for urban walkers. In pockets...
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2004

Thai girl can stay three more months

The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau said Thursday it has renewed the short-term resident status of a 13-year-old Thai girl living in Japan with her family, allowing her to stay three more months.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go