Search - world

 
 
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2002

Economic policy for East Asia

The future of Japan's economy is tied to that of East Asia. China, the "factory of the world," is rising rapidly while newly industrialized countries such as South Korea and Taiwan are catching up with Japan. The challenge for this nation is to define and secure its place in this region of vast economic...
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2002

Foundation to handle fund to fight Hansen's disease bias

A national council of former Hansen's disease patients living at sanitariums offered 5 million yen Friday to the Nippon Foundation to be used as a trust fund to fight social prejudice and bias against the disease worldwide.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2002

Spending by wage-earning households fell 0.4% in May

Spending by wage-earning households fell an inflation-adjusted 0.4 percent in May from a year earlier, down for the first time in two months, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2002

Tokyo price index dips for 33rd month

The key gauge of consumer prices in Tokyo fell 1 percent in June from a year earlier for a record 33rd consecutive month of decline, mainly due to sharp falls in prices of recreational and educational goods, including computers, the government said Friday in a preliminary report.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 29, 2002

'Mochi nage' -- organized food fights

Now that the World Cup is nearly over, those of us in Japan turn our attention to other matters, such as food fights. Japan must be the only country where throwing food is not only acceptable but encouraged. Whole neighborhoods gather to throw food at each other in a tradition called "mochi nage," or...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 29, 2002

Reiko Itami

"In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, young men of well-to-do families in Great Britain set out after university graduation to travel around Europe. They observed language differences and absorbed foreign cultures to complete the final stage of their education. This socio-educational institution, known...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2002

Flawed peace plan reflects U.S. illusions

AL-BIREH, West Bank -- Monday's long-awaited speech by U.S. President George W. Bush was to set the pace for the Palestinians and Israelis to step back from the vicious and bloody cycle of violence that has gripped them for nearly two years. Instead, Bush and his administration have publicly adopted...
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2002

Schroeder to hitch ride to Japan

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will fly to Japan with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in the latter's government jet to watch the World Cup Soccer final between Germany and Brazil in Yokohama on Sunday, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 28, 2002

Japanese players to attend camp

Two Japanese players will see action in the San Francisco 49ers' and Washington Redskins' training camps next month and could be given a chance to play in the NFL Osaka 2002 on Aug. 4, NFL Japan announced Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2002

Japan-Myanmar panel set to hold final meeting

Amid a rapid easing of political tension in Myanmar, a key joint economic panel of Japanese and Myanmar government officials and private-sector experts will hold what is supposed to be its last meeting next month.
COMMENTARY
Jun 27, 2002

Teetering on the edge of real democracy

ANKARA -- "The main obstacle to democracy is not Islam, but Kemalism," says Atilla Yayla, the unassuming head of Turkey's Association for Liberal Thinking. Turkey is a critically important country, but also an amazingly complicated and frustrating one. And while it has done better than most other Muslim...
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2002

A first: METI upgrades retail sales assessment

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry gently upgraded its retail sales assessment Wednesday, with the scale of the year-on-year decline in sales having shrank to 3 percent in May from 4.5 percent in April.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 27, 2002

Maradona to arrive on Friday

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will arrive in Japan on Friday for a weeklong visit to watch the World Cup final in Yokohama on Sunday and participate in other events, diplomatic sources in Havana said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2002

Snow seeks public trust via appointment of consumer guru

With many Japanese companies having finally recognized the importance of beefing up their corporate governance, Snow Brand Milk Products Co. is eager to show it is no exception to this trend.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2002

Japan must deregulate and reform before it's too late: METI report

Japan should quickly deregulate its markets and reform its policies so it can take part in the rapid economic growth of East Asia, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a annual report released Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2002

Shareholders vent anger at Mizuho

Mizuho Financial Holdings Inc. executives issued a stream of apologies at the banking group's general shareholders' meeting Tuesday, as shareholders demanded explanations for the widespread ATM failures and account mixups that marred the banking group's official launch in April.
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2002

A problem of corporate ethos

The Financial Services Agency has ordered the Mizuho Financial Group, whose computer system crashed spectacularly on the occasion of its integration last April, to improve its internal management setup so as to prevent any recurrence of the bungle. Mizuho itself has decided to cut the pay of all of its...
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

No plea to WTO over China curbs

Japan will not ask the World Trade Organization to set up a dispute-settlement panel to rule on the legitimacy of steel import curbs imposed by China, a top trade official said Monday.
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Jun 25, 2002

Nosy bosses foul up

Every CEO needs to know how to strike a balance between staying aloof from the nitty-gritty of his company's operations and getting too involved in the day-to-day details of those employees and divisions far from the corner office.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

U.S. uncertainty threatens Japan recovery: MIT dean

With uncertainty hanging over prospects for the U.S. economy, Japan, despite recent signs of bottoming out, may face difficulties achieving a full-scale recovery, according to a business school dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

Japan intervenes in money market as dollar sinks toward 120 yen mark

Japan intervened in the foreign-exchange market for the fifth time in five weeks early Monday afternoon, boosting the dollar from the lower half of 121 yen, financial authorities said.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2002

In danger of becoming white elephants

There is a growing trend among prefectural governments to distance themselves from Kasumigaseki, the seat of the nation's bureaucracy, as moves accelerate to decentralize the national government and a recent ban, issued in response to a series of scandals, prevents lawmakers from wining and dining ministry...
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2002

Indonesia just the tip of copyright-piracy iceberg

JAKARTA -- Piracy of intellectual property rights can be found all over Southeast Asia. A short visit to the street markets of Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila or Singapore will convince anyone that counterfeits, fakes and so-called look-alike products are big business.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building