Search - 2005

 
 
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2003

Mergers to halve municipalities to 1,700

The total number of cities, towns and villages in Japan is expected to be almost halved to about 1,700 as a result of moves by municipalities to merge by March 2005, when a special law promoting mergers expires, according to a recent Kyodo News survey.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Toshiba to focus on digital, electronic devices

Toshiba Corp. said Friday it will spin off some of its operations so it can concentrate its resources on semiconductor and digital products.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2003

Recovery projection pushed back

Driven by deep recession at home and a cloudy economic outlook abroad, a key government panel said Monday it will postpone the target year of an expected economic recovery by about two years.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Minolta and Konica plan union under holding firm

Konica Corp. and Minolta Co., two of the nation's leading manufacturers of camera and office equipment, announced Tuesday that they will merge their businesses under a holding company in August to survive in the increasingly competitive market.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

More nations wanted for '05 expo

Lawmakers helping to prepare for the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture pledged Wednesday to step up efforts to invite more countries to become official participants.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2002

Diet enacts bills to liquidate JNOC, scale back state's hand in oil business

The Diet enacted legislation Friday to dissolve the debt-ridden Japan National Oil Corp. in 2005 and reshuffle the nation's oil-exploration and petroleum-stockpiling policies.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Look for Japan to narrow gap in IT race

Can Japan catch up with the United States in information technology? The mere suggestion sounds preposterous, given the current climate of American triumphalism and Japanese gloom. Yet we should recall that not too long ago the U.S. and Japan were both declaring Japan's victory in the high-technology...
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2002

Hiranuma adds green points for review before Aichi expo

Industry minister Takeo Hiranuma released his comments Monday on a draft environmental assessment by the organizer of the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture, in which he calls for further review on several points.
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2002

JAL, JAS give merger details

Japan Airlines Co. and Japan Air System Co. on Tuesday unveiled details of their upcoming merger, saying they plan to cut 73 billion yen in costs by fiscal 2005 by shedding 3,000 workers and sharing aircraft and facilities.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

Daiei bailout calls for slashing 6,000 jobs

Limping retailer Daiei Inc. announced Friday the outline of a new three-year restructuring plan that includes cutting 6,000 jobs, closing 50 unprofitable stores and asking its main banks for a 420 billion yen bailout.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2001

Fukuda backs postal revamp date

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda expressed support Wednesday for a reported plan by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to privatize in 2005 a postal public corporation to be created in 2003.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

JR West to shed 6,000 employees

West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) unveiled on Tuesday a plan to cut 6,000 employees and transfer another 3,000 parent company workers to group firms.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2001

Broadband to grow 81% per year: IDC

Domestic subscribers of broadband Internet services will continue to rapidly grow at a compound annual growth rate of 81 percent from 635,000 in 2000 to 12.42 million in 2005, a high-tech research company predicted Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Japanese bankers jump ship for foreign investment firms

Last year, a steady stream of executives, traders and analysts poured out of Japan's banking system to join foreign investment banks.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2000

Mitsui Sumitomo plans to repay public funds

Sumitomo Bank and Sakura Bank on Tuesday said the merged entity they will form in April, Mitsui Sumitomo Banking Corp., aims to repay by the end of fiscal 2007 all the 1.501 trillion yen in public funds they have received.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2000

Cabinet approves 500 billion yen for public works

The Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed early use of a 500 billion yen reserve fund set aside for public works under the fiscal 2000 budget to help rev up the economy.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2000

Close digital divide: ministry

An environment better suited to the Internet and cellular phones is urgently needed for the development of the rapidly growing "new economy" in Japan, the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said in a report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 1998

Ministry tasks firm with Nagoya airport project

The Ministry of Transport on Wednesday designated Central Japan International Airport Co. as a firm to build and manage a proposed international airport off Nagoya.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1998

Kato urges revision of fiscal reform deadline

Koichi Kato, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Tuesday said that the target year for fiscal reform can be moved back by two years from the original goal year -- a step that would provide flexibility in working out economic stimulus measures.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 1997

Greenhouse gas target is a 'joke,' WWF says

Japan's recent proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2010 is a "joke" that will result in too little being done too late, a representative of the World Wide Fund for Nature said during a luncheon Oct. 3 at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.With less than...
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

No new tax hikes: Mitsuzuka

There will be no additional increases in the consumption tax before the government carries out its pledged sweeping administrative and fiscal reforms by 2005, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka implied Mar. 25.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 1997

Debt will grow without reforms, Finance Ministry warns

The outstanding balance of government bonds will reach 67.7 percent of gross domestic product in fiscal 2005 if the government fails to carry out structural reforms and continues to issue bonds to make up for all revenue shortfalls, the Finance Ministry warned Jan. 24.In its midterm fiscal outlook submitted...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
May 29, 2023

Red-hot Tigers riding wave of momentum into interleague season

Regular-season contests between Central and Pacific League clubs in NPB happen during a fixed period on the calendar, allowing the format to avoid becoming too stale.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 24, 2023

World Health Organization working towards 'pandemic treaty' by May 2024

A new pact is a priority for agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has called it a 'generational commitment that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 24, 2023

Air pollution kills 1,200 children a year, EU agency says

Despite recent improvements, the level of air pollutants in European countries still remain above World Health Organization guidelines.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2023

French riot deja vu is raising the stakes for Macron

Years of Frances unkept promises have created resentment and made the nation’s deprived suburbs a powder keg.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2023

Jobs vs. membership: Making sense of Japan's system of employment

A family-based 'membership-type' system of work underpins Japanese society, but the conditions and traditions attached to it aren't always favorable — or easy to understand.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2022

Iran’s conservative religious leadership walks a tightrope

While Iran's hard-line Islamic regime has now abolished the morality police, the protesters have broadened their demands.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake