Search - 2002

 
 
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2003

Japan to focus scope of FTA negotiations

Japan has prioritized Mexico, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in its strategy for negotiating free-trade agreements, a trade ministry official said Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2003

Ashikaga Bank faces government bailout

Ashikaga Bank appears to be on the brink of becoming Japan's second bank this year to receive an injection of taxpayer money, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2003

Japan to study ties between raw food, listeriosis

An estimated 83 people a year become seriously ill in Japan with listeriosis, a potentially fatal encephalitic disease caused by listeria bacteria found in soil and rivers, according to a recent study by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2003

Top court dismisses landowners' appeal

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by eight Okinawa Prefecture landowners seeking damages for the forced leasing of their land to the U.S. military.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2003

Kin want missing persons cases reinvestigated

The families of several missing people considered very likely to have been abducted to North Korea asked the government Thursday to reinvestigate their cases.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2003

Ex-Daihatsu worker held over scam

Police arrested a former Daihatsu Motor Co. sales representative Wednesday for allegedly embezzling about 10.4 million yen in proceeds from the sale of 15 minivehicles.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2003

More Americans ditch the lingual desert

SANTA MARIA, California -- Although America is a land of immigrants from all over the world, when it comes to language fluency one could easily say we suffer from monolingualism. An old joke goes something like this:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Japan making tariff list, checking it twice

Japan inched closer to a showdown with the U.S. over steel trade Wednesday, releasing a list of American goods it plans to raise tariffs on in retaliation for ongoing U.S. "safeguard" restrictions on steel imports.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 26, 2003

Matsui, the Yankees and the PL's new free-agent trend

Hot stove league time, fans. Or should that be the hot hibachi league here in Japan? Lots going on during the off-season, so let's take a look at a few interesting happenings from last week.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2003

Drill simulates chemical terror attack on Kawasaki

Amid deepening jitters that Japan may become a target of terrorists, government officials on Tuesday held a drill simulating massive casualties in an urban chemical attack.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2003

Top banks project profits for full year

All but one of the nation's seven major banks are projecting that they will coast to full-year profits in March given stable stock prices and improved corporate sentiment.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2003

China releases Falun Gong devotee

Chinese authorities have released a resident of Japan who had been detained for her activities in the Falun Gong spiritual movement, Japanese diplomats in Beijing said Monday.
Japan Times
SUMO
Nov 24, 2003

Terrific Tochiazuma lifts Emperor's Cup

Ozeki Tochiazuma accomplished the improbable and defeated yokozuna Asashoryu to capture his second career title at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 24, 2003

Stub out the smoking habit

The Tokyo District Court has rejected a damage suit filed against Japan Tobacco Inc. and the national government by seven former smokers who said they developed cancer and other health troubles from long years of smoking. The suit, filed by victims of lung cancer, cancer of the larynx and emphysema,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 23, 2003

Artistic survivors of a cultural revolution

MEMOIRS FROM THE BEIJING FILM ACADEMY: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation, by Ni Zhen, translated by Chris Berry. Durham & London: Duke University Press, 2002, 234 pp., £14.94 (paper). Ni Zhen taught film theory at the Beijing Film Academy where in the 20 years between 1980 and 2000 he instructed...
EDITORIALS
Nov 21, 2003

On a slow but steady track

Japan's economy, though beset by uncertainties, is recovering steadily. That is the message of the latest government report on the gross domestic product (GDP), which was published last week by the Cabinet Office. In the third quarter, July through September, the real GDP -- excluding effects of falling...
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2003

Agriculture body overpaid mad cow disease subsidies

A farm body paid more than 400 million yen in unnecessary subsidies to companies affected by the outbreak of mad cow disease in domestic cattle, the Board of Audit said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2003

Chen winning back respect for Taiwan's position

NEW YORK -- Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's president, recently made a whirlwind international tour. During a three-day transit in New York three weeks ago, he received the 2003 award from the International League for Human Rights. He attended centennial independence anniversary celebrations of Panama, then...
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2003

Scandal-tainted Nippon TV sees profit fall

Nippon Television Network Corp., rocked by a viewer ratings scandal, on Thursday reported double-digit profit falls for the half year to Sept. 30 amid slumping ad revenue and a lack of big events matching last year's World Cup soccer finals.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 21, 2003

A New Year's tradition that's worth celebrating

Christmas and St. Valentine's Day may find favor in the eyes of young people, but New Year's Day is still the highlight of Japan's festive calendar. With kadomatsu pines at the doors of people's homes, New Year's cards cramming post boxes, and shrines crowded as people make their hatsumode (first visit...

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?