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BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2005

Toyota to be world's top carmaker in 2006: report

The Toyota Motor Corp. group is expected to boost its automobile production to more than 9.2 million units in 2006, making it almost certain the group will top General Motors Corp. to become the world's No. 1 automaker in terms of output, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Wednesday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 9, 2005

Dark season for Giants comes to quiet end at Tokyo Dome

The atmosphere was very strange at Tokyo Dome last Wednesday, Oct. 5, as the Yomiuri Giants closed out a dismal 2005 season and two years of something between mediocrity and futility under the leadership of manager Tsuneo Horiuchi.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 18, 2005

Valentine, Marines take lead in hurricane, typhoon relief

The Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League have embarked on a campaign to raise funds for hurricane and typhoon relief efforts in the New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast areas in the U.S., and Kagoshima here in Japan.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 4, 2005

Danjo lives her dream on the NFL stage

When Yoshiko Danjo stands at the sideline of RCA Dome as a member of the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders this fall, one thing she will bring to the sideline will be a photo of a Japanese cheerleader.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2005

Inevitable need to be ready

Due to the geographic and geological characteristics of the Japanese archipelago, middle- to large-scale natural disasters can strike at any time. While military conflicts or terrorism may be thwarted through human efforts, typhoons and earthquakes are unstoppable, affecting all those residing in this...
EDITORIALS
May 20, 2005

A cautiously optimistic view

On the face of it, Japan's economy appears headed for a full-fledged recovery. In the first quarter of 2005, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.3 percent from the previous quarter, or 5.3 percent in annualized terms, according to the Cabinet Office. It was the first solid quarterly growth since...
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

BOJ projecting change in easy monetary policy

The Bank of Japan said Thursday that easing anxiety over the country's financial stability has increased the likelihood that its ultra-loose monetary policy will change.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 22, 2005

Colts, Falcons to battle in Japan

Following a one-year absence, NFL action will return to Tokyo this summer.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 26, 2005

Iwakuma determined to help Eagles soar in Sendai

Hisashi Iwakuma started playing baseball as an elementary school first grader at the age of 6, by throwing a ball against a wall in a game of catch with himself and dreaming of becoming a professional. Now, at age 24, he is arguably the best pitcher in Japanese pro baseball.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 13, 2005

Fuji TV in a Horie to distance itself from IT man

Next month, Fuji TV will launch another batch of up-to-the-minute trendy drama series. Among them is one called "Koi ni Ochitara/Boku no Seiko no Himitsu (Falling in Love/The Secret of My Success)" starring SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as a young man who, after his small family-run factory goes bankrupt,...
EDITORIALS
Feb 28, 2005

Look for VAT hike on the agenda

It appears that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is pushing the consumption-tax issue onto the political agenda. During a Lower House plenary session earlier this month, he said, in effect, that the value-added tax should be increased as part of overall social security reform. Until recently, Koizumi...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Jan 28, 2005

2004: Year of the bounce; Serious Sirius

Calamitous. The world was a bouncin' in 2004.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005

Hike in Tokyo-Seoul exchanges eyed

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed hope Tuesday that exchanges of people between Japan and South Korea will top 5 million this year, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005

NHK boss exits as viewers stop paying

Faced with a rising number of people refusing to pay viewer subscription fees due to embezzlement scandals, NHK President Katsuji Ebisawa tendered his resignation Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2004

Another step in bureaucratic reform

Bureaucratic reform is part and parcel of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform agenda. As he puts it aptly, the basic idea is to "let the private sector do what it can do." Bureaucratic reform is also about decentralization: "letting local governments do what they can do."
COMMENTARY
Dec 28, 2004

An updated stab at security

Japan's new National Defense Program Outline has three major objectives: dealing with "new threats" such as terrorism, introducing a missile defense system and participating in "international peace cooperation activities."
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2004

Finance Ministry requests 3.8% cut in foreign aid

Amid the nation's continued tight finances, the Finance Ministry proposed Monday a 3.8 percent cut in foreign aid in fiscal 2005 for the sixth straight year of decrease in the initial budget.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2004

82.18 trillion yen budget drafted

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki on Monday proposed a draft budget for fiscal 2005 worth 82.18 trillion yen, up 0.1 percent from the initial 2004 budget, as higher debt-servicing costs outpaced cuts in discretionary spending.
Dec 21, 2004

Finance Ministry requests 3.8% cut in foreign aid

Amid the nation's continued tight finances, the Finance Ministry proposed Monday a 3.8 percent cut in foreign aid in fiscal 2005 for the sixth straight year of decrease in the initial budget.
EDITORIALS
Dec 18, 2004

Putting off unpalatable choices

It is axiomatic to say that the taxes people pay represent the most basic cost of maintaining autonomy and democracy. That's why the tax code should be written by national legislators, not government bureaucrats. But tax reform is almost always controversial, as evidenced by the fiscal 2005 tax reform...
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2004

Komeito decides to back cut in tax breaks

The ruling coalition basically agreed Monday on halving the fixed-rate income tax cuts during fiscal 2005 and abolish the cuts in fiscal 2006, senior ruling party lawmakers said.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2004

LDP panel wants tax cuts ended in fiscal '06

The Liberal Democratic Party's tax panel is moving to propose abolishing tax reductions in fiscal 2006 on condition that the economic recovery is maintained, political sources said Saturday.
Dec 12, 2004

LDP panel wants tax cuts ended in fiscal '06

The Liberal Democratic Party's tax panel is moving to propose abolishing tax reductions in fiscal 2006 on condition that the economic recovery is maintained, political sources said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2004

Think tanks see big profit for large companies in '04

Japan's large corporations are expected to post double-digit profit growth for fiscal 2004, according to updated forecasts issued Thursday by two private research institutes.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2004

No change in sight for ultraeasy monetary policy, maintains Fukui

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Friday it is too early for the central bank to reverse its ultraeasy monetary policy, despite its forecast that closely watched consumer prices will edge up slightly in fiscal 2005.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2004

Firms learn from VCR war, seek early mortal blow

Japanese electronics makers are waging battles in various digital home appliance sectors, aware that those who claim initial victories will likely remain dominant.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.