Search - 2003

 
 
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2003

Japan needs foreign workers to achieve economic growth: METI

Japan should make efforts to introduce foreign workers to achieve economic growth in line with increasing globalization, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in an annual report released Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 2, 2003

'Big-boned' changes require leadership

The Cabinet last week approved a new set of guidelines for structural reform, dubbed the "big-boned" program. It is the third of its kind since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001. In a nutshell, the latest program gives the impression that his reform drive is running out of steam....
EDITORIALS
Jul 1, 2003

Another nudge for the U.S. economy

The stars are beginning to line up for the U.S. economy. The war in Iraq ended quickly, the Bush tax cut has become law, economic indicators point to growth in the second half of the year and the dollar is declining against other currencies, boosting the prospects for exports. To help nudge things along,...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 1, 2003

Treasure hunting in Japan

If you happen to be bit of a pack-rat, are looking for a unique souvenir from Japan, or just enjoy "window" shopping, then a visit to a Japanese flea market is an experience not to be missed.
COMMENTARY
Jul 1, 2003

A ridiculous SDF restriction

The first half of 2003 was marked by the war in Iraq, led by the United States and Britain, and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which hit China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Canada.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jun 30, 2003

U.S. policy only fuels fundamentalism

NEW YORK -- "In pre-surrender discussions of the postwar world, no principle, save the basic principle of democracy itself, was more frequently cited than that of religious freedom as essential to the establishment of a permanently peaceful world."
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jun 30, 2003

An irrational space odyssey?

MOSCOW -- Of all the arms races humankind has been involved in, the one in space has been the most bizarre. If a person is interested in a case study of unintended consequences, one could hardly find a better subject. Scientific curiosity, imperial dreams, down-to-earth geopolitics, interests of commerce...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 29, 2003

Recipes that 'freak Japanese people out'

The BREAKAWAY JAPANESE KITCHEN: Inspired New Tastes, by Eric Gower, photos by Fumihiko Watanabe. Kodansha International, 2003, 112 pp., 2,900 yen (cloth). "My favorite thing to do with edamame [green soy beans] is to puree a little with some olive oil and fresh shiso leaves, and to add fruit . . . then...
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2003

Government waste study targets school lunches

A Finance Ministry investigation into government spending has concluded that costs can be cut in such areas as school lunches and diplomatic facilities abroad.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 27, 2003

Real Madrid kept quiet on Queiroz during Beckham transfer

LONDON -- One of the hallmarks of any successful businessman is to plan ahead for all eventualities, to have a Plan B in place should a major decision have to be taken suddenly.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003

Young victims of dating-site crimes soar

Young victims of crimes connected with Internet dating sites more than doubled in 2002, led by a dramatic increase in child prostitution, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003

Young victims of dating-site crimes soar

Young victims of crimes connected with Internet dating sites more than doubled in 2002, led by a dramatic increase in child prostitution, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003

Young victims of dating-site crimes soar

Young victims of crimes connected with Internet dating sites more than doubled in 2002, led by a dramatic increase in child prostitution, according to a government report released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2003

Ministry aiming to submit pensions reform plan early

Welfare minister Chikara Sakaguchi on Tuesday announced plans to speed up the drafting of public-pension reforms and reveal the scheme this summer, a few months ahead of schedule.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2003

Ministers seek more investment in Indonesia

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma on Tuesday urged Indonesia's leader to improve the country's investment climate, Japanese government officials said.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 23, 2003

U.S. deficit skyrocketing to new heights

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush cheered millions of American fathers last week by enabling them to contemplate how to spend a tax bonus of $400 per child that will be arriving just in time for their late summer vacation this year. They should be happy with that.
COMMENTARY
Jun 23, 2003

Diet group takes uneasy steps toward abolishing death penalty

Among major industrial countries, only Japan and the United States retain capital punishment. In Japan, however, there is a growing abolition movement. The Diet Members' League for Abolition of the Death Penalty, a suprapartisan group headed by Shizuka Kamei of the governing Liberal Democratic Party,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 22, 2003

We cannot forget Taiwan

TAIWAN: A Political History, by Denny Roy. Cornell University Press, 2003, 255 pp., $18.95 (paper). With international attention focused on Iraq and North Korea, the Taiwan problem has vanished from the headlines. It won't go away, however; geography and politics guarantee that. Put this break to productive...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 22, 2003

Tsuboi helps lift Fighters

Former Hanshin Tiger Tomochika Tsuboi nailed an RBI single to spark a four-run rally in the fifth inning as the Nippon Ham Fighters came from behind to defeat the Kintetsu Buffaloes 4-2 at Osaka Dome on Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 22, 2003

Mapping out Japan

MAPPING EARLY MODERN JAPAN: Space, Place, and Culture in the Tokugawa Period (1603-1868), by Marcia Yonemoto. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003, 234 pp., 86 illustrations, $49.95, (cloth). It was at the beginning of the 17th century that Japanese scholars first began to articulate the notion...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 22, 2003

In the realm of the superbean

It's amazing how much tiny little beans can do.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2003

LDP hits Koizumi local tax plan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's latest proposal on cutting subsidies to local governments has met fierce opposition from within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party -- an indication that both he and the legislation face a rough road ahead.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2003

LDP members approve 12 deregulation targets

Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers in charge of administrative and regulatory reform approved 12 deregulation targets Thursday that have been adopted by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2003

Subsidies to localities face cuts totaling 3.6 trillion yen

The national government is set to cut its subsidies to local governments by at least 3.6 trillion yen a year by fiscal 2006 as part of its reforms of tax and fiscal systems, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2003

Ministers fail to settle row over funding allocations

Cabinet ministers failed Tuesday to bridge their differences over the best way to revamp the allocation of funds between the central and local governments, agreeing only to discuss the issue again Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 17, 2003

McClain homers twice as Lions fry Nippon Ham

Scott McClain hit a pair of two-run homers in consecutive at-bats and Daisuke Matsuzaka kept batters off-balance with a nasty heater to post his league-high ninth win as the Seibu Lions won their fourth straight with a 5-1 victory over the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Pacific League on Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 15, 2003

Shades of good sense

Parasols are peculiar things. Meaning "to ward off the sun" in Latin-based languages, these lightweight umbrellas were long ago the height of coquettish fashion in Europe. Until recently though, in Japan they were the preserve of its distinctly uncoquettish obasan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 15, 2003

Sunshine: It's enough to make you blanch

An extinction of sorts has taken place in Tokyo's Shibuya district over the last couple of years. The area was once a happy hunting ground for herds of skimpily clad young girls with tans so deep they were known as the ganguro (black-faced) girls. But go to Shibuya today and you'll hardly find any trace...

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