Search - 2002

 
 
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Feb 25, 2003

Shipping news, foreign movies and medical bills

Shipping On the subject of shipping goods from the U.S.A. to Japan as unaccompanied baggage, reader Carol says that if you fly on United Airlines, they can provide you with the unaccompanied baggage forms.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 25, 2003

Bidding a farewell to arms in Japan

When a bullet strikes the car in which one is riding, the sound -- a sharp, metallic "WHAP!" -- is unmistakable. This writer has heard it twice in his life, and I hope the second time will be the last.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2003

Businesses gear up to launch IP phone services

Roused into action by Softbank Corp.'s foray into Internet Protocol telephony last April, major telecommunications carriers and Internet service providers soon plan to launch their own commercial end-to-end IP phone services via broadband lines.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2003

Less than reassuring words

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries held one of their regular meetings last weekend in Paris. Two days of discussions produced a statement promising efforts to stabilize and stimulate their economies and a pledge to convene again in the event of an emergency....
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 24, 2003

Like real reforms, banking crisis this spring unlikely to materialize

Each spring in recent years, people have started talking about a financial crisis in Japan as the month of March draws near. In about five weeks, most Japanese firms will be closing their books for fiscal 2002, and I would like to discuss this year's situation from several perspectives.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2003

Cozy business-political ties die hard

The question of politics and money remains very much alive in Japan. It was the subject of intensive debate at Thursday's special session of the Lower House Budget Committee. Central to the debate was the legality of corporate donations to political parties, a question that has taken on new meaning in...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Feb 24, 2003

When is a war crime not a war crime?

NEW YORK -- Gunning down civilians on the ground in war may constitute a war crime, but blasting civilians out of existence from high in the sky does not. Or so the general rule seems to be.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2003

Princess resumes duties after mourning period

Princess Hisako, the widow of Prince Takamado, resumed her public duties on Saturday and said she will do her best to follow in the footsteps of her late husband.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 23, 2003

Poet reaches for a world beyond reality

THE VILLAGE BEYOND, Poems of Nobuko Kimura, translated by Hiroaki Sato. Vermont: P.S., A Press, 2002, viii + 54 pp., $10 (paper) Nobuko Kimura has published six volumes of poetry, the first, "Collected Poems of Kimura Nobuko" (Kimura Nobuko Shishu), in 1971, and the most recent, "Going Around the Day"...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 23, 2003

Going for the least-worst option

CASE STUDIES IN JAPANESE NEGOTIATING BEHAVIOR, by Michael Blaker, Paul Giarra and Ezra Vogel. Washington D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2002, 170 pp., $12.50 (paper). Mercifully, we are long past the time when a book like this focused on a Japanese exceptionalism that bordered on cultural...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 23, 2003

The picture of innocence?

Sex, nudity and violence -- there's a lot of it happening in Kobe.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2003

METI to abolish power development plan

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will abolish its 10-year electric power development program as early as November as it aims to further liberalize the market, it was learned Saturday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Feb 23, 2003

Try to score a pint here

Sports bars and pubs were big business during the 2002 World Cup Soccer finals cohosted by Japan and South Korea. Many opened in Tokyo just in time to milk the influx of fans. But for the three partners who teamed up to create the Clubhouse in Shinjuku, the soccer was simply a bonus. Their target had...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2003

Karzai sends out a reminder

Visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday called on the international community to continue providing support to help rebuild his nation, even while the eyes of the world are focused on Iraq.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2003

FSA targets sham capital boosts

The Financial Services Agency will get tough on banks that offer conditional loans to convince borrowers to buy their stocks as a way to boost their capital base, FSA officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2003

Tertiary industry activity drops

Tertiary industry activity logged its first drop in four years in 2002, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2003

Keidanren calls for hike in sales tax

Senior members of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) called for a hike in the consumption tax in a meeting Thursday with New Komeito executives.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2003

Gender equality key to fighting AIDS in Third World

Fostering gender equality is one of the most important strategies for fighting HIV and AIDS in the developing world, along with maintaining existing campaigns, including promoting condom use, an expert on woman's health and social issues said.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2003

Matsushita making good on profitability promise

Strong sales of DVD units and rigorous cost-cutting efforts helped Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. chalk up 20.9 billion yen in group net profit in the third quarter of fiscal 2002, putting it on track to return to profitability on the year, the company said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Rengo lobbies coalition partners on job measures

Japan's largest labor organization called Wednesday on New Komeito and the New Conservative Party to review the draft government budget for fiscal 2003 in hopes of reinforcing employment measures, Rengo officials said.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 19, 2003

Dragons made right move in getting rid of disgruntled Millar

The Chunichi Dragons did the right thing in giving up the contract of outfielder Kevin Millar. Sure, the team had a legitimate beef, and owner Bungo Shirai had every right to insist Millar honor the agreement to which he had committed. But, really, why try to force the guy to play here when he clearly...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2003

Overtime pay violations on Rengo's radar

Tomoru Yamaguchi, director of the working conditions division at the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), knew the situation was bad. He just didn't think it was this bad.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2003

ISPs see a drop in number of dial-up subscribers

Most of Japan's major Internet service providers are starting to see a leveling off in the growth in the number of subscribers to their services.
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2003

Failures down in January but liabilities rose

The number of corporate bankruptcies fell 11.4 percent in January from a year earlier, but liabilities left behind rose 14.2 percent to 1.22 trillion yen, the largest January figure in the postwar period, Teikoku Databank Ltd. said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2003

Income tax season gets under way

The period for filing income tax began Monday with 524 local tax offices accepting returns for 2002.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Feb 17, 2003

"Holes," "Love That Dog"

"Holes," Louis Sachar, Bloomsbury; 2000; 233 pp. It's hard to say why life is so downright unfair to some children. Take Stanley Yelnats: He gets bullied at school and is ignored by his teachers. And then one day, he gets hit on the head by a pair of sneakers that seems to fall out of the sky. He doesn't...

Longform

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