Search - 2004

 
 
COMMENTARY
Nov 30, 2003

Fear, posturing cloud Sri Lanka's fate

HONG KONG -- The latest Sri Lankan political crisis is still unfolding. The peace process, expected to end the state of civil war, is endangered. So is the future of Sri Lankan democracy. At the very moment when foreign-aid pledges worth more than $4 billion are waiting to be fulfilled, some Sinhalese...
MORE SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 29, 2003

Top League looking to emulate World Cup final

While the rest of the world was watching the final stages of the action Down Under at the Rugby World Cup, it was business as usual for the players in the Top League.
EDITORIALS
Nov 29, 2003

Competitive threat to insurers

Japan Post, a mammoth public corporation that provides mail, savings and insurance services, is under fire from private life insurers here as well as from U.S. and European insurance industries and government authorities. Their object of criticism is the new life insurance policy that JP plans to sell...
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
Nov 29, 2003

Troops to be dispatched to Iraq in 2004

Japan will dispatch some 550 ground troops to southern Iraq in four waves starting in early February and ending in late March.
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2003

Expand mortgage tax break: group

The Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) urged the Finance Ministry on Thursday to expand the current tax break for mortgages to help boost the economy.
EDITORIALS
Nov 28, 2003

'Mini-nukes' a big problem

The United States' decision to pursue the development of a new generation of nuclear weapons is wrong. At a time when Washington is trying to convince other nations that nuclear-weapons programs should be abandoned, the U.S. move suggests that such weapons are useful after all. It is one more blow to...
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2003

Payback tariffs to hit U.S. imports by end of the year

Japan could have retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports in place by the end of the year unless Washington withdraws its hefty steel tariffs, a senior official of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 27, 2003

Japan, U.S. to join forces in Tokyo

Japan and the United States will hold a joint training session in Tokyo for male gymnasts to help raise their mutual skill levels, the Japan Gymnastic Association said Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 27, 2003

Japan in Pool A

Japan will be placed in Pool A along with South Korea and six other teams in the first-round Asian qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Japan Football Association (JFA) executive Takeo Hirata said Wednesday.
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...
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...
MORE SPORTS
Nov 21, 2003

U.S. beats Japan in World Cup

The United States beat Japan in four sets Thursday at the men's volleyball World Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the 2004 Olympics.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2003

JSDA to convert Jasdaq into full-scale exchange

The Japan Securities Dealers Association decided Wednesday to convert its Jasdaq over-the-counter stock market into a full-scale exchange as defined by the Securities and Exchange Law.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2003

Race is on to get into world's most prestigious MBA programs

Some liken it to an event as pivotal as marriage. Others say it's a ticket to a super white-collar job, or even the ultimate test of one's being.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 19, 2003

No Athens for Ai Sugiyama

Ai Sugiyama has decided not to compete at the 2004 Athens Olympics to avoid a scheduling conflict, tennis officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2003

Japan told to lower farm trade barriers

Japan and other major industrialized nations should open up their agricultural markets to give developing countries the opportunity to sell their goods on an equal footing, according to Ian Goldin, vice president of the World Bank.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 18, 2003

Lions' Matsui ready to jump to big leagues

Seibu Lions infielder Kazuo Matsui, who declared free agency last month after 10 years in Japanese pro baseball, said Monday he wants to play in the major leagues.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Nov 18, 2003

Shiseido positions itself for China cosmetics boom

Faced with a maturing market in Japan, the nation's largest cosmetics company has turned its attention to China.
EDITORIALS
Nov 17, 2003

WTO says no to U.S. tariffs

The World Trade Organization has ruled that U.S. tariffs on imported steel are illegal, setting the stage for a showdown with the international body and U.S. trade partners. The ruling, which was widely anticipated, provides U.S. President George W. Bush with an opportunity to signal his commitment to...
MORE SPORTS
Nov 16, 2003

Takahashi ready for run at Athens

Takahashi ready for run at Athens
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2003

Ishiba reassures Rumsfeld over SDF commitment to Iraq

Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba told his American counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, that Japan remains committed to a plan to send Self-Defense Forces personnel to Iraq at an early date, although he would not be drawn on a specific timetable.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 16, 2003

Spring is in the air

It's party time in Tokyo -- again. You know, that twice yearly event when the capital's trendy restaurants and coffee shops seem to be overflowing with leggy, blonde models from overseas. They're here to make a few bucks, have a few parties -- and also have a stab at furthering their careers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 16, 2003

In the realm of catwalk queens

Lipstick, potato chips, box lunches, duct tape, clothing racks, paper cups, hairspray, mascara, big round mirrors facing every which way like satellite dishes, trays of fake finger nails, an arsenal of makeup brushes, Tully's coffee, Marlboro Lights, Frontier Menthols and lots and lots and lots of smoke....
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2003

Resona forecasts huge full-year loss

Bailed-out banking group Resona Holdings Inc. said Friday it expects a group net loss of 1.71 trillion yen for the year to March 31, reversing its June estimate of a 63.5 billion yen profit.

Longform

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