Search - 2004

 
 
COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2003

Election heralds dawn of new political era

The Nov. 9 election of the House of Representatives ushered Japanese politics into a new era in which two parties will dominate: the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Nov 15, 2003

Did Godzilla roar? Or simply growl?

Let's see . . . our world is writhing through some of its worst turmoil ever, the Japanese economy continues to stumble about like a man on uneven stilts, crime is up, jobs are down and the ozone layer has begun to resemble Swiss cheese without the cheese.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2003

MMC eyes North American strategy

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will release a strategic review of its North American operations early next year.
BUSINESS
Nov 12, 2003

Tanigaki against New Komeito tax plan

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki indicated Tuesday that he opposes New Komeito's proposal to scrap income tax cuts to allow the government to step up its contributions to the crisis-ridden pension program.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 12, 2003

Gift-giving season came early for the Hawks and Giants

"Kokubo dealt to Giants" read our headline above the story reporting the transfer of infielder Hiroki Kokubo from the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks to the Yomiuri Giants on Nov. 4. But how would this appear in the sports transactions columns listed in many newspapers in North America and around the world?
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2003

Record 124 women to be bureaucrats

The number of women to be hired as fast-track career bureaucrats will reach a record 124, or 19.3 percent of the 642 potential recruits for fiscal 2004, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2003

China can learn from Japan

China faces mounting pressure to revalue its allegedly undervalued yuan. I am concerned that China could repeat the mistakes that Japan made in exchange-rate policy. China can learn much from Japanese experiences in economic management and currency diplomacy.
Events
Nov 9, 2003

KANSAI : Who & What

Kagawa woos tourists with discounts, gifts: Every tourist who visits sightseeing spots or hotels in Kagawa Prefecture after crossing the Seto Ohashi Bridge through March 31, 2004, will receive a discount, a package of "udon" noodles or other incentives.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2003

Election and Iraq snag missile defense budget request

Preoccupation with the Iraq issue, the Diet election and a lack of consensus within the Defense Agency are delaying the process for formal government approval of the missile defense system.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2003

Solution in sight for Bhutanese refugees

NEW DELHI -- The complicated issue of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal seems to be heading toward a solution after some major breakthroughs were achieved during a two-day meeting of diplomats of two countries in Thimpu on Oct. 20-21.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2003

Shiseido suffers decline in first-half net profit

Hit by weak consumption and heavy pension costs, Shiseido Co. reported Wednesday its net profit in the fiscal first half dropped by more than a third from a year earlier to 6.56 billion yen.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2003

Power Rangers help Bandai post 5.3% profit increase

Bandai Co., Japan's leading toy maker, on Wednesday reported a 5.3 percent increase in operating profit for the first half, boosted by its Power Rangers and Mobile Suit Gundam products.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Ministries eye chemical substance database

The health, industry and environment ministries will compile a database on the toxicity and other features of some 28,000 chemical substances over a three-year period starting in fiscal 2004 in line with a new law, officials said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2003

True structural reform tied to end of bureaucratic rule

The biggest question in the Nov. 9 Lower House election is which side should take power -- a coalition headed by the Liberal Democratic Party or an alliance led by the Democratic Party of Japan. Also at stake is whether Japanese politics will be able to extricate itself from bureaucratic control.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 3, 2003

Punishment for Arsenal players doesn't fit the crime

LONDON -- These are not the best of times for English football.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2003

North Korean no-war pact not in the cards

HONOLULU -- Behind all the diplomatic, and some not so diplomatic, rhetoric in the confrontation between the United States and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions are three basic reasons why U.S. President George W. Bush will not offer the North Koreans the nonaggression pact they demand....
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

Fujitsu sets up semiconductor unit

Fujitsu Ltd. said Friday it has established a subsidiary in Shanghai to reinforce its semiconductor business in the growing Chinese market.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 1, 2003

Writer fills niche with new yakuza movie book

Mark Schilling is feeling a bit bleary-eyed. His son -- a freshman in media studies at Glasgow University, unused to the time difference between Europe and Japan -- had rung from Scotland around 5 a.m.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2003

Australia basks in afterglow of two high-powered visits

SYDNEY -- The world's two most powerful leaders stopped by in Canberra the other day. It was a neighborly visit, all smiles and trade deals. They're home in Washington and Beijing now, leaving behind the biggest bonanza for Australia since Japan came calling a generation or so ago.
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2003

Poweredcom to buy stake in IP telephony provider

Poweredcom Inc., an affiliate of Tokyo Electric Power Co., will take a stake in major Internet Protocol telephony provider Fusion Communications Corp. with an eye toward integrating telephone operations in the future, it said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2003

Deflation seen continuing

Most of the Bank of Japan's Policy Board members are expected to forecast in a report due out Friday that deflation will continue into fiscal 2004.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2003

Widespread risk-hedging seen limiting short-term menace of rising yen

A strong yen is not good news for Japanese export-driven companies. But the impact of the yen's recent surge against the dollar to three-year highs is expected to be limited for now since firms have hedged the currency risk, economists and major manufacturers said.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 29, 2003

Japan Series: Should have known better with those Tigers fans

I should have known better than to predict the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks would win the 2003 Japan Series in five games over the Hanshin Tigers.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Campaign rhetoric faces tougher scrutiny

Few voters in Japan -- or lawmakers for that matter -- ever took a serious look at political party election pledges, knowing they were simply vague policy slogans with little substance.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Koizumi foresees pension decline

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday that employees' pension benefits may fall to a level equivalent to about 50 percent of workers' current annual take-home salaries.
EDITORIALS
Oct 28, 2003

Manifestos leave voters in the dark

Not all political parties campaigning for the Nov. 9 general election describe their campaign promises in the form of a "manifesto." But they all have a common objective: explaining their beliefs and policies to the electorate in clear language. Yet many descriptions are equivocal and even confusing...

Longform

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