Search - 2000

 
 
JAPAN
May 29, 2001

No regrets about organ donation: husband

A man whose wife was pronounced legally brain dead has recounted the difficult experience of watching a loved one die, but said he has no regrets about his decision to donate her organs to transplant patients.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2001

China's quarantine steps not retaliatory: ministry

Japan believes that China's tightening of quarantine measures in April was not made in retaliation for import curbs Japan imposed on some of its farm products, Japanese Trade Ministry officials said Monday.
JAPAN
May 29, 2001

Schools pushed to observe flag, anthem in apparent about face

When the Hinomaru and "Kimigayo" were recognized in law in 1999, the government assured the people that they would not be forced to observe them, apparently in light of the long-standing controversy over the symbols.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2001

Debt-waiver puts Hazama in the black

Hazama Corp. said Monday its group net balance in fiscal 2000 swung back into the black as a one-time gain from a 105 billion yen debt-waiver wiped out most of its extraordinary losses.
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2001

Slyly, China extends its reach

Since early April, three Chinese vessels have been conducting marine research operations in the East China Sea, on the Japanese side of the midway line between Japan and China. These activities are based on a memorandum that the Japanese and Chinese governments exchanged in February. In accordance with...
JAPAN
May 28, 2001

Police hand Sogo chief to prosecutors

Tokyo police on Sunday sent Hiroo Mizushima, former chairman of the failed Sogo Co. department store chain, to prosecutors on suspicion of concealing personal assets to avoid court-ordered seizure by creditors.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2001

A successful model for privatizing Japan's special-purpose entities

In revitalizing the Japanese economy with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the helm, Japan should look to France as a model for privatizing its special-purpose entities in light of years of debate and analysis that have resulted in little action.
JAPAN
May 27, 2001

Mizushima blows smoke in questioning

Hiroo Mizushima, the arrested former chairman of failed department store operator Sogo Co., told police he asked a relative to keep 100 million yen in cash at his home out of "fear (it) might be lost in a fire," police said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 27, 2001

The quest for sleep

It's 5 a.m. and you've spent the past hour staring at the ceiling.
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2001

Help the world's poorest citizens

Politicians and pundits like to remind us that we live in an age of unprecedented prosperity, Japan's "lost decade" and the trillions of dollars of paper wealth that has vanished as a result of the current downturn in global stock markets notwithstanding. But for more than 600 million people -- one-tenth...
JAPAN
May 26, 2001

Police set to arrest former Sogo chief suspected of hiding personal assets

Police have obtained a warrant to arrest Hiroo Mizushima, 89, the former chairman of failed department store operator Sogo Co., on suspicion of hiding personal assets from creditors, police sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2001

Lower fees drag Wowow into red

Satellite broadcaster Wowow Inc. said Friday it fell into the red for the first time in six years in fiscal 2000 due to cuts in subscription fees and growth in costs for adding subscribers.
JAPAN
May 26, 2001

Human rights watchdog planned

The Justice Ministry's Council for Human Rights Promotion released a package of proposals Friday that includes establishment of an independent organ to beef up measures to counter abuses.
JAPAN
May 26, 2001

Net overseas assets rise above 133 trillion yen

Japan's outstanding balance of net assets abroad came to 133.47 trillion yen at the end of last year, a 57 percent increase from the year before and the second-largest total on record, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2001

Four new execs for Japan Telecom

Japan Telecom Co. announced Thursday that four executives from Vodafone Group PLC of Britain will be members of its board, which is expected to be approved at the shareholders meeting June 28.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 25, 2001

Dragons silence Tigers

Chunichi hurler Shigeki Noguchi tossed a one-hitter over the distance for his third shutout victory of the season as the Dragons beat the Hanshin Tigers 2-0 on Thursday at Ishikawa Prefectural Stadium in Kanazawa.
MORE SPORTS
May 25, 2001

Kentucky Derby winner also a success in Japan

California-based American jockey Kent Desormeaux made Japanese racing history this past Sunday as he took home first prize in the prestigious filly classic, the Oaks at Tokyo Racecourse.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Aqualine energized by new tolls

Daily traffic on the Aqualine bridge-tunnel span of Tokyo Bay rose 31.6 percent in fiscal 2000, following toll reductions introduced last summer, the transport ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Honda merges sales units

Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it will merge three subsidiaries to form a new motorcycle sales unit in August to strengthen its domestic bike business.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Employees encouraged to start ventures

When Noriyuki Ichihashi, an employee of Itochu Corp., proposed his idea to the firm's Internet venture incubation office about a year ago, the trading house was quick to give him the green light. Within a month, the 34-year-old had set up a planning company.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Toyota tops income list: research firm

Toyota Motor Corp. declared 483.1 billion yen in taxable income for calendar 2000, the largest declaration by a Japanese firm in the year, private research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd. said in a report released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Fuji Heavy sees falling profits on weak euro

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. said Wednesday its consolidated pretax profit for fiscal 2000 dropped 17.8 percent to 71.5 billion yen, mainly due to sluggish sales in Europe and the yen's strong performance against the euro.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Sumitomo Heavy posts 28.6 billion yen net loss

Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. said Wednesday its group net loss swelled to 28.61 billion yen in fiscal 2000 from the previous year's 6.33 billion yen, remaining in the red for three years in a row on sluggish revenues and heavy restructuring costs.
JAPAN
May 24, 2001

15,000 more day-care centers vowed

The government has decided in principle to provide an additional 15,000 after-school day-care centers for elementary school children by fiscal 2004, using vacant classrooms, government officials said.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Hankyu profits jump to 6 billion yen

Hankyu Department Stores Inc. said Wednesday its group pretax profit for fiscal 2000 jumped 25.2 percent to 6.21 billion yen despite a sales drop of 2 percent to 394.96 billion yen.
JAPAN
May 24, 2001

Radio-band feud grounds flying doctors

A government initiative to helicopter doctors to accident sites has been grounded by bureaucratic bickering over the use of a radio band to facilitate coordination of such operations, government sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2001

Stocks favored over real estate as best investments

More people favor stocks or deposits over owning land as a means of investing money for the first time since the government began a poll on the matter roughly a decade ago, according to a draft government report.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2001

Mitsui Fudosan logs first profit since '95

Major real estate firm Mitsui Fudosan Co. said Tuesday it logged its first consolidated net profit in five years in fiscal 2000, thanks to structural reforms in its management.

Longform

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