Search - 2003

 
 
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

Minister says safe Cambodia is ideal holiday spot

Cambodia has an image problem that makes it difficult to attract tourists, tourism minister Veng Sereyvuth told a travel congress in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2001

Consolidated tax may debut after all

Facing pressure from within the government, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday that the April deadline for introducing a consolidated taxation system can still be met.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 28, 2001

Tamura to stay away indefinitely

Olympic and world champion Ryoko Tamura said Tuesday she will stay away from competitive judo indefinitely in an attempt to regain full fitness for the 2003 World Championships in Osaka and the Olympic Games in Athens the following year.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2001

Minister seeks proposals on revamping education law

Education chief Atsuko Toyama asked her advisory panel Monday to recommend within a year whether Japan's "education constitution" aimed at creating a democratic and peaceful nation should be revised, officials said.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Colleges for teachers face drastic cuts

An education ministry panel recommended Thursday that the number of government-run teachers' universities and education departments at other schools should be cut in half.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

Consolidated tax system put off for one year

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Thursday that a proposed consolidated taxation system for companies will be delayed by one year, indicating its introduction would radically cut tax revenue.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Colleges for teachers face drastic cuts

An education ministry panel recommended Thursday that the number of government-run teachers' universities and education departments at other schools should be cut in half.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Snow Brand's first-half losses hit 13.7 billion yen

Snow Brand Milk Products Co. on Wednesday posted consolidated net losses of 13.66 billion yen for the first half of fiscal 2001, narrowing the gap from 30.66 billion yen logged in the same period the previous year.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2001

Katayama seeks postal compromise

Posts minister Toranosuke Katayama said Tuesday he will try to seek a compromise by the end of the year over the controversial issue of whether to liberalize the state-run postal services sector.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2001

Katayama seeks postal compromise

Posts minister Toranosuke Katayama said Tuesday he will try to seek a compromise by the end of the year over the controversial issue of whether to liberalize the state-run postal services sector.
EDITORIALS
Nov 19, 2001

Argentina's last chance

Argentina is once again faced with the prospect of default. A series of quick fixes has only postponed the day of reckoning for Latin America's third-largest economy. Now, domestic political spats between the central government and the provinces look set to torpedo the "zero-deficit plan" that President...
COMMUNITY
Nov 18, 2001

Life on the yellow brick road

Minoru Maeda dreads going outside alone. For him, one wrong step could be fatal.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2001

Film about Sorge in works

A veteran Japanese film director has announced he will begin shooting a movie next year on the wartime Sorge espionage case with focus on two journalists, one German and the other Japanese, who were hanged as Soviet spies.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Asahi Mutual hawking sales division to Tokio Marine

Troubled life insurer Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co. said Tuesday it is in talks to sell off its sales division to a Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. subsidiary in the face of policy-holder flight and dismal market prospects.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Ministry holds first online tender for public works project

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry on Tuesday staged the first online tender for a public works project in the nation's history.
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2001

Jobless woes to worsen

The U.S. jobless rate climbed 0.5 percentage point from the previous month in October to 5.4 percent amid increasing concerns over fallout from the Sept. 11 attacks and the spreading anthrax scare.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2001

Mr. Obasanjo walks the tightrope

Nigeria is once again on edge. Last week, soldiers reportedly massacred more than 200 civilians in retaliation for the killing of 19 of their comrades. The army is now engaged in the largest internal military deployment since the 1960s civil war.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2001

Health ministry to start rubella vaccination drive

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has decided to take steps to assist people who were not vaccinated against German measles, a dangerous illness for pregnant women, due to an amendment of the Preventive Vaccination Law, ministry sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

BOJ's Sept. 18 vote to ease monetary policy passed 8-1

The Bank of Japan decided by an 8-1 vote to ease monetary policy at its policy board meeting on Sept. 18, according to minutes of the meeting released Thursday.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Kuwaiti Cabinet endorses new contracts for Arabian Oil

The Kuwaiti Cabinet has given the green light to its plan to map out new contracts that will allow Tokyo-based Arabian Oil Co. to continue operations in the country's Khafji oil field, Arabian Oil said Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

SDP picks new secretary general

The Social Democratic Party endorsed the appointment of Mizuho Fukushima, a lawyer-turned House of Councilors lawmaker, as secretary general Sunday, concluding its two-day convention in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2001

Chuo Mitsui looks for lifeline

Chuo Mitsui Trust and Banking Co. announced Friday it will reorganize its trust operations and seek capital injections of between 60 billion yen and 70 billion yen from other members of the Mitsui group.
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2001

Volkswagen to accelerate sales promotion, presence in Asia

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- German auto giant Volkswagen AG is accelerating sales promotions to increase its presence in Asia, especially in Japan and China, according to an executive of the firm.
OLYMPICS
Oct 25, 2001

New president outlines JOC plans

New Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda said Wednesday that he would like to send Japanese athletes to the Salt Lake City Olympics in February as long as the Winter Olympic Games go ahead.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Fuel cells, IT on stage at motor show

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- The 35th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media Wednesday, showcasing concept cars, motorbikes and the latest auto parts at the Makuhari Messe international event hall.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 25, 2001

Cedar cull may still leave pollen victims fuming

This week's column is about air pollution, principally emissions from diesel engines. But first, the forest and cedar trees.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2001

Isuzu, Toyota eye alliance on diesel engines

Toyota Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. are in talks over a possible tieup in the United States under which Isuzu would supply diesel engines for Toyota cars sold in North America, sources close to the talks said Monday.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

Insurer safety net in trouble

Life insurers can no longer afford to keep funding the safety net of the Life Insurance Policyholders Protection Corp., which makes payments for failed insurers, a top industry official said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2001

Nissan posts record half-year results

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will post a record consolidated operating profit of 187 billion yen for the first half of fiscal 2001, due to continued progress in its ongoing three-year restructuring plan.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.