Search - 2005

 
 
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2004

JAL, ANA meet different needs

In February, Japan Airlines Corp. surprised the industry by announcing it would replace its super-seat luxury class, which had been in place for 18 years, with a new, cheaper class on domestic flights.
Features
Oct 17, 2004

In another language of crime and detection

Qiu Xiaolong, 51, says his first encounter with mystery fiction occurred around age 14 or 15, when he read Sherlock Holmes stories during the Cultural Revolution. "Of course I read the book by stealth at the time," he recalls. Japanese mystery films shown in China years later provided another source...
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 16, 2004

Livedoor president grilled over Web site

Livedoor president Takafumi Horie faced a battery of questions from Japanese baseball officials regarding the adult content of his company's Web site.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2004

Cash for Iraq in short supply at confab

Donor countries on Thursday renewed their vow to support Iraq's reconstruction and the political process for a parliamentary election in January, but few offered fresh contributions to the war-torn country as they wrapped up a conference in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 14, 2004

Arias, Petagine, Woods may play musical chairs in offseason

Three foreign players, all first basemen on Central League teams this past season, may be about to embark on a National Football League quarterback-style game of musical chairs.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2004

Violence in Iraq holding back foreign aid

When Mohammad Ali-Hassan, the governor of Al-Muthanna Province in southern Iraq, visited Tokyo last week, he thanked Japan for the aid it has given to his province, where Ground Self-Defense Force troops have been deployed.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2004

Koizumi opens Diet session with pledge to stick to reforms

A 53-day extraordinary Diet session began Tuesday, with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterating his determination to stick to his administrative reform initiatives, including the privatization of Japan's postal services.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2004

Tourists get cheaper shinkansen tours

Budget-minded travelers from overseas wanting to ride Japan's famous but pricey bullet trains can now get a break from Tokaido Shinkansen Line operator Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) and leading travel agency JTB Corp.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2004

Koizumi to host Roh at 'onsen' resort

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun will hold a summit Dec. 17 to Dec. 18 in the "onsen" hot spring resort of Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Foreign Ministry sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 8, 2004

Persistent SMFG buys 300 shares in UFJ

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. said Thursday it has acquired 300 shares in takeover target UFJ Holdings Inc., opening the door to counter a merger offer from a rival Japanese bank.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2004

Government to unify welfare policies for disabled people

The government plans to unify welfare policies covering services for physically and mentally disabled people, according to officials.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2004

Carbon tax should target users, not providers: official

Any new carbon tax should be imposed on consumers of fossil fuels, not their importers and processors, a senior Environment Ministry official indicated Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2004

Finance Ministry to cut government bond issues

The Finance Ministry will cut the issuance of new government bonds for fiscal 2005 to less than the 36.6 trillion yen planned for the current fiscal year, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2004

Sharp rolls out LCD TV boasting a 65-inch screen

Sharp Corp. said Tuesday it has developed the world's largest liquid crystal display TV, featuring a 65-inch screen.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2004

Fears over digital sector, personal consumption cloud outlook

Although the economy is now in its fifth-longest expansion in postwar history, the outlook is clouded by worries over the future course of the digital industry and personal consumption.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2004

Repair schemes can't please all nations

HONOLULU -- The proposal that Japan, India, Germany and Brazil become permanent members of the U.N. Security Council is almost certain to fail, but it may trigger sweeping reforms in a 1945 institution incapable of coping with the issues of 2005.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2004

New locations sought for U.S. bases

The government will work to reduce the U.S. military presence in Okinawa by searching for alternative host cities elsewhere in Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2004

'Tankan' rosiest in 13 years, but future cloudy

While business sentiment among Japan's large manufacturers in the July-September quarter was the highest in more than 13 years, the future looks far from rosy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2004

Tokaido Shinkansen Line fetes 40 years

Ceremonies were held Friday marking 40 years since the Tokaido Shinkansen Line opened, pioneering the bullet train service linking Tokyo and Osaka just ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2004

FTA concessions needed: Nakagawa

Japan may have to make more concessions to push forward free-trade negotiations with Southeast Asian nations, according to Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2004

Tax increases on the table: Tanigaki

With the economy relatively steady, Japan is ready for debate on tax increases and government program cuts to put the nation's finances in order, according to Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2004

Mitsukoshi to shut down 10 unprofitable outlets

Department store chain Mitsukoshi Ltd. said Thursday it will close 10 unprofitable outlets across the country in 2005 in an effort to boost profitability amid weak sales.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 30, 2004

Japanese baseball owners approve interleague plan

The owners of professional baseball clubs approved a plan Wednesday to hold interleague regular-season games next year for the fist time ever.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 29, 2004

Fan power prevails as crisis in Japanese baseball subsides

It appears we will come out of the so-called Japanese baseball crisis with the two-league system intact, six teams each in the Central and Pacific circuits, a new team in Sendai and interleague play in 2005.
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2004

KDDI phones to function as e-money

KDDI Corp. said Tuesday it will start selling mobile phones by fall 2005 that can function as electronic money.
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2004

Subsidies boost use of ETC system

More drivers have begun to use the electronic toll-collection system since the introduction of subsidies, cheaper devices and plans to cut tollway fees for users.

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.