Search - 2005

 
 
BUSINESS
May 12, 2004

Bandai net profit hits record 14.2 billion yen

Bandai Co. said Tuesday its net profit rose 12 percent to a record 14.21 billion yen for the year through March, with Power Rangers characters enjoying strong popularity overseas.
JAPAN
May 12, 2004

Popular 'total control' asthma drug to get OK in 2005

The government is expected to approve a new asthma medication next year that is widely used overseas due to its effectiveness.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2004

Softbank sinks deeper into red

Softbank Corp. said Monday its net loss widened in fiscal 2003 for the third consecutive year in the red due to heavy spending to attract subscribers to its high-speed Internet connection service.
MORE SPORTS
May 9, 2004

Japan to play host

Japan will host a revamped World Club Championship in late 2005, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Saturday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2004

IRCJ starts up ailing Kanebo's cosmetics branch

Ailing Kanebo Ltd.'s mainstay cosmetics business began operations Friday under the state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan to pay off the group's huge debts.
JAPAN
May 8, 2004

Changes eyed for vehicle-recall system

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has unveiled measures to fundamentally revise the existing vehicle-recall system.
JAPAN
May 8, 2004

Nuclear plant exposure levels raise eyebrows

Nuclear plant workers in Japan have suffered the world's highest collective radiation exposure for four consecutive years, prompting the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency to consider improvements, it was learned Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 8, 2004

Joe Hideo Morita

To be the 16th generation of a famous family with a recorded history going back 400 years bestowed stature on Joe Hideo Morita. He is the eldest son of Akio Morita, who cofounded Sony Corp. He always knew he would carry on from where his father left off, and recognized that in leadership quality he was...
COMMENTARY
May 3, 2004

Koizumi's open-ended legac

On April 26 the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi entered its fourth year in power. Following his three-year rule under the slogan "No growth without reform," the Japanese economy is finally on a recovery track.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Jobless rate slides to three-year low

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to a three-year low of 4.7 percent in March -- a further indication of Japan's burgeoning economic recovery, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Jobless rate slides to three-year low

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to a three-year low of 4.7 percent in March -- a further indication of Japan's burgeoning economic recovery, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2004

CPI off a sixth year in '03 but deflation pace easing

The key gauge of consumer prices in Japan dropped 0.2 percent in fiscal 2003, down for a sixth straight year, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Monitors on buoys planned to gauge oceans' CO2 role

The science ministry will create a global-monitoring system to check how much carbon dioxide is absorbed and emitted by the sea, government officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2004

Employment opportunities set to grow amid recovery

More than 40 percent of major companies that took part in a recent survey said they plan to increase the recruitment of workers fresh out of school next spring, according to a report compiled Wednesday by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2004

Lower House OKs four expressway bills

The House of Representatives approved government-sponsored bills Tuesday to privatize four expressway corporations with the backing of the ruling coalition.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2004

Nissan saw profit reach record level in fiscal '03

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it posted a record group operating profit of 825 billion yen for fiscal 2003, up 11.9 percent from the previous year.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2004

Officials agree on global observation framework

Senior officials from more than 40 countries agreed Sunday in Tokyo on the framework of a 10-year plan to integrate global observation systems in order to address environmental threats such as climate change and natural disasters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 24, 2004

The Catch in publishing posters, cards, calendars

Meeting Frances Koston in May 2003 after a gap of years, she presented me with a clutch of postcards bearing beautifully printed images of early hand-tinted Japanese photographs. Just last month she came up with a collection of greeting cards of century-old textile prints, again originating in Japan....
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2004

Defense Agency to upgrade bureaus

The Defense Agency plans to upgrade its eight regional defense facilities administration bureaus into regional defense bureaus, agency sources said Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 21, 2004

Japan eyes hosting 2011 World Cup

Japan will apply to the International Rugby Board (IRB) to become a candidate to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, rugby sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2004

Diet targets North Korean ships via oil-spill insurance law

The Diet enacted a law Wednesday requiring shipowners to have insurance for oil-spill damage, a measure that may effectively bar access to Japanese ports by North Korean ships, most of which have no such coverage.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2004

DPJ expressway counterproposal envisages toll-free highways in 2008

The Democratic Party of Japan on Wednesday introduced to the Diet a counterproposal to a set of government-sponsored bills aimed at privatizing four highway corporations. The DPJ has promised to make most of the nation's expressways toll-free in fiscal 2008.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

JR East envisions using cell phones as train tickets

East Japan Railway Co. hopes to launch a new service as early as autumn 2005 that will allow mobile phone users to pass through ticket gates by pressing their handsets lightly against gate scanners, the company said Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 14, 2004

Japan wants to host 2007 World Cup

The American Football Association of Japan said Tuesday it has been moving forward in a bidding process that will make Japan a candidate to host the 2007 American Football World Cup.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 14, 2004

Tale of two trips: 1955 Yankees here weeks, 2004 team days

It has been two weeks since the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays cleared out of Japan following that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Japanese fans to see the Bronx Bombers play official games right here in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2004

License for automatic scooters eyed

The National Police Agency has proposed introducing by around June 2005 a new driver's license category for scooters with automatic transmissions, in light of their rising popularity.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2004

Communities vie to be site of new Tokyo Tower

Local governments in the Tokyo area are vying to host the world's tallest broadcasting tower in hopes of attracting tourist revenues.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

U.S. wants access to SDF radar data

The United States wants Japan to either provide full access to radar data collected by the Self-Defense Forces or allow the U.S. military to build a radar station in Japan as part of information-sharing for missile defense, a senior Defense Agency official said Monday.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake