Search - 2013

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 20, 2014

Land boom gives boost to REIT bonds

The nation's real estate investment trusts are offering the most bonds since 2012 as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's stimulus steps spark a property-market boom and cut costs for REITs to refinance.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2014

Toyota regards union demand for wage increase as 'surprisingly high'

Toyota Motor Corp., the nation's largest manufacturer and employer, says the wage increases labor unions have demanded going into annual negotiations this year are "surprisingly high."
EDITORIALS
Feb 19, 2014

Data highlights fragility of recovery

The uptick in Japanese consumer spending in the fourth quarter of 2013 should be regarded as a result of the rush to make purchases before the consumption tax rises from 5 to 8 percent, beginning in April, rather than as an optimistic sign of economic recovery.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 19, 2014

Shiga's Gomez provides steady veteran leadership, productivity

The Shiga Lakestars are one of five Western Conference teams with a win total ranging between 15 and 17 through Sunday. And that means half of the West's teams are in that position. Parity it is, but also a dogfight for a ticket to the playoffs.
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2014

Demand for gold in Japan up threefold

Gold demand in Japan jumped threefold in 2013 as prices slumped and investors sought refuge from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's campaign to stoke inflation and weaken the yen, the World Gold Council said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2014

Westin feels it's perfectly positioned to pamper, keep ahead of rivals

The Westin Tokyo is currently enjoying brisk sales and expects business to continue to thrive as consumers presently have a propensity to spend money on luxurious food and accommodations, the hotel's general manager said recently.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 17, 2014

Games organizing committee clock is ticking

With the organizing committee for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics up and running, preparations for the mega-project have commenced. The main hurdles it faces are how to amass the vast sums of money needed to stage the games and the personnel needed to run them. There is also the task of maintaining...
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 17, 2014

Massive GPIF should own $600 billion of stocks: panel

The world's biggest retirement fund should put half its $1.2 trillion of assets in stocks and increase its yearly return goal to 5 percent, according to the head of a panel advising lawmakers on overhauling public pensions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 16, 2014

Local startup SoftBank on course to become global player

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's 2010 speech about his new 30-year plan has proven to be more than a grandiose spiel as it barges into the global telecommunications market.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 16, 2014

Prepping for university straight from the crib

Aiko has just finished bouncing like a rabbit toward a white line. She has already identified photographs of fruit and will soon be told a story about a panda, after which she'll have to draw a picture and offer an ending. How she does with these activities could determine where she attends university,...
EDITORIALS
Feb 16, 2014

In the spirits of growth

Suntory Holdings Ltd.'s deal to buy Beam Inc. of the U.S. is the latest indication that heretofore risk-averse Japanese firms are becoming more aggressive in expanding overseas operations through mergers and acquisitions.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2014

White House mulls drone strikes to kill a citizen

In the latest manifestation of the weird war on terror, White House officials say they are considering whether to use drone strikes to kill an unnamed American in Pakistan.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 15, 2014

Tips for purchasing tickets at Japanese ballparks this season

It will cost a little more this season for tickets to Japanese professional baseball games, like everything else in Japan. Because of the rise in the consumption tax rate from 5 to 8 percent effective April 1, most teams are increasing ticket costs by¥100 or ¥200 across the board from 2013 prices....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 15, 2014

Stem-cell leap defied Japanese norms

It's not surprising that last week Haruko Obokata issued a plea for privacy. On Jan. 29 she published a scientific paper on stem cells that could revolutionize medicine, and overnight the researcher based at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Kobe became a domestic and international...
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2014

Helping female researchers soar

Dr. Haruko Obokata, 30, deserves all the global attention she has received for her breakthrough method in creating stem cells. How many other talented Japanese women out there could make great contributions to scientific research if they were judged by their motivation and accomplishments rather than by their gender.
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2014

More foreigners working in Japan

Whether it's the willingness at more workplaces to accept diversity or the nationwide worker shortage, especially in the construction industry, more foreigners are working in Japan than ever before.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2014

Iran's religious war on minority Arab poets

It is a sad time for the world when Iran, birthplace of humanity's more revered writers and intellectuals, decides instead to kill its poets, the latest being the Ahwazi Arab poet Hashem Shaabani on Jan. 27.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ICE TIME
Feb 15, 2014

Olympic champion Hanyu embraces role as hero to millions

It was not as majestic as it could have been, but the morning after the reality is that Yuzuru Hanyu is the Olympic champion.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2014

Sure winners in 2020 Tokyo Olympics? Gangsters

As Japan bets on a big economic boost from the 2020 Olympics, it might be dismayed by what's happening right now in Russia. Moody's doubts the Sochi Games will be much of a plus for that economy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2014

Rakuten acquires Viber web phone/messaging service for $900 million

Rakuten Inc., the Japanese online retailer controlled by billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, is buying the Viber Internet messaging and calling service for $900 million as it moves into social networking.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat