Search - 2000

 
 
JAPAN
Nov 6, 1998

Mitsubishi to layoff 1,000 U.S. autoworkers

Posting huge losses in midterm earnings, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. announced plans Friday to lay off about 1,000 of the 4,600 workers at two major U.S. subsidiaries as part of restructuring efforts.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 1998

Obuchi-Yeltsin summit set; isles row to top agenda

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's visit to Russia to hold talks with President Boris Yeltsin will take place from Nov. 11 to 13, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 1998

Obuchi reaches out in Osaka

Staff writer
JAPAN
Oct 30, 1998

Mitsui Trust withdraws from overseas operations

Mitsui Trust & Banking Co. announced a sweeping corporate restructuring plan Friday that calls for it to retreat from overseas banking by the end of March and concentrate on domestic asset trust services in tandem with a U.S. firm.As part of the streamlining, executive bonuses will be cut 10 percent...
JAPAN
Oct 30, 1998

Global satellite phone systems prepare to power up

Staff writerA new global satellite phone system that promises to release users from the fetters of conventional, bulky and cumbersome mobile phones currently in use begins service Sunday amid mixed expectations regarding its success.Nippon Iridium Corp.'s new Iridium service will provide customers with...
JAPAN
Oct 29, 1998

MITI request of 144 billion yen eyed to aid small firms

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry will request 144 billion yen for measures to support small and midsize firms suffering from the ongoing credit crunch, ministry officials said Thursday.MITI said it will file the request today with the Finance Ministry in line with the government's plan...
JAPAN
Oct 28, 1998

Major oil firms announce industry-leading merger

Nippon Oil Co., Japan's second-largest petroleum distributor, and Mitsubishi Oil Co., its sixth-largest, have reached a basic agreement to merge into what will be the nation's largest petroleum company on April 1.The move, announced Wednesday by the companies' presidents, is intended to fend off intensifying...
JAPAN
Oct 26, 1998

Kuwait seeks more investment from Japan

Kuwait hopes to attract more Japanese investment when it enacts a new investment law, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah told Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Monday.Sabah told Obuchi that Kuwait wants to expand relations with Japan in various areas, especially...
JAPAN
Oct 23, 1998

APEC may force Japan into tariff compromise

Japan intends to seek a compromise on the easing of its fisheries and forestry trade barriers at next month's meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the government's top spokesman indicated Friday.Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said the government has virtually given up its position...
JAPAN
Oct 22, 1998

ANA changes course for Star Alliance

In an effort to pull in business class customers for its international routes, All Nippon Airways Co. will join the Star Alliance, a multilateral strategic linkup of international carriers, next October, ANA officials said Thursday.The alliance is made up of Air Canada, Lufthansa German Airlines, Scandinavian...
JAPAN
Oct 22, 1998

MITI, Saudi trade chiefs chat

Japan and Saudi Arabia on Thursday reaffirmed their bilateral efforts to facilitate investment in the Arab nation, which pledged to be a primary oil supplier to Japan and other world economies, officials of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said.MITI Minister Kaoru Yosano met separately...
JAPAN
Oct 21, 1998

JAS to throw overseas flights to Harlequin

Japan Air System plans to transfer all international flight operations to its wholly owned subsidiary Harlequin Air by fiscal 2000 to allow JAS to focus on domestic flights, industrial sources said Wednesday.JAS decided to transfer its international flight services to the more cost-competitive subsidiary...
JAPAN
Oct 21, 1998

Saudi Arabia calls for more private-sector investment

Saudi Arabia wants Japan to increase its investment, which currently stands below expectations, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud told Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi."There is room for further improvement in relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan," Crown Prince Abdullah was quoted...
JAPAN
Oct 19, 1998

Tax cut details to be aired in December

The government will spell out by mid-December details regarding corporate and individual income tax cuts designed to stimulate sagging consumer spending, International Trade and Industry Minister Kaoru Yosano told major retailers Monday, according to a ministry official.During an hourlong meeting with...
JAPAN
Oct 13, 1998

Yeltsin to give answer on isle row when Obuchi visits

Russian President Boris Yeltsin will respond to Japan's new proposal on resolving the islands dispute between Japan and Russia in mid-November, when Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi makes an official visit to Moscow, ministry officials said Tuesday.The message from Alexander Panov, the Russian ambassador...
JAPAN
Oct 12, 1998

Japan to review financial accord with U.S.

Japan and the United States will hold working-level meetings Thursday and Friday in Tokyo to check progress on a 1995 bilateral accord on financial services, according to Japanese officials.Officials from the Finance Ministry and the U.S. Treasury Department will discuss a variety of issues concerning...
JAPAN
Oct 8, 1998

Japan, South Korea ink new tax pact

Japan and South Korea signed a new taxation convention Thursday that will treat South Korea as a developed country by removing preferential measures and effectively increase Japan's tax revenue.The agreement, to be applied from 2000 subject to parliamentary approval, promotes business activity taxation...
JAPAN
Oct 5, 1998

EU to present deregulation package next week

The European Union will present new deregulation proposals to Japan when the two sides hold ministerial-level meetings in Tokyo next Monday, a senior officials of the European Commission said Monday.Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Ove Juul Joergensen, head of the Delegation of the European Commission...
JAPAN
Sep 29, 1998

Government mulls early stimulus implementation

The government is considering earlier implementation of its planned tax reductions and other economic pump-priming measures, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka indicated Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 28, 1998

Mitsubishi Motors accelerates streamlining

Staff writerTo expedite its restructuring program, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has revised its earlier plan to reduce the number of employees and interest-bearing liabilities, an executive of MMC said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 1998

Oki Electric forecasts loss, announces restructuring

Oki Electric Industry Co. said Tuesday the company is likely to suffer an after-tax loss of 31 billion yen in the current business year to March 1999, due to sagging semiconductor prices and lower demand for telecommunications devices.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 1998

Prosecutors raid Defense Agency

Prosecutors raided the Defense Agency on Monday on suspicion that the agency destroyed documents relevant to a procurement billing scandal in an attempted coverup.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 1998

Komura postpones visit to Moscow

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Friday he has postponed a scheduled trip to Moscow that was to begin Sunday.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 1998

Economic council targets 14 issues for recovery

An advisory panel to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Thursday selected 14 main issues that it will address in its attempt to help the government achieve full-scale economic recovery within two years.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 1998

Nuclear activist urges Japan to take lead in disarmament

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 7, 1998

NEC starts up communications unit in Singapore

NEC Corp. announced Monday it has set up a subsidiary in Singapore to design and develop hardware and software of base stations for wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), a next-generation wide-band mobile communication system.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 1998

Japan, EU set ministerial talks for Oct. 12

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1998

Nissan develops new emission-cutting powertrain

CHIBA -- Combining its cutting-edge engine and transmission technologies, Nissan Motor Co. has developed a new powertrain that it said can improve its vehicles' fuel economy by 50 percent and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 35 percent.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 1998

Tokyo reform draft would slash number of departments

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government unveiled a draft Thursday for major administrative reform of its organizations, which, if implemented, would reduce the current 18 departments and bureaus to seven.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 1998

Foreign airlines to be charged for flyovers

The Transport Ministry plans to collect 5.4 billion yen a year in fees from foreign airlines flying through Japanese airspace starting in January 2000, according to the ministry's fiscal 1999 budget request released Thursday.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan