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BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2003

Sharp books record earnings in first half

Sharp Corp. on Wednesday reported record first-half earnings, citing strong demand for liquid crystal display TVs and camera-equipped mobile phone handsets.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Road panel seeks legislative draft before coalition debate on matter

A key advisory panel on the privatization of expressway operators urged Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday to have his government present the panel with a draft of relevant legislation before consulting with ruling coalition leaders on the matter later this year.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 26, 2003

JT campaign aims to blunt war on smokers

Several weeks ago this newspaper published letters from non-Japanese readers who complained about a Japan Tobacco advertising campaign that depicts Western men and women with exaggerated noses sniffing cigarette smoke out of wine glasses. Two of the writers were angered by the image itself, saying that...
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2003

Resona to solicit early retirements to accelerate revival plan

Resona Holdings Inc. plans to ask staff to take early retirement from January in an effort to accelerate its business restructuring program, sources close to the company said Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Nations commit cash at Iraq donors' conference

MADRID -- Nudged by the United States, international donors came through with pledges of $19 billion in grants and loans Friday to rebuild Iraq but were falling short of the estimated $56 billion needed to rebuild the country.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Woo foreign investors, make babies: report

Already mired in its worst economic slump in decades, Japan could see its growth decline even further as its citizens age and its population shrinks, the government said in an annual economic assessment released Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Japan Highway chief sacked

Land minister Nobuteru Ishihara officially sacked Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii on Friday, calling him an obstacle to the government's plan to privatize the debt-strapped entity by 2005.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2003

Koizumi fails to evict LDP elder

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tried Thursday to persuade two octogenarian former prime ministers to retire from politics because of their age, effecting a quiet exit in the case of Kiichi Miyazawa but running up against a brick wall in the shape of Yasuhiro Nakasone.
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2003

Nissan, Renault say alliance is producing results

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- Nissan Motor Co. and French automaker Renault SA are reaping the benefits of their partnership in technological development and businesses in overseas markets, officials of the two companies said Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2003

Nobel laureate wants research facility built -- now

Masatoshi Koshiba, the astrophysicist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize, said Wednesday he has urged a government panel to reconsider its recommendation not to fund an advanced physics research facility.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2003

37th Tokyo Motor Show revs up for the media

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- The 37th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media Wednesday at the Makuhari Messe convention center, showcasing futuristic, environmentally friendly and concept vehicles, motorcycles and the latest technology.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Oct 23, 2003

No rush to judgment

In a meeting in Heidelberg earlier this month, science historians concluded that German science between 1933 and 1945 was exploitative and unethical. The organizer of the meeting, Wolfgang Eckhart, head of history of medicine at the University of Heidelberg, said in Nature last week: "We have proven...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

Japan slowly pulls head out of sand on smoking ills

During the five years since a landmark suit against tobacco manufacturers and the government was filed, slight but steady progress has been made in regulating cigarette sales and advertising.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2003

Japan set to lend Iraq $3.5 billion

Japan will provide Iraq with $3.5 billion in loans over the three years from 2005, which -- along with a $1.5 billion grant for 2004 announced earlier -- will bring total Japanese aid to Iraq to $5 billion, government sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Gifu gives Big Apple taste of local legend

If you mention the name Furuta Oribe, most Japanese will probably give you a blank stare.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2003

Suntory to build new soft-drink plant

Beverage maker Suntory Ltd. said Friday it will construct its second soft-drink plant in Shanghai in 2005 to meet growing demand.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2003

Japan eyes World Heritage listing for Shiretoko Peninsula

The Environment Ministry decided Thursday to recommend the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido for the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage List of 2004.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 17, 2003

New Komeito frets over lack of spotlight

Leaders of New Komeito feel a sense of crisis ahead of the Nov. 9 general election for the House of Representatives.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2003

Japan announces pledge of $1.5 billion to Iraq

Japan will provide Iraq with grants worth $1.5 billion in 2004 to support the country's reconstruction, the government announced Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2003

37th Tokyo Motor Show to feature hybrid, concept cars

Concept models of advanced hydrogen-powered vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrid cars are expected to dazzle visitors to the 37th Tokyo Motor Show beginning Oct. 25, Japanese carmakers said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2003

Fujii demands an open hearing

Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii has requested that an administrative hearing, scheduled for Friday, be opened to the public.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2003

Resona to post 1.76 trillion yen loss on writeoffs

Resona Holdings Inc. said Friday it will post a first-half net loss of 1.76 trillion yen, a stark reversal from originally projected net profits of 22 billion yen.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2003

Antiterrorism law extension OK'd

A House of Councilors committee endorsed a bill Thursday for extending a special law to allow the continued deployment of Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to the Indian Ocean until 2005 to support the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2003

Charming the IMF in Dubai

HONG KONG -- James Wolfensohn, the president of the World Bank, made the most powerful speech of his career at the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund in Dubai last month. It was full of sharp sound bites driving toward a vital central theme that Wolfensohn enunciated...
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2003

Japan Highway chief refuses to step down

Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii on Monday defied an order by transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara to resign, forcing Ishihara to begin the formal process of sacking him.

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