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EDITORIALS
Oct 18, 2005

Toward the final frontier

China's successful launching last week of its second manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 6, coming just two years after its historic first flight, demonstrates that the country's space program is making steady progress. China's goal, obviously, is to become a "space power."
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2005

Postal bills fly through Lower House

got what he wanted by fair means or foul," Kamei said after the vote. "It seems as if the 'age of civil wars' has been revived in modern society and I fear that democratized Japan will disappear."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2005

LDP OKs postal reform; dissent a notable no-show

The Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday unanimously endorsed the hotly contested postal privatization bills that triggered the Sept. 11 general election.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2005

It's now a case of what clicks with voters

As campaigning officially kicked off Tuesday for the Sept. 11 election, attention is focused on voters and their priorities.
COMMENTARY
Aug 31, 2005

The meaning behind Koizumi's moves

On the surface, most elections are about personalities, false promises and special interests. But Japan's general election Sept. 11 is about a deeper historical reconciliation -- the effort to resolve differences between the country's cultural and behavioral preferences, and the organizational practices...
COMMENTARY
Aug 23, 2005

LDP again at the crossroads

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi views the forthcoming general election, set for Sept. 11, as a national referendum on his top-priority plan to privatize the postal system. "I would like to ask the people whether they are for or against postal privatization," he told a nationally televised press conference,...
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2005

Mail to be a privatized priority?

If the postal reform bills clear the House of Councilors by the Aug. 13 end of the current Diet session, the privatization process will begin in April 2007 and end 10 years later.
EDITORIALS
Jul 6, 2005

A bittersweet victory for Mr. Koizumi

With the Lower House's passage of the postal privatization bills Tuesday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi overcame an important hurdle in pushing the "centerpiece" of his reform agenda. The victory was bittersweet for Mr. Koizumi, however, as many members of his Liberal Democratic Party -- including...
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2005

Cabinet OKs postal reform package amid chaos in LDP

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi finalized a package of postal privatization bills Wednesday night after executives of his Liberal Democratic Party rammed the bills through a series of internal meetings.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Postal reform plan is watered down but moves forward

The government Monday accepted a set of demands from top executives of the Liberal Democratic Party to further water down Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's contentious postal privatization plan.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2005

Postal issue keeps LDP at loggerheads

The Liberal Democratic Party continued late Monday night trying to put together a set of requests for modifying the government's plan to privatize postal services by 2017 by splitting Japan Post into four units.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2005

Postal reforms get nod only from LDP execs

Liberal Democratic Party executives reacted positively Tuesday to the government's postal privatization scheme unveiled the previous day, while rank-and-file members continued to voice opposition.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2005

Bitter medicine to build trust

Political parties are bracing for a new round of joint parliamentary panel talks on social security reform. The biggest issue is how to integrate disparate and unequal parts of the public pension system. Prospects for final agreement look uncertain at best, given the wide differences that exist between...
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2005

BioCarbon Fund gets new buyer

Sumitomo Chemical Co. said Wednesday it will invest $2.5 million in the World Bank's BioCarbon Fund by 2017 to obtain some 400,000 carbon credits, which count against greenhouse gas emissions.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2004

Japan Post, China to top the agenda in EU talks

Senior officials from Japan and the European Union will hold a series of talks in Tokyo this week focusing on the privatization of Japan's postal services, China's economy, the progress in Japan's bad-loan problem and the impact of EU expansion on bilateral relations.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2004

Toward ASEAN integration

SINGAPORE -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has begun a more promising phase of its integrative process in the face of three formidable challenges:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 29, 2004

Takenaka vows to get LDP members on board for Japan Post privatization

Heizo Takenaka, just named to the brand-new post of minister of postal reform, said Tuesday he will "keep talking" to Liberal Democratic Party politicians until he wins their support for privatization.
EDITORIALS
Sep 28, 2004

Reform-oriented shuffle

Just as he indicated he would do before Monday's Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi filled major party-executive posts and Cabinet posts with politicians loyal to his postal-reform policy. Prior to the naming of the new Cabinet lineup, Mr. Koizumi appointed Mr. Tsutomu Takebe, a former...
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2004

LDP lawmakers pledge to block postal reform

Dozens of lawmakers of the Liberal Democratic Party announced Wednesday they will try to block legislation aimed at privatizing Japan Post, despite the Cabinet's plan to approve a bill to this end on Friday.
BUSINESS / Q&A
Sep 9, 2004

Why is Japan Post going to be privatized?

After months of government debate, the Cabinet on Friday will formally approve a plan to privatize the government-run Japan Post.
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2004

Sides still at loggerheads over proposed four-way postal privatization split

Several ruling coalition politicians and Cabinet ministers remained at odds Monday over whether to split Japan Post into four firms in 2007, the first year of the planned 10-year privatization process, officials said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2004

Economist advocates Japan Post carve-up

The priority in privatizing Japan's gigantic postal system is to quickly split its financial and postal service operations despite strong opposition, according to high-profile economist Hiroshi Kato.
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2004

Koizumi blasts postal reform foes

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed strong dissatisfaction Tuesday over continued opposition within his Liberal Democratic Party to privatizing postal services, saying it's "a done deal."
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2004

Delay possible in full postal privatization: Takenaka

Economic and fiscal policy minister Heizo Takenaka indicated Sunday he understands the need for a possible delay in dividing postal services into several entities.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2004

Delay possible in full postal privatization: Takenaka

Economic and fiscal policy minister Heizo Takenaka indicated Sunday he understands the need for a possible delay in dividing postal services into several entities.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2004

Privatized Japan Post to be watched over by three agencies

Units of a privatized Japan Post are expected to come under the jurisdiction of three separate government agencies to ensure equal competition with the private sector, government sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Pension bills littered with errors

The government acknowledged Friday that pension reform legislation enacted by the Diet last month contained as many as 40 technical flaws, and reprimanded bureaucrats in connection with the fiasco.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?