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BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2012

Copper producers eye boost in exports

Japan's copper producers may increase exports in the coming years to make up for shrinking domestic demand as manufacturers head overseas to avoid higher costs and the impact on sales of a stronger yen, according to Pan Pacific Copper Co.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2012

Fujimura rules out grand coalition notion

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura flatly denied Monday that the ruling Democratic Party of Japan would consider forming a grand coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party to pass the contentious bill for doubling the consumption tax to 10 percent by 2015.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2012

Kobe Steel seeks Aussie iron ore

Kobe Steel Ltd. will invest ¥25 billion in an iron ore project in Western Australia to secure supplies of the steelmaking ingredient.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2012

Asahi Kasei to buy Zoll Medical for $2.2 billion

Asahi Kasei Corp., a maker of synthetic fibers and industrial chemicals, has agreed to buy U.S. company Zoll Medical Corp. for $2.2 billion (¥181 billion) to expand its presence in the critical care products field and also to boost sales in Asia.
COMMENTARY
Mar 12, 2012

Delusional pretexts to attack Iran

The last time U.S. President Barack Obama met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was obvious that the two men distrusted and despised each other. This time (March 5), their mutual dislike was better hidden, but the gulf between them was still as big, especially on the issue of Iran's alleged...
Japan Times
JAPAN / QUEST FOR RECOVERY
Mar 11, 2012

A year on, Tohoku stuck in limbo

Located roughly 23 km from Fukushima's crippled nuclear plant, Hirono Station today is the northernmost stop on the JR Joban Line for passengers traveling up Tohoku's coast from Tokyo.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 10, 2012

Chubu reactor safety improvements mixed bag

The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis prompted the government to ask untilities nationwide to draw up mid- and long-term countermeasures against future earthquakes and tsunami.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2012

Reve21 taps CEO candidates for IPO, global push

Hair clinic operator Reve21 Co. shortlisted four candidates to replace founder and CEO Katsumasa Okamura and prepare the company for an initial public offering and expansion overseas.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2012

Noda makes international pitch for tax hike plan

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Saturday that his government "cannot sidestep" a controversial tax hike that has turned into the leader's highest priority and largest potential stumbling block.
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2012

JFE-IHI ship merger aims for ¥500 billion in sales

JFE Holdings Inc. and IHI Corp. will seek to increase sales of their combined shipbuilding units by about 30 percent in five years to fend off competition from South Korean and Chinese rivals.
COMMENTARY
Mar 3, 2012

How to push reform forward

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has stated he would stake his political life on realizing integrated reform of the tax and social security systems. Japan's financial structure is worse than those of other advanced countries and even that of Greece, which was responsible for the euro crisis. Therefore it...
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2012

Reform and a livable pension

The Democratic Party of Japan has finally made public its preliminary financial calculations for pension reform it is advocating. Although the DPJ's proposal is not perfect, both the government and political parties should accelerate their discussions on how to strengthen Japan's pension system as the...
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2012

Toshiba to buy hard-drive gear from Western Digital

Toshiba Corp. said Wednesday it will acquire hard-disk drive manufacturing equipment from Western Digital Corp. to expand its business supplying components for servers and digital video recorders.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 29, 2012

Noda tax quest one dimensional?

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has cleared numerous political hurdles since taking office in September, but his goal of raising the consumption tax and reforming the social security system may prove insurmountable as he wages a two-front battle.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2012

A 'stewpid' time to raise VAT

The International Monetary Fund has joined Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and leading politicians and bureaucrats in laying down a remorseless softening up barrage of facts, figures, argument and just plain determination that the country's consumption tax should rise as quickly as possible.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2012

Panasonic to re-enter European mobile market with its first smartphone

Panasonic Corp. will re-enter the European mobile-device market in April with the company's first smartphone and expand the range of handsets to potentially include tablet computers.
EDITORIALS
Feb 21, 2012

Rethink national ID plan

The government has submitted to the Diet a bill to introduce a "common number system" under which the government would issue each citizen with an electronic chip-equipped ID card that contains the cardholder's personal information for taxation and social welfare purposes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2012

DoCoMo plans spending boost for network

NTT DoCoMo Inc., the nation's biggest mobile phone carrier, plans to spend about 1.5 times its annual profit to strengthen its network as it banks on a surge in smartphone use to end a four-year decline in revenue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2012

S&P affirms AA- rating, says downgrade likely

Standard and Poor's on Monday affirmed Japan's sovereign-debt rating at AA- while maintaining a negative outlook and warning that a downgrade is likely if medium-term growth prospects weaken.

Longform

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