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BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2004

China tells Japan to hurry up with free-trade deal

OSAKA -- Chinese participants of the 4th Japan-China Economic Conference urged Japan on Friday to speed up negotiations for a free-trade agreement so that an East Asian FTA can be concluded by 2020.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2004

Division casts shadow over DPJ

The Democratic Party of Japan has formed a new executive team and a new shadow Cabinet, but one man of great influence is conspicuously absent: Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, the former acting president. His refusal to take up any post, apparently reflecting an ongoing dispute with the party president, Mr. Katsuya...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2004

Africa's oil boom benefiting all too few

NEW YORK -- Since the mid-1990s, several countries in sub-Saharan Africa -- Nigeria, Angola, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea -- have experienced strong revenue growth from the petroleum industry. In most cases, this new wealth is not being directed toward the countries' economic development or toward improved...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2004

Asian currency zone beckons

There is no doubt that the stable renminbi (RMB) exchange rate, pegged at about 8.25 yuan to the U.S. dollar, has helped China's economic development. It has brought about enormous production capacity in the export industries. Meanwhile, the sharp increase in exports to the United States has prompted...
Japan Times
Features
May 23, 2004

Power and the People

North Korea is not the only country casting a long nuclear shadow over Japan and America. The citizens of both nations are right now under threat from precarious atomic programs -- ones which are being forced on them by their own governments.
JAPAN
May 16, 2004

Experts are forecasting 60 more cases of mad cow

About 60 more cases of mad cow disease are expected to occur in Japan, with the number likely to peak in 2005 and 2006, according to a Cabinet Office report.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2004

Officials agree on global observation framework

Senior officials from more than 40 countries agreed Sunday in Tokyo on the framework of a 10-year plan to integrate global observation systems in order to address environmental threats such as climate change and natural disasters.
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2004

Don't forget Afghanistan

Three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is once again tottering on the brink of chaos. The facts will be in plain view in Berlin at a two-day conference from Wednesday, when 54 nations assess the problems and progress since the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan. Progress has been remarkable,...
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2004

Car recycling law brings automakers together

A new law to promote car recycling that will take effect in January has already fueled competition and led to greater cooperation among Japanese automakers.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2004

Effort on to curb Sumatra logging

A fund to preserve Sumatra's forests was established recently by a nongovernmental organization and Japanese firms importing paper from the Indonesian island.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2004

U.N. official seeks help getting word out about rice

A senior official of a United Nations agency for rural development hopes Japan will play an active role in helping to increase rice production in developing countries as a way to address worldwide poverty.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2004

Is 'burying' carbon dioxide the cure for global warming?

As the world's largest emitters of carbon dioxide -- including Japan -- struggle to find quick and effective ways of cutting emissions to curb global warming, projects to store the gas underground are attracting public attention.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2003

Style trumps substance in Bangkok

BANGKOK -- The appearance of the 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in their handmade shiny silk shirts said a lot about this year's summit in Bangkok -- style over substance.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2003

Africa conference closes with fair-trade entreaty

The lack of a fair trade system remains a major road block to African development, following the recent collapse of multilateral trade talks, and the world must respect the continent's diversity and identity, leaders from Africa and its partners said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 20, 2003

The crash in Cancun

The gap between rich and poor nations proved too wide to bridge, and negotiations broke off amid finger-pointing and concern that the failure to reach agreement could unravel the global trade order. In place of one system, it is feared that governments will embrace bilateral and regional deals.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2003

One in five Japanese 65 or older

The number of Japanese aged 65 or older has reached a record 24.31 million, or roughly one out of every five people in the country.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 13, 2003

Opportunity knocks for women in Japan's climate of change

With the days of the Asian Tigers long gone, and Japan Inc. now more of a pussy cat gone belly up, the talk is no longer about the world's second-biggest economy taking over the world, but about the profound structural changes that will be necessary just to keep it afloat.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2003

Asia's future leaders take center stage

SEOUL -- "If you've got it," as the saying goes, "flaunt it!" And Asia's "New Leaders" have got "the right stuff" in spades. But what to do with it?
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2003

Steep hike eyed for consumption tax

With demographic change affecting Japan's finances more every day, the government's tax panel proposed Tuesday the scaling back of tax breaks for the elderly and doubling the consumption tax to pay for rising pension and medical care costs.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2003

Steep hike eyed for consumption tax

With demographic change affecting Japan's finances more every day, the government's tax panel proposed Tuesday the scaling back of tax breaks for the elderly and doubling the consumption tax to pay for rising pension and medical care costs.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2003

Steep hike eyed for consumption tax

With demographic change affecting Japan's finances more every day, the government's tax panel proposed Tuesday the scaling back of tax breaks for the elderly and doubling the consumption tax to pay for rising pension and medical care costs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 30, 2003

Was WWF3 a washout for citizens' rights?

While the outbreak of war in Iraq may have disrupted proceedings at the Third World Water Forum being held in Kansai, it also lent them deeper significance.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2003

Water forum closes amid clash over privatization

KYOTO -- For eight days, and at a considerable cost to local taxpayers, the World Water Forum brought together international corporations in the water supply business, World Bank officials and a large number of Japanese construction and design firms, as well as senior government officials and thousands...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2003

World Water Forum declaration

The following is a summary of the ministerial declaration adopted Sunday at the World Water Forum in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2003

Forum closes with vows to prioritize water issues

KYOTO -- The 3rd World Water Forum closed Sunday with a declaration promising to make water issues a top priority among governments but failing to narrow the gap on the issue of privatizing water supplies and sanitation services.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2003

Water privatization not the answer: American activist

Patrick McCully had a revelation in India more than a decade ago. The campaign director of International Rivers Network witnessed indigenous people in Gujarat state, India, risking their lives to protest construction of a dam on the Narmada River. All were eventually arrested, but government officials...
EDITORIALS
Mar 16, 2003

Overcoming the water crisis

The world faces serious water shortages, yet the crisis is often overlooked because it seems so mundane. It is an urgent problem that must be tackled just as aggressively as other grave crises that threaten the future of humanity. The World Water Forum, which will meet in Japan for eight days from today,...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2003

Population logs lowest growth in postwar period

Japan's population grew 0.11 percent in the year to Oct. 1, the lowest growth rate recorded in the postwar period, the Public Management, Home Affairs and Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said Friday.

Longform

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