Search - 2003

 
 
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 26, 2003

Casualties soar in America's war on words

NEW YORK -- During war, news manipulation comes to the fore; so does language manipulation. In the latest war against Iraq, as in the Persian Gulf War, the Pentagon sold a "Star Wars" depiction of U.S. technological prowess, blithely hiding the carnage it created. And many American news organizations...
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

JAL and ANA to get emergency loans

The transport ministry said Wednesday that the Development Bank of Japan will extend emergency loans to Japan Airlines System Corp. and All Nippon Airways Co. to help them overcome the adverse effects of the war in Iraq and severe acute respiratory syndrome.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 19, 2003

It's time to meet expectations by installing stock-market package

Japan managed to avoid the so-called March crisis as share prices picked up temporarily toward the end of the month. However, the stock market remained in a slump in April, with the Nikkei average dipping at one point to the 7,600 range.
EDITORIALS
May 13, 2003

Streamlining state subsidies

In a move toward greater local autonomy, a government panel has submitted a report to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi calling for large cuts in state subsidies to local governments, including a reduction in government payments for public education. Currently the central government pays half of the salaries...
BUSINESS
May 8, 2003

Yamaha Motor triples its net profit

Yamaha Motor Co. scored a record group net profit of 25.56 billion yen for the year through March, up roughly threefold from the previous year, the company said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2003

Japanese government committed to promoting foreign investment

On April 22nd, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected five regions in Japan that are making special efforts to attract foreign direct investment.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 4, 2003

New skipper Lee hopes to change fortunes of BlueWave

It was obvious some big news was coming when the Orix BlueWave indicated during their April 23 "nighter" against the Seibu Lions at Sapporo Dome there would be a press conference after that game. It came as little surprise when manager Hiromichi Ishige was fired, and a lot of eyes were opened when Californian...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
May 1, 2003

"The Eternity Code," "The Countess's Calamity"

"The Eternity Code," Eoin Colfer, Puffin Books; 2003; 329 pp. The 13-year-old, pint-size mastermind of every heist known to man -- or to fairy -- is back. And in the latest installment of the "Artemis Fowl" series, time is running out not for Artemis' poor adversaries, but for him. His father, rescued...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 27, 2003

A last look before doors close

The Yasuda House, a Japan National Trust property set amid thick woods on the heights of Sendagi in northwest Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, will be open for public viewing on April 29, 2003 (Greenery Day national holiday). Marking the finale of a series of fundraising events by concerned citizens who, together...
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2003

NEC failed to post a profit again in 2002

NEC Corp. said Thursday it stayed in the red in fiscal 2002 for the second consecutive year, with a consolidated net loss of 24.56 billion yen.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Events slated to promote studying English abroad

Two events of interest to anyone studying English -- Language Fair (Ryugaku Expo) 2003 and Study USA 2003 -- will take place next month at four locations around Japan, according to organizers.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Oshima's inquiry 'coaches' given verbal warning

The speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday verbally warned two of the chamber's Legislative Bureau officials over their alleged coaching of former farm minister Tadamori Oshima before a Diet inquiry.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 13, 2003

SARS can't stop world of rugby's grand wake for fallen mates

Thursday, March 28, 2003, and noted Australian commentator Chris "Buddha" Hardy asks for quiet from the players and spectators gathered at the Hong Kong Football Club for its annual tens tournament.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2003

Astro 'birthday' Boy is staging a comeback

Astro Boy, the futuristic robot who was the focus of a television cartoon boom in the 1960s and who just had his "birthday," is making a comeback on film and television screens and in new and reproduced comic books.
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2003

Diet turbulence likely in second half

As the Diet moves into the second half of its 150-day regular session, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration appears headed for more difficult times, politically and economically. The first half ended without a major hitch. The fiscal 2003 government budget -- the most important legislative...
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003

Fraying business sentiment augurs poorly for recovery

Dented by falling stock prices and fears that the war in Iraq will hurt any nascent economic recovery, business sentiment remained weak in March, according to a key Bank of Japan survey released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2003

Stocks to move within narrow band this week

Stocks are expected to trade narrowly this week, largely influenced by the war situation as they were last week.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2003

Starting April 1, all MMC pay will be merit-based

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will entirely abandon seniority-based pay on April 1 in an effort to improve productivity.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2003

Economy is at mercy of conflict in Iraq

Financial markets in Japan, well prepared for the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, bounced back quickly Thursday after the onset of war. But some experts warned that the nation's fragile economy may be headed for tragedy.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2003

Carmakers predict slim sales growth

Some 5.85 million new vehicles are expected to be sold in Japan in the 2003 business year, up 0.4 percent from the forecast for 2002, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 12, 2003

Art or 'action'? Who cares

I would describe the 64-year-old Swiss man behind the current show at Ginza's Shiseido Gallery as part conceptual artist, part performance artist, and part video artist -- but Roman Signer would have none of these labels. He considers himself a sculptor -- pure, if not so simple.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Mar 6, 2003

"Dealing with Dragons," "The Last Castaways"

"Dealing with Dragons," Patricia C. Wrede, Magic Carpet; 2002; 228 pp.
COMMUNITY
Mar 4, 2003

Japan gets keen on green for Paddy's Day party

The great, the good and the goths of trendy Harajuku are in for a shock on March 16, when the chic shopping district will be taken over by Tokyo's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2003

Less than reassuring words

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries held one of their regular meetings last weekend in Paris. Two days of discussions produced a statement promising efforts to stabilize and stimulate their economies and a pledge to convene again in the event of an emergency....
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2003

Opposition bill would freeze ruling coalition's plan to hike salaried-worker medical fees

Hoping to drive a wedge into the ruling coalition, four opposition parties submitted a bill Wednesday to freeze a planned 50 percent increase in the fees salaried workers pay for outpatient medical care.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 13, 2003

Have we got the will to survive?

"State of the World 2003," this year's edition of a report published annually by the Worldwatch Institute, arrived in my mailbox several days before the shuttle tragedy, but it sat on my desk unopened until the morning of Columbia's fiery descent.
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

DPJ touts own job-friendly budget

The Democratic Party of Japan on Wednesday unveiled a draft budget for fiscal 2003 that it says would generate 1 million more jobs than the budget being debated in the Diet.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?