Search - 2003

 
 
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2003

JGB rally grinds to a halt as ministry cuts coupon rate

A Japanese government bond rally ground to a halt Tuesday after the Finance Ministry lowered the coupon rate for 10-year bonds to an all-time low of 0.8 percent.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2003

Outstanding JGBs forecast to hit 929.9 trillion yen

The outstanding balance of government bonds by March 31, 2017, the end of fiscal 2016, will amount to 929.9 trillion yen if deflation continues and economic growth remains sluggish through the end of fiscal 2006, according to a Finance Ministry estimate released Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2003

Lifetime of missed chances

LONDON -- On Jan. 22, two of the world's leading powers celebrated the 40th anniversary of a remarkable reconciliation. At the historic Palace of Versailles, France's President Jacques Chirac and Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder toasted a treaty signed in 1963 by their visionary predecessors, Charles...
EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2003

Forge national consensus on taxes

One year ago the government published a five-year budget projection showing how it expected to make ends meet in fiscal 2002-06. Now, the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, chaired by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, has revised the plan -- downward. The basic picture is that the budget deficit...
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Sanyo to plow 45 billion yen into CCDs

Sanyo Electric Co. said Tuesday it will invest 45 billion yen in the production of charge-coupled devices over three years starting in fiscal 2003.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 19, 2003

Perseverance, positive outlook carrying Inamoto

Scoring an important goal obviously affects the outcome of a game. But it also sometimes changes the scorer's career -- as in the case with Japan and Fulham midfielder Junichi Inamoto.
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

A new year in Japanese books

In a time of change and uncertainty, Japanese readers continue to seek comfort and practical advice in their reading. In particular, best sellers last year reflected the concerns of middle-aged and older individuals, with the top 10 sellers including two books on how to age gracefully, two on the Japanese...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 19, 2003

A new year in Japanese books

In a time of change and uncertainty, Japanese readers continue to seek comfort and practical advice in their reading. In particular, best sellers last year reflected the concerns of middle-aged and older individuals, with the top 10 sellers including two books on how to age gracefully, two on the Japanese...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

New Diet session opens up new questions

The Diet opens a 150-day session Monday amid widespread speculation in Nagata-cho that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election sometime this year -- possibly even during the session.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2003

Clamor for consumption tax hike getting louder

Cabinet ministers and business leaders have begun calling for a consumption tax hike to cover rising social security costs stemming from the aging population.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2003

Isuzu cuts back sales target 20%

Truck and bus maker Isuzu Motors Ltd. unveiled a new 2003 worldwide sales target Thursday of 186,000 units, down 20 percent from the previous year.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Subaru expects sales increases in '03

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru cars, unveiled on Wednesday a new 2003 worldwide sales target of 568,000 vehicles, up 2.4 percent from the year before.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 15, 2003

Theater greats raise curtain on the new year

Have you made your first visit of the new year to the theater yet? If not, "Umi yorimo nagai yoru (The Night Longer than the Sea)," being staged by Seinendan at Theater Tram in Sangenjaya, will surely whet your appetite for what promises to be a lively and exciting year on the Tokyo drama scene.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2003

Stuttering reform drive prompts election whispers

Speculation is mounting that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will call a general election this year, as old guard politicians continue to hamper his reform drive and leave him appearing increasingly forlorn.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 1, 2003

So you thought '02 was good? Well, there's Mori to come

It looks, at first glance, like a refreshing case of "out with the old, and in with the new": In late 2002 the Tokyo art community bade a teary goodbye to its Mecca, when the falling-down old Sagacho building, home for years to some of Japan's most progressive gallery spaces, finally closed its doors...
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2002

Pay cuts demand job security

It has been a long time since the word "shunto" -- the spring labor offensive -- stood for its traditional meaning. With the domestic economy caught in a deflationary spiral, the idea of winning across-the-board wage concessions from management on top of regular pay increases no longer holds water. So...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 12, 2002

JGTO tournament bites the dust

The deflation-racked Japanese economy has forced organizers of the men's pro golf tour to drop one event off its calendar, making it the smallest since its inauguration in 1973.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2002

Koizumi ponders changes to local corporate taxes

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday the government may allow local governments to tax corporations on the basis of business size rather than profits, and the rate could differ by region.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2002

Keep tax cuts under 1.5 trillion yen, Shiokawa says

Tax cuts for the next fiscal year should not top 1.5 trillion yen, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday, citing the country's tight fiscal conditions.
EDITORIALS
Nov 27, 2002

Not the time to celebrate profits

At first glance, corporate earnings reports for the first half of fiscal 2002 seem too good to be true, given the continuing economic slump. On average, pretax profit surged nearly 40 percent in April through September from the same period a year earlier -- a dramatic reversal from the 40 percent decline...
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2002

Sony to shut down audio operations at Indonesian unit

Sony Corp. said Tuesday it will stop manufacturing audio equipment at its Indonesian subsidiary by next March in line with efforts to restructure its plant operations in Southeast Asia.
EDITORIALS
Nov 26, 2002

Reviving the image of peacemaker

Israel's opposition Labor Party now has a new leader, who is calling for an immediate resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians. In Tuesday's leadership election, Mr. Amram Mitzna, the mayor of Haifa, won an easy victory over Mr. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, the party chief who had served as defense minister...
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 7, 2002

PL to continue Monday nighters

The Pacific League announced Wednesday it will hold games on Mondays in the 2003 season for the third straight year with Opening Day set for March 28, the same day as the Central League season openers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Nov 7, 2002

PlayStation stays ahead of the pack

When it comes to video games, Sony is the company that does no wrong.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2002

Back to the future via broken promises

BRUSSELS -- Next year's crisis on the Korean Peninsula has come early. The year 2003 was to see an explosive conjuncture of events: a change of regime in South Korea, markedly less sympathetic to engagement with the North than that of current President Kim Dae Jung; the final failure of the United States...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CLOSE NEIGHBORS
Sep 26, 2002

Ailing tourism sector seeking to lure more Asians

ATAMI, Shizuoka Pref. -- Ryuichiro Mori, sales manager at Hotel New Akao, sees one emerging ray of hope for this hot-spring city mired in a long-term slump: a group tourism boom in Taiwan, South Korea and China.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2002

A sustainable recovery for developing Asia?

The strong global recovery that was widely expected to take place in the latter half of 2002 has not materialized. On the contrary, increasing uncertainties are undermining the confidence of consumers and investors worldwide, and the speed of economic recovery in the industrialized world is likely to...
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2002

Japan may seek redress from Pyongyang

Japan may ask North Korea for compensation over the North's abduction of more than a dozen Japanese, and will provide no economic aid unless the North ceases targeting Japan with missiles, a Japanese official said Sunday.

Longform

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