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BUSINESS
May 18, 2001

Man on street more optimistic

The economic outlook of workers with jobs particularly sensitive to economic shifts showed an improvement in April for the first turnaround in three months, the Cabinet Office said Thursday.
JAPAN
May 18, 2001

Sentence overturned; killer to hang

The Tokyo High Court sentenced a 54-year-old former real estate agent to death Thursday for killing two people to hide a fraudulent land deal in 1989, overturning a lower court-imposed life sentence.
JAPAN
May 17, 2001

Japanese firms strive to ride out global IT tsunami

With the global economy becoming increasingly Net-oriented, leading Japanese companies are trying to ride out the information technology wave in a desperate bid to survive ever-intensifying competition.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2001

Corporate bankruptcies soared in April

The number of corporate bankruptcies in April hit 1,631, climbing 4.4 percent for the first year-on-year rise in two months, a private research institute said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2001

Promise chief invited to share wisdom at Harvard University

Harvard Business School last month invited Hiroki Jinnai, president of major Japanese consumer moneylender Promise Co., to field student questions in a forum on the firm's growth strategy.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2001

Casio posts 6.1% growth in profit

Casio Computer Co. said Tuesday its consolidated net profits for fiscal 2000 grew 6.1 percent from the previous year to 6.55 billion yen, thanks to favorable sales of electronics products such as digital cameras and mobile phones.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2001

New condos for sale in Tokyo on decline

The number of new condominiums put up for sale in the Tokyo metropolitan area in April fell 27.9 percent from a year earlier to 5,763, down for the first time in two months, a private research institute said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 16, 2001

The sweet sound of a good cause

Historically, the Japanese geinokai (entertainment world) has been slow to catch on to the idea of the charity concert/release. But now Ryuichi Sakamoto, a la Bob Geldof and the Band Aid famine-relief project, has put together an impressive array of Japanese and overseas talents on a track called "Zero...
Events
May 15, 2001

Japan's ancient capital looks for new-tech entrepreneurs

KYOTO -- Size doesn't matter -- it's how good you are.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Nonresident investors slow their buying

Nonresident investors remained net buyers of Japanese stocks in fiscal 2000, but the net purchase amount was the smallest since fiscal 1990, when Japan's stock market bubble collapsed, the Finance Ministry said Monday in a report compiled on a settlement basis.
Events
May 15, 2001

Itami's no-smoking goal draws fire

ITAMI, Hyogo Pref. -- The Itami Municipal Government's decision to target total elimination of adult smoking in its 10-year health plan has caused an uproar among tobacco lobbyists.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 13, 2001

Reading, writing and fermenting

It is likely that few of us remember -- or put much value on -- our high school curriculum. After all, the three Rs and a dollop of foreign language is hardly a memorable course of study. Now, of course, if we were able to study and practice something like, say, sake brewing, well that would be fun --...
BUSINESS
May 13, 2001

Isuzu to slash 10% of total workforce

Isuzu Motors Ltd., the financially beleaguered truck-making affiliate of General Motors Corp., has outlined a reconstruction plan that calls for the abolition of 3,000 jobs -- 10 percent of the Isuzu group's 28,000-strong workforce -- and cutting 30 percent of its output capacity, Isuzu officials said...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 13, 2001

From the farm to your table

Finding restaurants that serve food seasoned with herbs isn't that difficult in Japan. In fact, it would be more difficult to find a French or Italian restaurant that doesn't have herbs in its pantry.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2001

Economy gets fourth downgrade in a row

The government downgraded its assessment of economic conditions for the fourth straight month in its May report released Friday, saying the economy is "further weakening."
BUSINESS
May 11, 2001

Ripplewood rescues Nippon Columbia

Nippon Columbia Co., a troubled audiovisual equipment maker and music producer, said it will seek rehabilitation under the wing of U.S. investment firm Ripplewood Holdings LLC and split into separate companies.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2001

Growth indexes deep in the doldrums

Japan's key gauge on the state of the economy stood at 14.3 percent in March, staying well below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the second straight month, after February's 10 percent, the government said Wednesday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2001

'Yu-Gi-Oh!' goods headed for U.S.

Konami Co. said Tuesday it will market game software and card games in the United States based on the popular Japanese "manga" comic series "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelmonsters."
BUSINESS
May 8, 2001

Nagasakiya gets breathing room

Supermarket chain operator Nagasakiya Co., which is currently protected from creditors under the corporate rehabilitation law, said Monday it has been granted six more months to compile a business rehabilitation plan, due partly to the large number of its creditors.
JAPAN
May 8, 2001

Authorities concerned over legal but risky drugs

The recent spread of so-called legal drugs among youngsters in the Tokyo metropolitan area has alarmed drug officials.
JAPAN
May 6, 2001

USJ limits entrance for third day

OSAKA -- Universal Studios Japan in Osaka temporarily restricted entry Saturday for the third day in a row after the number of visitors reached the daily maximum capacity of 39,000.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 6, 2001

Drumming up some PR for the old neighborhood

Most of the current travel-information programs you see on TV are stylistic offshoots of TBS's long-running "Soko ga Shiritai," which has been off the air for several years now. One of the few variety shows that has done something different with the format is TV Tokyo's "Shutsubotsu! Ad-Machikku Tengoku"...
COMMENTARY
May 5, 2001

Give Taiwan the means of self-defense

The Bush administration won't sell Taiwan the most advanced weapons available, but it says it will defend Taipei from a Chinese attack. Instead of initiating a new military commitment, Washington should use increased weapons transfers to distance itself from any conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
JAPAN
May 5, 2001

USJ restricts entry for second day

OSAKA -- Universal Studios Japan in Osaka temporarily restricted admission Friday for a second straight day, after the number of visitors to the theme park reached the daily maximum capacity of 39,000.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 5, 2001

Yoshihiro Takishita

Although Yoshihiro Takishita spent 18 months looking for land on which to place a house, he had his reward. The site he found is superlative, on a Kamakura hilltop surrounded by countryside and overlooking an expanse of sea. The unusual part is that he had already bought the house, "one with big columns...
COMMENTARY
May 3, 2001

Bush administration's Asian policy gets off to a rocky start

HONOLULU -- The Bush administration's first 100 days have been rocky ones as far as Asia policy is concerned. The positive spin emanating from President George W. Bush's initial meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen quickly degenerated into a potential tailspin in Sino-U.S. relations after the...
BUSINESS
May 2, 2001

REITs banked on to ease market fears

As stock market woes and asset deflation continue to cast a cloud over Japan's economic recovery, a new type of investment trust will be introduced this month in a bid to solve these problems in one fell swoop.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 2, 2001

Power Puffy girls

Is America ready for Puffy? The pop duo's record label, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), apparently thinks so. Sony Music Imports released Puffy's most recent album, "Spike," in the U.S. on May 1, in the hope that Americans will go gaga over Ami and Yumi in the same way Japanese and other Asians have....
Events
May 1, 2001

'Memoirs of a Geisha' muse vents spleen at author

KYOTO -- Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" sold over 4 million copies and lingered on the New York Times best seller list for 58 weeks. The story of a country girl sold into virtual slavery who rises to become one of Japan's most celebrated geisha captivated the world.

Longform

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