Search - 2004

 
 
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Oct 10, 2003

English football's problems make mockery of 'beautiful game'

LONDON -- Had the Turkish Football Federation hatched a plan to severely disrupt England's preparations for Saturday's decisive Euro 2004 qualifying tie they could not have done a better -- or worse, depending on your viewpoint -- job than the visitors have done themselves.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Sep 30, 2003

Drugmakers use jargon to market Chinese herbal remedies

Like the Japanese language, herbal medicines originating in China have been adapted into something peculiarly Japanese.
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

I don't like cricket, oh no . . . I love it

It is often said that the future of a nation lies with its youth. If that is also true of sport, then Gunma could soon end up being the Barbados of Asia, producing cricketers on a par with the great Caribbean production line.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2003

Looming specter of tax hikes

The government's budget deficit continues to swell at an ominous pace. According to an estimate by the Finance Ministry, the total amount of bond issues in fiscal 2004 may exceed 41 trillion yen -- a sum roughly half the size of the budget. The figure could be revised downward, possibly to less than...
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2003

Hino, Isuzu to delay merger of bus units

Hino Motors Ltd. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Friday they will delay the full merger of their bus-manufacturing operations until October 2004.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2003

Nissan Diesel plans 'green' truck

Nissan Diesel Motor Co. said Wednesday it will launch a 16-ton environmentally friendly truck in fall 2004.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 3, 2003

Will Valentine return to manage Marines?

The Nikkan Sports, on the front page of its Aug. 23 edition, ran a speculative but spectacular story with a headline saying Bobby Valentine would return to Japan in 2004 for a second tenure as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2003

Yen sought for 'green' businesses

The Environment Ministry said Thursday it will seek 26.6 billion yen to promote environmentally friendly business practices in its budgetary request for fiscal 2004.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2003

Environment panel calls for carbon tax in 2005

A government advisory panel tasked with studying environmental taxes adopted a proposal Wednesday for the introduction of a carbon levy by as early as 2005.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 20, 2003

Hawks looking good for one last pennant under Daiei banner

Hanshin. Hanshin. Hanshin. That's all we've been hearing during most of the 2003 Japan pro baseball season.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 3, 2003

Becoming down to earth

ISAMU NOGUCHI AND MODERN JAPANESE CERAMICS: A Close Embrace of the Earth, by Louise Allison Cort and Bert Winther-Tamaki, with contributions by Bruce J. Altshuler and Niimi Ryu. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 2003; Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. 240 pp., 81 color photographs, 78...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 23, 2003

Dodgers fan scores in 'Hideki Matsui Sweepstakes'

Former Tokyo attorney Russ Roten has won the Baseball Bullet-In "Hideki Matsui Sweepstakes" by coming the closest to guessing Matsui's home run, runs batted in and batting average statistics at the Major League All-Star break on July 14.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2003

Longer home-loan tax breaks sought

The land ministry plans to seek an extension of tax breaks for housing loans in light of weak economic activity, a senior ministry official said.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2003

Economic reform package unveiled to mixed reviews

The nation's key policy-setting panel on Thursday released an economic reform package for 2003, featuring local finance changes and deregulation in some sectors.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2003

Ministry aiming to submit pensions reform plan early

Welfare minister Chikara Sakaguchi on Tuesday announced plans to speed up the drafting of public-pension reforms and reveal the scheme this summer, a few months ahead of schedule.
EDITORIALS
Jun 18, 2003

The pension system in peril

Japan's protracted economic slump, combined with the accelerated aging of the population, is putting increasing strains on the public pension system. The government-managed corporate-sector pension program, which now has 30 million subscribers, registered a large deficit in fiscal 2001. For the first...
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2003

Toyota network to assess cars' environmental impact

In response to mounting pressure on industries to cope with environmental problems, Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it will introduce an environment-assessment system in 2004 to produce cleaner vehicles.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2003

Nissan to raise auto output in China fourfold

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will increase its annual production capacity of cars in China to as much as 270,000 units in 2004, up from 60,000 at present.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2003

Cut benefits to current, future pensioners: report

The government should consider cutting back on pension benefits not only for future pensioners but also for seniors now drawing a pension, according to a proposal released Monday by an advisory committee to Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2003

Breakwalls against U.S. tide

SINGAPORE — Big-power rapprochement was high on the agenda in both St. Petersburg, Russia, and Evian, France, this past week a month after U.S. President George W. Bush declared victory in Iraq aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. But how does this rapprochement mesh with perceived American unilateralism?...
BUSINESS
May 31, 2003

Shiokawa seeking 3% cut in public works spending

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Friday he hopes to cut public works spending by about 3 percent in the fiscal 2004 budget as part of efforts to reduce the size of the overall budget.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2003

Missile defense system debate heats up

As concerns mount over the threat posed by North Korea, the debate over Japan introducing missile defense systems is heating up.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2003

Nissan reports record operating profit

Nissan Motor Co. announced Wednesday a record group operating profit of 737 billion yen for the year through March, up 50.7 percent from the previous year, thanks mainly to increased car sales at home and reduced purchasing costs.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 20, 2003

Football Association hypocritical and arrogant over racism issue

LONDON -- "We are very disappointed that UEFA have felt it necessary to bring the charges against us." -- Paul Barber, director of marketing and communications, the Football Association.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 16, 2003

Hardcore Moore a tough customer on the mound and at bat

One of the goals of Hanshin Tigers left-handed pitcher Trey Moore is to keep his batting average higher than his earned run average. You have to take out the decimal points, of course, and so far, he's done a great job both on the mound and in the batter's box in getting off to a brilliant start in the...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Divisions over Iraq offensive dominate Japan-Europe forum

ATHENS -- The rift between the United States and "Old Europe" over the Iraq war was the biggest cause for concern among Japanese participants at a Japan-Europe symposium held here recently.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2003

Sanyo, Samsung join forces to develop air conditioners

Sanyo Electric Co. and Samsung Electronic Co. said Thursday they will jointly develop household air conditioners.

Longform

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