Search - 2002

 
 
EDITORIALS
Aug 17, 2001

The first step toward reform

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's economic reform program is taking shape now that the government has set a spending framework for the fiscal 2002 budget. Policy-based general spending, not including debt servicing costs and revenue transfers to local governments, is pegged at 47.8 trillion yen, down...
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2001

Minister to slash housing loans by 10% next year

The infrastructure minister plans to reduce the number of houses that are covered by loans from Government Housing Loan Corp. by 10 percent in fiscal 2002 from the current fiscal year to around 500,000 units, ministry sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2001

No-interest loans for city roads planned

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry is planning to introduce a new system to provide interest-free loans to local governments to accelerate the building of roads in urban areas, ministry officials said Sunday.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2001

Foreigners aim to help in World Cup

Korean, Chinese, Brazilian and other foreign nationals living in Japan plan to set up a nonprofit organization to provide interpreters and volunteers for the 2002 World Cup finals, which kick off in less than 300 days.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2001

Six banks expand writeoff estimates

Under pressure to get to the bottom of their bad loans, six major banks tripled their bad loan disposal projections for fiscal 2001 in revised business plans submitted to financial regulators Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 27, 2001

Budget test for sacred cows

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's "structural reforms with no sacred cows" received a boost from the G7 economic summit in Genoa, Italy.
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Jul 3, 2001

Time for Japan to take a lesson from Seoul

"Are you from Japan?"
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Foes waiting in wings for Koizumi

Ace pitcher Junichiro Koizumi does not throw curveballs. Two months into his tricky job on the nation's political mound of Nagata-cho — where even supposed teammates may be plotting against him — he continues throwing straight fastballs only.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

2,100 firms face shareholders

Some 2,100 companies across the country held general shareholders' meetings Thursday following the closing of books in March, making it the peak day for such gatherings for listed and unlisted firms, the National Police Agency said.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2001

Cabinet OKs reforms; rough road expected

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a sweeping reform program compiled last week by a key government panel that aims to revive the economy in two to three years through a fundamental cleanup of banks' nonperforming loans and a thorough review of the state budget.
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2001

Reversing Europe's downturn

At the beginning of this year, there were forecasts that Europe could pick up the economic slack created by the U.S. downturn and Japan's continuing economic problems. The 12-nation common currency, the euro, was enjoying a rise against the dollar after falling steadily in the first year of its existence....
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 21, 2001

S. Korea must buck up before World Cup

If you read Kumi Kinohara's "On The Ball" column on Tuesday you'll know that Japan still has a bit of work to do before next year's World Cup.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 20, 2001

Face to face with individuality

"Are you Korean or Japanese?" goes the question.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2001

Kyoto Protocol campaign launched

The Environment Ministry on Monday kicked off a campaign to heighten interest and awareness in the Kyoto Protocol, an international climate-control agreement, in an effort to promote its coming into force by 2002.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2001

Tanaka promises figure for secret-use funds

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday that the ministry will provide a numerical target for reducing its secret-use diplomatic funds in the fiscal 2002 budget, a step up from the wording used in the ministry's reform report released Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2001

New Zealand tailors defense to real needs

Some Kiwis can fly -- very fast. But the New Zealand government wants to clip their wings.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2001

Chances for new trade round grow dim

GENEVA -- With only a few months left before the go or no-go decision has to be made, it is looking less and less likely that a new round of international trade negotiations will be launched when world-trade ministers meet in November in Doha, Qatar.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2001

Koizumi urges adoption of 'e-voting' in local polls

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged a government information technology panel Thursday to consider ways to introduce electronic voting in local elections, officials said.
SOCCER / J. League
May 31, 2001

France shows no mercy, blasts South Korea 5-0

DAEGU, South Korea -- You have to admit the French are fair. After thrashing Japan 5-0 in Paris two months ago, they opened the Confederations Cup with a similar scoreline over Japan's fellow-World Cup host South Korea on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2001

Budget needs must freeze: Shiokawa

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa stressed Thursday he wants no increase in budget requests from ministries and agencies for fiscal 2002, so that government spending can be restrained.
JAPAN
May 22, 2001

Tanaka clams up on Lee visa remark

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Monday refused to reveal further details of a comment she reportedly made to her Chinese counterpart earlier this month that Japan will not issue another entry visa to former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2001

Asahi Optical to shutter lens plant, slash jobs

Asahi Optical Co., the financially ailing maker of Pentax cameras, said Monday it will cut personnel by 13 percent and close a domestic lens plant under a new medium-term management plan.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2001

Urban renewal key to revival: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday urban renewal is key to economic structural reform and reviving Japan.
JAPAN
May 17, 2001

Toyota's 972 billion yen profit sets Japan corporate record

Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday reported a 22 percent rise in group pretax profit to 972.2 billion yen for the business period that ended in March, the highest ever posted by a Japanese company.
JAPAN
May 10, 2001

State eyes stricter rules to make boating safer

The Transport Ministry launched an initiative Wednesday to revise safety rules and regulations to stem the rising tide of accidents involving motorboats, yachts, ski jets and other recreational vessels.
BUSINESS
May 3, 2001

Grade card to assess public works projects

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has set 27 assessment criteria aimed at improving public works projects, ministry officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 2, 2001

IY Bank aims to change banking Monday

The battleground for retail banking will shift to convenience stores Monday when Ito-Yokado Co.'s IY Bank opens on a vast network of ATMs at Seven-Eleven stores nationwide.
JAPAN
May 1, 2001

Release of bilingual CD aims to soothe Tokyo-Seoul discord

Cultural exchanges between Japan and South Korea have made steady progress since the first deregulation of Japanese popular culture in South Korea in 1998, according to Kiyomi Kaneko, secretary general of the Foundation for Promotion of Music Industry and Culture (Promic).

Longform

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