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BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2001

Ichiro show rolls on in Canada

TORONTO -- The Ichiro Show has played to rave reviews in the U.S. for the first six weeks of the baseball season. This past weekend, it was a smash hit in its Canadian debut.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Bridge authority may get 800 billion yen lifeline

The Transport Ministry is sounding out local governments invested in the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority about investing for 10 more years, which would use 800 billion yen more in local taxpayer money to keep the loss-making facility afloat, ministry officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Sanyo, IBM develop Net-connectable chip

OSAKA -- Sanyo Electric Co. and IBM have developed a new semiconductor for home appliances that can be connected to the Internet, Sanyo officials said Monday.
SUMO
May 13, 2001

Taka ready for another title

Despite much speculation over the last month that ozeki Kaio would secure promotion to yokozuna in the Natsu Basho that starts today, yokozuna Takanohana now appears to be a strong favorite to take the yusho against only lackluster opposition.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2001

Omron unveils earnings targets

KYOTO -- Omron Corp., a major automated control equipment manufacturer, said Thursday it intends to raise return on equity to 10 percent from the current 6.7 percent through sales of 750 billion yen and pretax profits of 80 billion yen by the end of fiscal 2004.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2001

Domestic PC shipments surge with Internet use

Domestic shipments of personal computers hit record highs in value and volume in fiscal 2000, amid growing demand from individuals as the Internet continues to gain popularity, an industry group said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2001

Komatsu profits halve on slow domestic sales

Komatsu Ltd. on Monday reported a consolidated net profit of 6.91 billion yen in fiscal 2000, down 48.4 percent from the previous year.
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.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2001

DoCoMo's 3G service delay raises more questions

Last week's decision by NTT DoCoMo Inc. to scale back the introduction of third generation (3G) mobile phone services confirmed the skepticism of many observers about its launch date. But it proved the company was willing to cut prices to allow more consumers to access its richer, higher-speed content....
JAPAN
May 4, 2001

Humanitarian groups yet to hit their stride

Staff Writer When the Diet was immersed in heated debate in 1992 over whether to send Self-Defense Forces troops to Cambodia for U.N. peacekeeping operations, Toshihiro Shimizu thought that something very important was missing from the discussions.
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.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2001

Major retailers strive to form new identity

One of the most popular areas on the food floor at Isetan's Tachikawa branch offers not groceries, but quick recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Honda sales soar but profit takes 7.5% dive

Honda Motor Co. posted a record 6.46 trillion yen in consolidated sales in fiscal 2000, but its profits fell mainly due to a rise of the yen against the euro and in expenses, according to the automaker's earnings report released Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Companies predict 1.3% economic growth: survey

Major Japanese companies have predicted 1.3 percent real growth for the economy in fiscal 2001, topping 1 percent for the first time in four years, the government said Friday in releasing results of an annual survey.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2001

Jobless rate held at 4.7% in fiscal '00

The average jobless rate in fiscal 2000 remained unchanged from the previous year at 4.7 percent, the highest since comparable data on an annual basis became available in 1953, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Household spending marks record decline

Salaried workers' households spent less in fiscal 2000 than the previous year for a record fourth straight yearly fall, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2001

Construction orders fell 6% in '00

Construction orders received by Japan's 64 major contractors in fiscal 2000 fell 6 percent from the previous 12 months to 15.37 trillion yen, the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors Inc. said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

'00 yearend growth cut down to 0.7%

Economic growth for the October-December quarter has been revised to a real 0.7 percent from the previously reported 0.8 percent, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

Auto output tops 10 million

Auto production in Japan topped 10 million vehicles in fiscal 2000 for the first time in three years, helped by favorable sales at home and overseas, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Skiing visits to Hokkaido go downhill

The number of skiers who hit the slopes in Hokkaido last winter fell 10.7 percent from a year earlier, according to a local resort group.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2001

Daiei's operating revenue falls below 2 trillion yen

Ailing supermarket operator Daiei Inc. said Tuesday it suffered a 10.2 percent year-on-year decline in fiscal 2000 operating revenue on a parent-only basis, bringing in 1.98 trillion yen and falling below 2 trillion yen for the first time in a decade.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2001

Small firms failing to expand through IT

Despite the steady spread of information technology among smaller companies, firms are failing to utilize IT to expand their business and create new opportunities, according to a government report released Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2001

Police arrest suspected chief of car-theft ring

A man thought to be a member of a car-theft ring in Hachioji has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the theft of 400 cars, police said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2001

Mr. Mori's year in review

A new prime minister of Japan will take office later this month, following the election of a new Liberal Democratic Party president next Tuesday. It does not matter that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has not yet publicly announced his resignation. His exit has been a foregone conclusion for some time....
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2001

Securities firm's failure scorches investors

OSAKA -- The Financial Services Agency on Monday declared an Osaka-based mortgage-backed securities company insolvent, sending shock waves across the country as 20,000 investors saw their principals suddenly vanish.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

Workers to get more days off for Golden Week

Employees of major companies in Japan will get an average of 7.3 consecutive days off work during the Golden Week holiday season, according to a Labor Ministry survey released this week.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2001

FSA eyes strict rules on rescued banks

The Financial Services Agency will require banks to take drastic restructuring plans, including changes in top management, if they fall into the red and skip dividends after receiving public funds, according to a draft of guidelines obtained by Kyodo News.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 11, 2001

So far, so good for Tigers' foreign contingent

Most everyone (including this writer) picked the Hanshin Tigers to finish last in the Central League standings in 2001 for the third straight season. However, nine games into the schedule, the team does not look so bad. There are some good looking young players (rookie shortstop Yoshinori Okihara, for...

Longform

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