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BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2005

IRCJ taps Nippon Steel group over U.S. fund to revive Mitsui Mining

The state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan said Wednesday it has named a Japanese consortium led by Nippon Steel Corp. to sponsor the reconstruction of ailing Mitsui Mining Co.
COMMENTARY
Mar 17, 2005

Bet your bottom dollar on financial jolt

LOS ANGELES -- Fasten your seat belts -- and get ready for a major test of the core stability of the global financial system. How do we know that a jolt is coming? Just consider that:
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2005

Campaign to shut off idling vehicles to expand to cars

The government is planning to spread the so-called idling-stop campaign from buses, taxis and other commercial vehicles to the general car-owning population to save fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 16, 2005

Q-chan set to delay return

Sydney Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi said Tuesday she has been persuaded by her coach to give up plans to return to competitive marathon racing this spring as she has yet to fully recover from an ankle injury.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 16, 2005

Arakawa, Ando, Suguri strive to continue Japan's world reign

MOSCOW -- Heading into the World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Japan's women skaters, once so dominant, are now a question mark.
EDITORIALS
Mar 16, 2005

A vacuum in Chechnya

Russia is claiming a major victory in the war against Chechen rebels with the killing of Mr. Aslan Maskhadov, leader of the Chechen separatist movement. Mr. Maskhadov has long been Moscow's nemesis, but he is also thought to have been a genuine moderate among the Chechen militants. His death may intensify...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 16, 2005

A baroque approach

With his keen, adventurous musical intellect and an interpretative idiosyncrasy that breathes new life into the standard repertoire, Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey is fast assuming a hallowed place in the cellist pantheon. Influenced by the revolutionary Early Music movement in the Netherlands under...
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2005

Willcom to offer first flat-rate PHS service

Willcom Inc., Japan's largest personal handy-phone system company, said Tuesday it will introduce a flat rate for voice communication starting May 1, becoming the first domestic wireless carrier to provide such service.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2005

Fuji TV hikes dividend to 5,000 yen per share

Fuji Television Network Inc. on Tuesday decided on a sharp dividend hike for the current fiscal year in a thinly veiled attempt to defend itself against Livedoor Co.'s hostile takeover bid for Nippon Broadcasting System Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2005

Hitachi's robot barely out of first grade

Hitachi's robot-on-wheels avoids obstacles, responds to simple voice commands and reads the weather forecast. But don't get too close just yet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 16, 2005

Candle held up to a rediscovered master

Most great artists are instantly recognizable. As soon as you see one of their works, you know that it can't be by anyone else. If this is truly the mark of a great artist, then Georges de La Tour (1593-1652) must be among the greatest.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 16, 2005

A star is born as an actor gets his name

The Kabukiza in Ginza is presenting special kabuki programs in March, April and May to celebrate the shumei (succession to a stage name) of Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII. Kanzaburo, 50, has mastered both tachiyaku (male lead) and onnagata (female) roles. He is showing off his prowess by playing the leads...
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2005

Nireco to be first to use 'poison pill'

Nireco Corp., a maker of high-tech measuring devices and controllers, has said its board has approved a motion to introduce a "poison pill" scheme to fend off hostile takeovers, becoming Japan's first company to do so.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 16, 2005

Directing duo blossoms

In 1990, shortly after I started reviewing for The Japan Times, I saw a film by a former porno director, Shun Nakahara, that made me think I was not wasting my time after all.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 15, 2005

JAAF names runners for worlds

National record holder Toshinari Takaoka and Yumiko Hara, fresh from winning the race in Nagoya in her marathon debut, head the list of 10 runners named Monday for the marathon races at this summer's World Athletics Championships.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 15, 2005

Jubilo suffers upset

Keita Sugimoto, Masahiro Koga and Brazilian Claiton all scored in the second half Sunday as Nagoya Grampus Eight upset Jubilo Iwata 3-0 in the J. League's first division.
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 15, 2005

Zico enlists European-based players

Japan soccer coach Zico on Monday recalled Fiorentina midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata to a full-strength squad for the Asian champions' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Bahrain.
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Mar 15, 2005

Repairs, fuel charges and a tax irritant

Upholsterer needed Tony has a chair -- actually more of a stool -- that is in dire need of recovering as well as replacement of the stuffing material. He is looking for any shops in the Tokyo (Shibuya) area that do this work.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2005

Dainippon Ink forms Vietnam arm

Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc. said Monday it has set up a subsidiary to manufacture and market printing ink in Vietnam.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2005

Bankruptcies decline 26th straight month

The number of corporate bankruptcies nationwide fell 12.6 percent in February from a year earlier to 1,056, down for the 26th straight month, a corporate credit research agency said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2005

Industrial output revised up 2.5%

The nation's industrial output expanded a seasonally adjusted 2.5 percent in January from the previous month, revised upward from the initially reported 2.1 percent increase, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2005

Annual wage talks heat up amid scandal, success

Industry officials say there will be a contrast in the imminent results of labor-management talks on wages and bonuses for 2005 between high-performance firms like Toyota Motor Corp. and other companies affected by high-profile scandals.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 15, 2005

Visa la difference

Although it is certainly not impossible to receive a credit card as a foreigner living in Japan, chances are that unless you're working for a major Japanese company that is prepared to provide you with a family card, you're probably going to be rejected far more often than you might be at home.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2005

GDP edged up 0.1% in third quarter

The economy expanded a real 0.1 percent in the October-December period from the previous quarter for the first expansion in three quarters.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?