search

 
 
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2004

Towa may receive capital from Mitsubishi Estate

Struggling condominium builder Towa Real Estate Development Co. has entered the final phase of talks with Mitsubishi Estate Co. on receiving capital, sources said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2004

Alternative to fading away

In the annals of mankind, various nations that rose and fell over centuries are recognized for what they left for posterity. The Romans laid the foundations of Western civilization with Roman Law and built the infrastructure that enabled the spread of Christianity. The world owes the British for the...
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2004

Industrial production climbs 1.5%

The nation's industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 1.5 percent in November from the previous month for the first increase in three months, due partly to brisk overseas demand for semiconductor machinery, the government said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Dec 29, 2004

Turkey's long march to an EU wedding

PARIS -- Although a wedding date has yet to be set between the European Union and Turkey, the two parties managed to conclude what several participants at the Dec. 17 European summit have called a formal "engagement."
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Government panel to debate letting woman ascend throne

The government said Monday it will set up an advisory panel next month to discuss revising the Imperial Household Law with an eye to allowing a female ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Japan as seen through Hollywood's eyes

OSAKA -- Over the past year or so, Japan has figured in several popular Hollywood films.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Reports of Japanese fatalities yet to be confirmed

Foreign Ministry and embassy officials were trying Monday to confirm reports that several Japanese may have been killed in the massive tsunamis that hit South and Southeast Asia the previous day.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Trading house Mitsui probed over fake diesel filter data, subsidy scam

Tokyo police launched a criminal investigation Monday into Mitsui & Co. and one of its subsidiaries, suspecting that the giant trading house fabricated test data to obtain official approval for a diesel particulate filter.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Nori betrothal declaration Thursday

The Imperial Household Agency will formally announce the engagement of Princess Nori and Yoshiki Kuroda, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government official, on Thursday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 28, 2004

Legal bank robbery

Mention residents tax to any foreigner living in Japan and chances are, you aren't likely to win any favorable responses. Otherwise known as city tax, ward tax or inhabitants tax to name just a few aliases, this is probably one of the most dreaded and least understood of all the taxes in Japan. It is...
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

Big firms' confidence fell in latest quarter

Business confidence among large companies deteriorated in the October-December period, with manufacturers hit by a strong yen and information technology-related firms undertaking inventory adjustments, the government said Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

Yoshinoya cooks up a 573 million yen profit

Yoshinoya D&C Co., which used to be the country's largest "gyudon" chain before U.S. beef was banned a year ago, said Monday it returned to profitability during the three months ended Nov. 30.
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 28, 2004

NPO stretched thin aiding ill illegal aliens

Friendly Asians Home (Ajia Yuko no Ie), a nonprofit organization based in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, has been active since the 1960s in helping people from Southeast Asia facing difficulty in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2004

Another step in bureaucratic reform

Bureaucratic reform is part and parcel of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform agenda. As he puts it aptly, the basic idea is to "let the private sector do what it can do." Bureaucratic reform is also about decentralization: "letting local governments do what they can do."
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Koreans lose suit for wages of laborers killed by Allies

Relatives of Koreans who died in Japan in the closing days of World War II after being brought here as forced laborers lost a suit Monday in which they were seeking damages over unpaid wages.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 28, 2004

Boating, studying and moving to Japan

The last column of the year! Where did the weeks go?
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Defense Agency to retain civilian buffer around chief

The Defense Agency said Monday it would maintain the current system that allows only civilian officials to directly advise its director general.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

MHI wins Italy steam turbine order

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Monday it has received an order for three steam turbines to be installed at Italian power utility Enel SpA's plant in Lazio, northwest of Rome.
Dec 28, 2004

Government panel to debate letting woman ascend throne

The government said Monday it will set up an advisory panel next month to discuss revising the Imperial Household Law with an eye to allowing a female ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

November car output rebounds 7.1%

Production of cars, trucks and buses jumped 7.1 percent in November from a year before to 926,469 units for the first rebound in two months, due to strong sales both at home and abroad, an industry body said Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 28, 2004

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2005?

Corin Kanazawa Teacher, 27 Definitely to save money. It's getting ridiculous. I have a shopping addiction. I lived in a small country town last time I was here, which was much better for my wallet.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Returning tourists recount tidal terror

Japanese tourists arriving home from Thailand described the terror they experienced on beaches and hotels on the resort island of Phuket, which was struck Sunday by tsunamis triggered by the world's strongest earthquake in 40 years.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji