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BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

White paper asks for transparency in land prices

The land ministry compiled a draft white paper on land for fiscal 2002, urging that real estate trading prices be made public, and presented it Thursday to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Disinflation to accelerate in major economies: Fukui

The world's major economies are on the verge of accelerated disinflation as deflationary pressure grows on a global scale, Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Thursday.
COMMENTARY
May 23, 2003

Politics placed before health

WASHINGTON -- If the infectious disease SARS breaks out around the globe, it most likely will come from China, the world's most populous state with a primitive health-care system and vast rural population. And if severe acute respiratory syndrome spreads from China, the cause will be the Chinese government's...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Ota asks for assurances Resona will continue to lend

Osaka Gov. Fusae Ota handed a petition to the Bank of Japan governor and other top finance officials Thursday, requesting that Resona Bank continue to function as a major regional bank after its effective nationalization.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 23, 2003

Red-hot Tigers pounce on Carp

Tomoaki Kanemoto belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to power the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Hiroshima Carp at Koshien Stadium on Thursday.
SUMO
May 23, 2003

Asashoryu remains sole leader

Asashoryu looked every ounce the grand champion as he blasted out ozeki Tochiazuma to remain the sole leader at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Broadband mart seen growing fivefold in five years

The telecommunications ministry expects the value of the nation's broadband market to post a fivefold surge to 10.2 trillion yen over the next five years, according to a copy of a draft 2003 white paper made available Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Tokyo plans to open new bank in 2004

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to launch a new bank, to be capitalized at 150 billion yen, in fiscal 2004 to provide funds to small and midsize companies, officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Nintendo's record profit run ends

Nintendo Co. said Thursday its consolidated net profit fell 36.8 percent to 67.27 billion yen in fiscal 2002, largely due to lower-than-expected sales of game consoles.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Trade surplus inched up 1.6% in April

The trade surplus posted an increase of 1.6 percent in April from a year earlier, marking the first rise in two months, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
May 23, 2003

Up there, where the grapes grow slow

An old quip in the wine trade asks, "What do you get when you combine grape juice, brown sugar, white spirits and a few extra-large dollops of oak flavoring?" The answer, which should be obvious to anyone who has trawled the bargain-bin section of Japanese wine shops in the last few years, is "Shiraz,...
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Credit Saison makes debut in red

Major credit-card firm Credit Saison Co. said Thursday it posted a group net loss of 6.03 billion yen for the business year through March 31, marking the first year the group has ended in the red on a consolidated basis.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 23, 2003

Scottish Premier League title race set to go down to the wire

LONDON -- As Celtic flew home from Seville on Thursday after the UEFA Cup final against FC Porto (a 3-2 extra-time defeat) its preparations for what many believe is an even bigger game began immediately -- a league match away to Kilmarnock. The game may not have the romance of a European final but the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 23, 2003

Akebono lives life to the full

"It was," my dining companion recalls with a sigh, "a diet with just one purpose: to get you to put on weight."
BUSINESS
May 23, 2003

Resona group to undergo FSA inspection

An emergency inspection into Resona Bank and its parent company will take place in June in connection with the government's decision to inject public funds into the bank, agency officials said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
May 22, 2003

A fairer sharing of pensions

A government advisory council on social security is considering a proposal to split company-retirement pensions between husbands and wives. The primary aim is to guarantee pension rights for full-time housewives (those not working part time) in recognition of their household work and other duties such...
SUMO
May 22, 2003

JSA warns yokozuna over bad behavior

Yokozuna Asashoryu has been given a stiff warning about his recent disreputable behavior in the sacred ring, Japan Sumo Association officials said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 22, 2003

Tigers scratch Carp to extend lead at top

Akihiro Yano and Atsushi Kataoka both hit two-run homers Wednesday to power the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers to a 7-1 win over the Hiroshima Carp at Koshien Stadium.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

Toyota to offer glimpse of future

Visitors to the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture will be afforded a glimpse of future vehicles and other transportation technology in a pavilion operated by the Toyota Motor Corp. group.
SUMO
May 22, 2003

Asashoryu clings to top spot

Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu was given a run for his money Wednesday but eked out a hard-fought win over sekiwake Wakanosato to remain in sole possession of the lead heading down the final straight of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

JAL and ANA to get emergency loans

The transport ministry said Wednesday that the Development Bank of Japan will extend emergency loans to Japan Airlines System Corp. and All Nippon Airways Co. to help them overcome the adverse effects of the war in Iraq and severe acute respiratory syndrome.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

Arcades boost Namco's profits

Game maker Namco Ltd. said Wednesday that its group net profit more than doubled in fiscal 2002, thanks to the strong performance of its domestic amusement arcades.
COMMENTARY
May 22, 2003

Donald Rumsfeld making big waves

SEOUL -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is the man the world loves to hate. The blunt-speaking former wrestler has managed to infuriate U.S. friends and allies, declaring the nations of "Old Europe" irrelevant and undermining British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the eve of the Iraqi war by...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

Capsule maker makes hay amid SARS panic

A Tokyo company that manufactures enclosed capsules used to transport infectious patients has been swamped with inquiries amid the SARS scare.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

Japan Times chief to head IAA

The Japan Chapter of the International Advertising Association has appointed Toshiaki Ogasawara, publisher of The Japan Times, as its new president.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2003

World Cup lifts Sky Perfect revenue

Sky Perfect Communications Inc. said Wednesday its consolidated revenue soared 18.4 percent to a record 70.37 billion yen in fiscal 2002.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2003

Aceh won't derail Indonesia

SINGAPORE -- Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has signed a presidential decree putting Aceh under martial law and authorizing military operations after the latest peace talks collapsed in Tokyo last weekend.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2003

Euro's supporters face uphill battle in Britain

LONDON -- If a strong economy and a strong currency are meant to go hand in hand, the 12-nation euro zone is disproving conventional wisdom, and posing stiff challenges for policymakers with implications for the wider world economy.

Longform

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