Mitsuko Nashima - The Japan Times

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Mitsuko Nashima

For Mitsuko Nashima's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

BUSINESS

Mar 11, 2001

'Perverse' individualist embraces opportunity where others see gloom

Makoto Naruke describes himself as a "perverse man" who avoids following the crowd and does things that others dare not. Many people questioned his actions when he quit as Microsoft Co. president last April, but Naruke simply pointed out he became sick of the post after nearly nine years of service.

JAPAN

Dec 17, 2000

Yanaka's 'forest of stone sculptures'

Just a minute's walk from JR Nippori Station spreads a vast cemetery in Tokyo's Taito Ward that covers much of the eastern half of the area known as Yanaka and a strip of the neighboring Ueno Sakuragi area.

JAPAN

Sep 12, 2000

Smiling seen as key to economy

Make people laugh -- that should make the economy better and lead to a bright future for Japan, according to Masao Kimura, board director of the Osaka-based major entertainment firm Yoshimoto Kogyo Co.

JAPAN

Mar 26, 2000

Development reaches the east

Today, it's free and takes only five minutes. But getting to the other side of JR Shinagawa Station was once no easy matter.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 17, 2000

ADB sharpens focus on the poor

MANILA -- Economic growth is a must but not the end-all in eliminating poverty and the Asian Development Bank is now determined to get to the very heart of the problem, ADB President Tadao Chino says.

JAPAN

Oct 14, 1999

Stores attempt to invent new holiday

COMMUNITY

May 2, 1999

Seed money no problem at Flower Bank

MIYASHIRO, Saitama Pref. -- While many Japanese banks are struggling to overcome their tainted image, at least one is enjoying an increasingly favorable reputation.

JAPAN

Aug 28, 1998

Government must act faster on economic data: SEC chief

JAPAN

Jun 30, 1998

Election Equation: Direct talk, bold action by Hashimoto urged

11th in a series

JAPAN

Jun 29, 1998

Election Equation: Change may require 'gaiatsu,' ACCJ says

10th in a series

JAPAN

Jun 22, 1998

Election Equation: Lack of clear options blamed for voter apathy

Fifth in a series

JAPAN

Jun 18, 1998

Election Equation: Head housewife promotes war on apathy

Despite the public's reasonable disgust with the state of Japanese politics, voters must not lose hope that they can enact change, said Hatoko Shimizu, president of the Japan Housewives' Association.

JAPAN

May 21, 1998

Businesses unsure about Indonesia's new future

and SAYURI DAIMON

JAPAN

Apr 15, 1998

Hashimoto-Yeltsin plan stimulates bilateral economic ties

Second of two parts

JAPAN

Mar 26, 1998

Ceramics-maker turns bottles into bucks

Sixteenth in a series of occasional articles on venture businesses

JAPAN

Feb 11, 1998

Investor says timing's right for playing Tokyo property game

Fifteenth in a series of occasional articles on venture businesses

JAPAN

Jan 27, 1998

Competition, investment needed in Japan, EU envoy says

Staff writerGreater competition stimulated by more foreign investments is what Japan needs to revive its sagging economy, according to Jorn Keck, departing ambassador of the European Union."Japan, now more than ever, needs foreign investment in order to improve the efficiency of many areas of industry," he said in an interview. "Yes, foreign investment is too low and it is too low in the interest of Japan."The ongoing turmoil in Japan's financial sector would not have happened if there had been greater competition here with powerful foreign financial institutions, he said. "Europe did not like Japanese car imports. But I have to say that Japanese investment in the car industry in Europe and exports (from Japan) have made our car industry more competitive," he said.Keck, who has been here for 3 1/2 years as head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Japan, is to leave Sunday. He will become deputy director general in charge of industry at EU headquarters in Brussels. He said the eventual emergence of a continental market in Europe will benefit not only European industries but Japanese ones as well.Economic and monetary integration in Europe will eliminate the cost of hedging against foreign exchange risks and provide more efficient distribution systems, while the enlargement of the union will provide an even greater market, he said. In addition, he said, the euro will eventually serve as another anchor currency, providing greater stability to the global currency market. Recalling his tenure here, Keck said Europe and Japan have been able to keep bilateral relations "steady without unnecessary drama and excitement, and true to our slogan, dialogue and cooperation.""Dialogue does not mean that you always just agree on everything," he said. "But if you have a problem, there are two ways (to solve it). You can just start shooting or you can just start talking." Keck also said that political dialogue between the EU and Japan, which he felt was underdeveloped when he came, has been developing steadily."Obviously, U.S.-Japan relations are very strong because of the security arrangement here. Similarly, Europe's relations with the United States are very strong because of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," he said. "And we don't have this (arrangement) between the EU and Japan."However, he said, EU-Japan relations, which have been overly focused on the economic front, are now gradually changing, with the EU slowly getting a political profile and with Japan determined to take a higher profile in world political affairs. "There aren't so many (major) political players in the world," Keck said. "So, automatically, if you want to do something in the context of the United Nations or something else, you will have to deal with the European Union. And if we want to do something, we have to deal with Japan. That's why this relationship has to become stronger."Speaking about the Japanese economy, Keck said he remains basically optimistic despite its prolonged stagnation. "The fundamentals are basically good," he said, noting that certain industries, which are global players, are even generating a great deal of trade surplus and thus causing concern over friction.On the other hand, he said, many areas have yet to be exposed to foreign competition and must go through restructuring. But the problem is manageable, he added. "We have been urging ... that Japan take all the necessary measures to stimulate domestic demand, and we're seeing this is happening," the ambassador said. "We're confident that Japanese politicians and decision-makers know what they are doing."The Japanese government faces the sheer tradeoff between long-term fiscal stabilization and the need for quick actions to boost domestic demand, he said. For the time being, however, Keck said Japan needs to look at the short-term stabilization and stimulation of the economy, and long-term stabilization has to take a second seat. Keck would not agree with the argument that Japan's sagging economy is responsible for the ongoing economic turmoil of its Asian neighbors.

JAPAN

Dec 19, 1997

Entrepreneur says a business can be ecological, profitable

JAPAN

Nov 28, 1997

COP3: Agreement on emissions is relatively easy

First in a series

JAPAN

Nov 11, 1997

Tanabe urges highest achievable emissions targets

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.

For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on

By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

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