author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 03, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Takahiro Fukada
For Takahiro Fukada's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2009
BOJ to end some emergency financing steps
The Bank of Japan said Friday it will terminate some of the emergency financing measures it initiated after a global credit crunch took hold in late 2008 because the environment for corporate funding has since improved.
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2009
Cabinet bill goes easier on lenders
The banking industry breathed a sigh of relief Friday as the Cabinet sent the Diet a bill that merely "encourages" lenders to freeze debt repayments for small businesses and home owners until March 2011.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2009
New unit debuts to trim fat off 2010 ministry budgetary requests
The Government Revitalization Unit, a policy body aimed at slashing wasteful spending, kicked off Thursday tasked with scrutinizing — in open public view — budgetary requests from ministries for fiscal 2010.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Oct 17, 2009
DPJ takes aim at public works
Friday's budgetary requests from ministries for the next fiscal year and the ¥2.9 trillion the government recovered from this year's extra budget reflect the Democratic Party of Japan's strong resolve to redistribute funds from public works projects to the pockets of citizens to boost domestic demand, analysts say.
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2009
BOJ keeps key interest rate at 0.1%
The Bank of Japan on Wednesday kept its key interest rate at 0.1 percent as expected but refrained from ending corporate support measures because of the high downside risks to the economy.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2009
Tax panel to shake up system
The Democratic Party of Japan-led government launched a new tax reform panel Thursday that it said will increase transparency in granting tax breaks to various companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2009
Gruff maybe, but Nakagawa recalled as hard worker
Although he appeared unfriendly to some, he was in fact a serious, responsible man with delicate sensibilities who studied policies day and night. That is the picture emerging of the late former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa from interviews with relatives and officials.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2009
DPJ finds funds for pet programs
The administration said Tuesday it will suspend ¥2.5 trillion in the supplementary budget drawn up by the previous government and use the money to bankroll the Democratic Party of Japan's election pledges, including child-rearing allowances and toll-free expressways.
BUSINESS / Q&A
Oct 3, 2009
Devil's in the details on debt relief
To rescue cash-strapped small firms and households, financial services minister Shizuka Kamei is preparing to submit a bill at the extraordinary Diet session this month that will pressure financial institutions to ease loan conditions for borrowers.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2009
'10 budget scrapped; Cabinet starts over
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government decided Tuesday to scrap the framework set up by the previous administration for the 2010 budget.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 19, 2009
Fujii promises to compile 2010 budget on time, overhaul or no
New Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii promised Friday that the government will compile the fiscal 2010 budget by the end of the year like it does every year, and that its framework will be decided by early next month.
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2009
Economy recovering thanks to stimulus, exports, output: BOJ
The Bank of Japan upgraded its assessment of the economy on Thursday after noting that public works spending is continuing to increase in conjunction with upticks in exports and production.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2009
Big changes to budget process expected under DPJ
Ending more than half a century of almost unbroken Liberal Democratic Party rule, the administration led by the Democratic Party of Japan that was formed Wednesday is expected to bring major changes to the nation's governance.
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2009
Recovery slower than expected
The economy grew less than initially reported in the second quarter due to a greater-than-anticipated fall in private inventory and capital investment, revised data released Friday by the government showed.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2009
Bureaucrats jockey to face new management
The Liberal Democratic Party's crushing election defeat brings to an end its cozy relationship with the bureaucracy, which the victorious Democratic Party of Japan has promised to weaken.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 26, 2009
Hokkaido figures to be key showdown for LDP vets
SAPPORO — The winds of change are blowing nationwide as the Lower House election nears.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2009
Suzuki sides with DPJ, sees dual polls in '10
SAPPORO — Muneo Suzuki, leader of Hokkaido's New Party Daichi, said elections for both chambers of the Diet could be held simultaneously next year if the opposition camp secures a huge win in the Aug. 30 House of Representatives poll.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 18, 2009
In anonymous packed train lurk gropers
A perverse reality that periodically surfaces on the country's crowded urban trains is the groper.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Aug 14, 2009
High quality proves key ingredient to success
High-priced but good-quality products will win the hearts of customers every time. This is the belief of Masamichi Toyama, founder of Soup Stock Tokyo, and so far he has proved it.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2009
BOJ leaves rate unchanged on deflation fears
As expected, the Bank of Japan left the key interest rate unchanged Tuesday at around 0.1 percent amid continued concerns about deflation, even though exports and production have shown signs of recovery.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

Podcast

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

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER