Sachiko Hirao - The Japan Times

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Sachiko Hirao

For Sachiko Hirao's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 4, 2002

Forum mulls nuts, bolts of Kyoto aims

Global warming poses a formidable challenge to the world.

BUSINESS

Jun 22, 2002

Reforms seen weak in short-term

Although a package of reforms finalized by a key government panel on Friday may point Japan's economic and fiscal systems in the right direction in the long term, pundits are skeptical whether it can deliver the boost of confidence necessary now.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Jun 20, 2002

'Sufficient' steel exemptions on way: U.S. business chief

The steel dispute between Japan and the United States will calm down shortly because Washington is expected to exempt more products from its import safeguard tariffs, including those from Japan, the head of the largest business lobby in the United States said Wednesday.

BUSINESS

May 18, 2002

Showa Shell turns focus toward customers' needs

With most of its restructuring completed, Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. is now focusing on stimulating customer demand by improving its products and services, according to John S. Mills, the new president of the country's fourth-largest oil wholesaler.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 5, 2002

Naturalized entrepreneur jumps conservative obstacles

It's bad enough for a would-be entrepreneur that Japan is suffering a protracted economic slump and the country is bound -- still -- by archaic business practices.

BUSINESS

May 4, 2002

Pursuit of FTAs vital but troublesome

Last month, leading brewer Asahi Breweries Ltd. began shipping its Super Dry beer to Singapore from Japan, instead of from its facilities in China.

BUSINESS

Apr 24, 2002

Colleges now cast as economic saviors

The government is turning its eye to the nation's universities in a bid to uncover a potential gold mine in venture business ideas and help lift the economy out of its prolonged slump.

BUSINESS

Mar 1, 2002

U.S. legal firm, citing globalism, hopes to tap into Japan

As companies increasingly engage in cross-border transactions and international operations, legal services are also going global, according to a U.S. law firm hoping to tap into the Japanese market.

BUSINESS

Jan 22, 2002

Inventor hopes lawsuit over diode empowers peers

Shuji Nakamura is confident that his court battle can radically change the relationship between Japanese companies and their in-house inventors.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Jan 3, 2002

Death of domestic coal leaves legacy for future

Four decades of protection for the domestic coal mining industry are nearly at an end as the government moves to procure stable and more economical supplies from abroad.

JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK

Dec 27, 2001

Top schools eye uneasy alliance with private sector

The agenda of top-flight domestic schools such as the University of Tokyo is changing along with the turbulent economic climate.

BUSINESS

Dec 22, 2001

Pundits see Japan-China spat as just the beginning

The recent trade dispute between Japan and China over three farm products was a harbinger of future trade friction between the two countries, according to pundits.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Dec 5, 2001

CAL chief weighs realities

The airline industry was perhaps the sector hit hardest by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and China Airlines has not been immune to the impact.

BUSINESS

Nov 10, 2001

U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges reforms push

The U.S. business community is urging Japan to pursue reforms that will help the economy and attract more American investment, the visiting chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Friday.

BUSINESS

Nov 10, 2001

U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges reforms push

The U.S. business community is urging Japan to pursue reforms that will help the economy and attract more American investment, the visiting chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Friday.

JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK

Nov 8, 2001

Japanese firms urged to better protect patents

Having lost its edge as a mass-production base, Japan's future economic prosperity depends on its innovativeness in offering high value-added products and services.

BUSINESS

Oct 22, 2001

Is Japan still deserving of special economic treatment from U.S.?

Now that economic conditions in Japan and the United States and the landscape of the global economy have completely changed, the U.S. should abandon bashing, passing and "gaiatsu" and change its policy toward the country completely, according to C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Institute for International Economics.

JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK

Sep 6, 2001

Japan's high-tech history sets scene for the future

Although the high cost of doing business in Japan has eroded the competitiveness of many manufacturers, some high-tech firms have managed to retain their edge.

BUSINESS

Aug 17, 2001

Free up assets by renting warehouses: ProLogis

The conventional practice of maintaining warehouses as corporate assets may be a thing of the past as asset prices fall and companies face fierce competition, according to Stuart Gibson, vice president of ProLogis Japan.

BUSINESS

Aug 16, 2001

Venture capitalists bank on restructuring mood

During the heady days of the information technology boom of the late 1990s through early 2000, many foreign venture-capital firms were lured to Japan in search of Internet-related business startups.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.

The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces

By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

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