author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 04, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Ko Hirano
For Ko Hirano's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2006
Geos, Mizuho chase demand for services in Russia
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Kyodo) The Japanese service and financial industries are set to follow manufacturers into the fast-growing Russian market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2006
St. Petersburg aims to become Russia's Motor City
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Kyodo) Russia's brisk economic growth and rising purchasing power are drawing Japanese firms, most notably automakers, into the country like a magnet.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2006
BOJ move ends global era of low interest rates
The Bank of Japan's decision to end its five-year-old "quantitative easing" monetary policy Thursday marks an end to the era of low interest rates -- or excess liquidity -- around the world.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2006
Balancing Iran oil, nukes tough for Japan
MOSCOW (Kyodo) As the row over Iran's nuclear program escalates, Japan could find itself in a dilemma over how to reconcile its stance against nonproliferation with its desire to develop Iran's Azadegan oil field — a key element of its future energy strategy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 4, 2006
World Bank taps 'Mr. Development'
The man Japan calls "Mr. Development" for his expertise in the field is set to take up a key World Bank post later this month, working with finance ministers across the globe to address pressing issues, including energy efficiency and the spread of avian influenza.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2005
Frisk maker wins export award
Whenever you pop into convenience stores or supermarkets in Japan, you can easily find little white plastic boxes of Frisk breath mints by the cashier.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2005
Diplomats show love, wit, irony through lens
Russian Ambassador Alexander Losyukov, European Union Minister Michael Reiterer and former U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker are just a few of the diplomats whose photos will be exhibited in Tokyo from Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2005
ADB chief economist upbeat on Japanese growth prospects
OSAKA (Kyodo) The chief economist at the Asian Development Bank has painted a rosy picture of Japan's economy, stating that it is posting sustained growth and is moving toward a potential growth rate of 2 percent a year.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2005
Sexy posters woo Japanese, other Asians to 'dynamic' Poland
A pretty Polish model dressed as a nurse beckons tourists from around the world, saying, "Poland: I'm Awaiting You," in a new poster with a Polish spa retreat in the background.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2005
World Bank bonds increasingly popular among Japan investors
With their AAA credit ratings and higher yields than Japanese government bonds, debt instruments issued by the World Bank are seeing growing demand in Japan, especially as the April 1 end of a blanket guarantee on bank deposits might prompt individuals to shift their funds from deposits to government bonds, investment trusts or foreign securities.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2004
Puratos wins inaugural BLCCJ award
Belgian chocolate brands like Godiva, Neuhaus and Leonidas are popular in Japan, yet not many people are probably aware they are consuming chocolate-linked food with ingredients made by another Belgian player, the Puratos Group of Brussels.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2004
Global accreditation system could protect students from 'rogue' schools
Guidelines being drafted to ensure quality in higher education worldwide might help protect Japanese students from shady, "rogue" schools.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2004
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi eyes Central, Eastern Europe
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi is set to boost its operations in Central and Eastern Europe amid expectations that a growing number of Japanese companies will invest in the region following last week's entry of 10 nations into the European Union.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2004
Japan carmakers to expand European operations
Major Japanese automakers plan to expand their operations in Central and Eastern Europe, with the car market expected to grow following the planned entry of 10 countries in the region into the European Union next month.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2004
Realignment of local lenders said pivotal
As banks have shifted their focus away from bad-loan disposal and toward revenue-boosting measures, the realignment of local financial institutions is increasingly perceived as vital to stabilizing Japan's financial system in 2004.
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2004
Japan blue chips delisting from European bourses
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., TDK Corp. and other Japanese blue chips are delisting from European stock exchanges due to low trading volume of their shares and deepening financial integration in Europe.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003
Exhibition highlights plight of Asians living with AIDS
About 20 international photojournalists will launch an exhibition in Tokyo later this month to portray the spirit of people in Asia living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2003
Russian, U.S. ambassadors prepare joint photo shows in Tokyo, Osaka
When he was a young Soviet diplomat assigned to Tokyo in the late 1960s, Alexander Panov never imagined top officials of the United States and Russia, longtime Cold War adversaries, would one day be staging a joint photo show.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2003
Japan to offer one-stop service center in hope of luring foreign investors
Encouraged by the successful alliance between Nissan Motor Co. and French automaker Renault SA, Japan will try to attract more foreign firms into the country as part of efforts to boost the economy.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003
Hopes for new securities tax code tempered by concerns of investors
The new securities tax code took effect Jan. 1, featuring tax cuts on dividends from stocks that brokers hope will spur investment in the wake of a tough year in which the Nikkei average sank to the lowest yearend levels in two decades.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
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.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
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

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

Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view
Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER