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July 06, 2025
 

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Kanako Takahara

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Kanako Takahara
Kanako Takahara is a staff writer who has covered national politics, diplomacy, business and the economy at The Japan Times. A graduate of Sophia University, she is currently a national news editor.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2007
Banks riding out consumer-lender woes
The nation's three major banking groups saw profits drop in 2006 because of losses at their consumer-finance affiliates, but analysts are growing optimistic that the banks have recovered enough to roll with the blows.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2007
Mizuho group profit falls 4.4% on Orient's losses
Mizuho Financial Group said Tuesday its group net profit dropped 4.4 percent to 621 billion yen in the business year to March on losses incurred by consumer lender Orient Corp., Mizuho's affiliate known for its Orico card.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2007
SMFG reports 35.7% drop in net profit
The Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, one of Japan's three largest banking groups, reported Monday that group net profit dropped 35.7 percent to 441.4 billion yen in 2006 because of losses from consumer lending affiliate Promise Co. and weak banking operations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 19, 2007
Farm concession said key to U.S. FTA
Opening up Japan's politically sensitive agriculture market is the key to establishing a free-trade agreement between Japan and the United States, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vice president for Asia.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2007
Rakuten refuses to limit TBS stake goal to 20%
Rakuten Inc. President Hiroshi Mikitani said Thursday that he won't limit his acquisition goal for shares of Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. to 20 percent.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2007
Sony logs 68% slump in operating profit
Sony Corp. announced Wednesday that its operating profit plunged 68.3 percent to 71.75 billion yen in the 2006 business year because of price cuts on the PlayStation 3 and the cost of recalling lithium-ion batteries.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2007
Shinsei had 61 billion yen loss in '06
Shinsei Bank, the first Japanese lender acquired by foreign investors, said Wednesday it posted a net loss of 61 billion yen for the business year that ended March 31 due to losses incurred by Aplus Co., an affiliated consumer lender.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 10, 2007
Muscling in on the world of showbiz
Some of Japan's top athletes are using their talents to carve out new careers in the theater spotlight — and they have created one of the nation's most successful entertainment exports along the way
BUSINESS
May 9, 2007
Nippon Steel eyes India tieups as sector girds against takeovers
In late March, Nippon Steel Corp. President Akio Mimura was in New Delhi to attend a board meeting for the International Iron & Steel Institute.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
May 8, 2007
Bomb bra put Peach John on path to popularity
Two decades ago, the ideal career path was to join a blue chip company and steadily climb the corporate ladder until retirement — a system that helped sustain Japan's economic growth.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2007
Citigroup bags Nikko Cordial for 920 billion yen
Citigroup Inc. announced Friday its public tender offer for scandal-tainted Nikko Cordial Corp. has succeeded, resulting in the biggest buyout -- at 920 billion yen -- of a Japanese firm by a foreign company.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2007
Nikko Cordial's fraud sends 2006 profits down
Profits of Nikko Cordial Corp. plunged in the 2006 business year, according to the firm's financial statements released Tuesday, affected by the brokerage's involvement in an accounting scandal.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2007
SDF emerging as the military it truly is
The government has steadily expanded the activities of the Self-Defense Forces since the 1990s as the nation sought to play greater roles in international political and security affairs. Public perceptions toward the SDF have also changed in line with changes in the security environment, espe cially...
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2007
ANA to sell 13 domestic hotels to Morgan Stanley
All Nippon Airways Co. announced Friday it will sell its 13 domestic hotels to U.S. brokerage giant Morgan Stanley for about 280 billion yen -- a move that will allow the carrier to focus on its core airline business.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2007
China, Japan begin dialogue on energy, economics
Minister-level talks on energy and a preliminary meeting on economic matters got under way Thursday as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao enjoyed the fruit of their efforts to improve a relationship described as "mutually beneficial based on common strategic interests."
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2007
Livedoor will stick with its name
Livedoor Co. will stick with its corporate logo because Internet users still place great value on the firm, company officials said Monday, after the scandal-tainted company had considered a name change.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2007
16 billion yen puts Fujiya in hands of Yamazaki
Yamazaki Baking Co. will purchase a 35 percent stake in Fujiya Co. for about 16 billion yen, making it the scandal-tainted confectioner's biggest shareholder, the two companies said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2007
International 'anime' fair opens in Tokyo
Giant balloons depicting Pokemon characters and boy detective Conan filled the air at the Thursday kickoff of the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2007 in Tokyo, as 270 companies, including 55 from overseas, came together for the world's biggest animation festival.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2007
Good and bad seen from Livedoor fallout
Just over a year ago, 29-year-old Masanobu Kimura was one of the many eager Japanese individual investors rushing to put their savings in dozens of small venture businesses, including a fast-rising Internet portal named Livedoor Co.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2007
Citigroup bid firm at 1,700 yen as Nikko tender offer starts
U.S. financial services giant Citigroup Inc. said Wednesday it will launch a public tender offer for Nikko Cordial Corp. from Thursday through Apr. 26 for 1,700 yen per share -- a price Citigroup said it would not increase.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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