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 Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2003
Corporate responsibility in spotlight
If you make up the rules, you've got an excellent chance of winning the game.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 9, 2003
Corporate revitalization body rolls up its sleeves
The Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan, the government's latest attempt to deal with the nation's bad-loan mess and resuscitate ailing companies, launched full-blown operations Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 1, 2003
Flailing Japanese companies, government turn to U.S. recovery 'guru'
Japan, still struggling to find a way out of its bad-loan quagmire, is looking for salvation from a "guru" credited with turning around whole sectors of U.S. industry.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2003
IRC official to ensure it's free of political meddling
The Industrial Revitalization Corp. will hire a compliance officer to ensure that it operates ethically and without political meddling, IRC President Atsushi Saito said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003
IRC officials try to play down hardline image
It has a nickname that would turn most customers off.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2003
Army of Carlos Ghosns may be in the making
We all know the Carlos Ghosn story.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Apr 9, 2003
Domestic firms missing out on slice of medical device market
Dr. Kiyoshi Namba is a hard-core believer in medical technology. A breast cancer specialist, Namba has invested heavily in state-of-the-art medical equipment at his two clinics in Miyazaki Prefecture, claiming this provides exactly what he needs to counter the killer disease -- the earliest detection...
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2003
IRC execs implore banks to sell bad loans
Newly appointed executives of the government's planned industrial revival body delivered a zealous sales pitch Friday, urging banks to sell to the entity loans extended to debt-laden firms as soon as possible.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2003
Expert in resuscitating ailing firms to head IRC
The government has nominated Kazuhiko Toyama -- known as an expert in turning around apparently hopeless businesses -- as chief operating officer of a state-backed corporation given the task of doing just that.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003
New farm minister follows Oshima's lead
New agriculture minister Yoshiyuki Kamei said Tuesday he will seek a "realistic and balanced" agreement on farm trade liberalization during World Trade Organization negotiations, adopting the same stance as his disgraced predecessor.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003
Shops go against the grain to sell U.S. rice
U.S. rice farmers have found an unlikely ally in their endeavor to penetrate Japan's heavily protected rice market -- owners of mom-and-pop rice shops who themselves are bearing the brunt of the nation's market-opening reforms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2003
Executive, academic to head revival body
The Cabinet decided Friday to appoint a former Nomura Securities Co. executive and a high-profile academic to lead a proposed government-backed entity tasked with restructuring indebted firms and revitalizing industries.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2003
WTO spotlighted as trade chiefs gather for Tokyo meeting
Trade ministers from 25 nations will enter three days of intense negotiations in Tokyo on Friday as part of a new round of World Trade Organization trade liberalization talks. Here is a roundup of some basic facts on the organization and issues to be discussed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2003
'Bereavement industry' in flux
Most of the businesses providing funeral and other services pertaining to the dead are mom-and-pop operations catering to local needs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2003
Docs find flu drug dearth hard to swallow
Pediatrician Jiro Tsukada says that being stingy has become part of his job.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 8, 2002
Cashing in far away
Akihisa Fujita has always been a night owl. The 32-year-old former bartender spent much of his 20s serving drinks at high-end establishments in Tokyo's Ginza and Yoyogi-Uehara districts, all the while dreaming of owning his own.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PREFECTURAL FARE
Nov 30, 2002
Representative office gives visitors hands-on approach to Yamanashi
The Yamanashi Prefectural Trade and Tourist Center in Tokyo's Minami-Azabu district is trying to offer more than just tasty delights and souvenir crafts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2002
Social responsibility a safe investment
One Akiyama thrived in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of finance for 18 years, working as a U.S. government bond trader for several brokerages in Tokyo and New York. Until about a year ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2002
Canada program offers help to isolated parents
A group of child-care experts is offering help to mothers in Japan via a Canadian parent-education program aimed at building self-esteem and creating a supportive network of friends, families and experts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / BABY BUST
Sep 21, 2002
Isolation poses major danger to modern mothers
Yumi, the mother of a 17-month-old girl in Tokyo, said she started feeling the burden of raising a child even before she became a mom.

Longform

Dul Saroth (left) and Soeum Samrach, deminers with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, practice using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province in August.
The Japanese tech that could one day make Southeast Asia landmine-free