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Taiga Uranaka
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2003
Matsushita expects 23.5 billion yen loss for fiscal '02
Joining a growing list of companies hit by plummeting bank shares, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Monday it expects to report a group net loss of 23.5 billion yen for the fiscal year that ended March 31.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2003
IPOs in Japan slide by almost one-third
A total of 124 Japanese companies went public in fiscal 2002, down from 174 the previous year, owing mainly to sluggish stock markets, according to a report released Monday by UFJ Tsubasa Research Institute Ltd.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2003
First over-the-counter sleeping pills hit stores amid barrage of inquiries
The country's first over-the-counter sleeping pills hit shelves Thursday, with their maker forecasting that the drug could meet its original sales target for the year within the first month.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003
Mitsubishi Electric hit by share falls
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said Tuesday its group net profit for the 2002 business year, which ended Monday, was wiped out by the plummeting prices of bank shares.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2003
McDonald's Holdings flips top manager posts
said Friday that managers from its U.S. parent now hold two of the top three positions on its board, signaling a shift in the power dynamics at the country's largest fast food chain. The shakeup, approved at a general shareholders' meeting, comes in the wake of the announcement this month that founder...
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2003
Five Wal-Mart execs join Seiyu's board
Struggling supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd. said Wednesday that five representatives of Wal-Mart Store Inc. have joined its board of directors, formalizing the U.S. retail giant's involvement in Seiyu's management.
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2003
Toys 'R' Us-Japan logs 1.2% decline in profit
Toys "R" Us-Japan Ltd. said Wednesday its net profit for the year through Jan. 31 dropped 1.2 percent to 4.09 billion yen on weak same-store sales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2003
Hamburger chains trying new ways to lure back customers
Hamburger chains are shifting away from low-price strategies after cheap burgers failed to lure back customers following the outbreak of mad cow disease 1 1/2 years ago.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2003
Orient eyes capital boost through share issuance
Struggling consumer credit firm Orient Corp. said Friday it will issue 150 billion yen in preferred shares to be purchased by Mizuho Corporate Bank to boost its depleted capital base.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2003
Japan Tobacco strikes back with smoking salons
With the stock market hitting 20-year lows and the economic outlook getting worse, Japan's smokers have even more excuses to light up. Yet, in a country which has long been tolerant of tobacco use, a growing antismoking trend has made life for addicts more difficult.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003
Three-year plan boosts JAL outlook
Japan Airlines System Corp. is expecting a group net profit of 35 billion yen for the business year through March 2006, up from 8 billion yen estimated for 2002.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2003
Firms matching workers' skills to departments
Former Yomiuri Giants slugger Hideki Matsui, who has joined the New York Yankees, is not the only Japanese to take advantage of a free-agent system.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2003
Ando to inject Hazama with 1 billion yen
Midsize general contractor Ando Corp. said Monday it has agreed to forge a capital tieup with Hazama Corp., seeking to inject the troubled builder with 1 billion yen through the purchase of preferred shares.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003
Toshiba to focus on digital, electronic devices
Toshiba Corp. said Friday it will spin off some of its operations so it can concentrate its resources on semiconductor and digital products.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Mar 6, 2003
Lingerie firms hustling to open outlets as lights go out on major retailers
Major domestic underwear firms are aggressively expanding their direct retail operations, opening lingerie boutiques with French names, as well as bra kiosks at train stations.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2003
McDonald's Japan chief Fujita decides to resign
Den Fujita, founder of the McDonald's chain in Japan, is stepping down as chairman and chief executive officer after the company suffered its first loss in almost three decades, McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2003
Daiei touts new plan to open two outlets
Ailing retailer Daiei Inc. on Wednesday announced a plan to open its first new outlets in more than two years and strengthen ties with an affiliate chain.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2003
Softbank in Yahoo Japan selloff
In an effort to bankroll its broadband business, Softbank Corp. announced Monday it will offload around 17 percent of its group stake in Yahoo Japan Corp.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2003
With Sogo recovering Wada takes on Seibu
Shigeaki Wada, who has successfully navigated the Sogo department store chain out of bankruptcy, began his second successive resuscitation job Friday, taking the helm of now troubled Seibu Department Stores Ltd.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2003
Boutiques feast on Valentine's frenzy
St. Valentine's Day is a key occasion for confectioners as consumers snap up an estimated 50 billion yen worth of sweets to give to friends and loved ones on Feb. 14.

Longform

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