author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 05, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Taiga Uranaka
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2005
Longreach bags 25% of McDonald's
The Longreach Group, a private equity investment firm based in Hong Kong and Tokyo, said Wednesday that it acquired a 24.98 percent stake of McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) from the family of Den Fujita, the late founder of the burger chain's Japanese unit.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2005
Girding for competition, KDDI to absorb Tu-Ka units
KDDI Corp. said Monday it will absorb its Tu-Ka cellular phone subsidiaries on Oct. 1 as part of efforts to prepare itself for greater competition in the wireless telephone market.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2005
TSE outsiders panel meets, has yet to ponder regulatory spinoff option
A special advisory panel to the Tokyo Stock Exchange held its first meeting Wednesday with an eye toward submitting recommendations by fall on whether the bourse should spin off its regulatory functions.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2005
Uniqlo chief hands helm back to founder Yanai
Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, said Thursday that President Genichi Tamatsuka will step down Aug. 31 and be replaced by Chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2005
KDDI to offer handsets for JR East payments
KDDI Corp. said Monday it will start a new service in January in which its handsets can be used as smart tickets for trains operated by East Japan Railway Co.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2005
Sanyo looks to shed 14,000 workers
Sanyo Electric Co. said Tuesday it will cut 14,000 employees, or 15 percent of its global workforce, as part of a sweeping restructuring plan under new management headed by Chief Executive Officer Tomoyo Nonaka.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jul 5, 2005
Makers read the leaves: green tea is where it's at
A rowdy tea party is brewing in the soft drink industry as companies crank up already-intense competition in the rapidly growing market for bottled green tea.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2005
Microsoft, Toshiba in HD-DVD tieup
Microsoft Corp. and Toshiba Corp. announced Monday they will jointly develop new-generation high-definition DVD players, concluding an agreement that strengthens their alliance in the wider area of technology for digital home electrical appliances.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2005
New Sony chief looks to go after money-losing operations
New Sony Corp. CEO Howard Stringer said Thursday that his company will winnow out some unprofitable operations as it tries to turn around its lackluster consumer electronics business.
JAPAN / A GENERATION CLOCKS OUT
Jun 23, 2005
Airlines face crunch as old pilots pull chocks
Japan's airline industry is facing a serious pilot shortage with scores of veteran captains expected to retire between 2007 and 2009 along with all the other baby boomers.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2005
Sony shareholders give nod to Stringer's team
Shareholders of Sony Corp. on Wednesday approved a new management team led by Howard Stringer, who pledged to turn around the company's struggling consumer electronics business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / A GENERATION CLOCKS OUT
Jun 22, 2005
Manufacturers face mass reduction in skilled ranks
For manufacturers, the mass retirement of baby boomers will mean losing leagues of highly skilled workers still indispensable even in this age of automation and computerization.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2005
DoCoMo among firms kicking off annual shareholders' meetings
Annual shareholders' meetings kicked off in earnest this week, with the annual rite expected to peak June 29 as more than 1,000 listed companies face their investors.
JAPAN / A GENERATION CLOCKS OUT
Jun 21, 2005
Baby boomers poised to turn pensioners en masse
A mass exodus looms in 2007 when baby boomers begin reaching retirement age, and the implications — both positive and negative — will be far-reaching.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2005
McDonald's cuts forecast due to 'value strategy'
McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan on Friday announced a sharp downward revision of its earning forecast for the six months ending in June, dragged down by a steeper-than-expected drop in average sales per customer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2005
Tsutsumi accepts guilt as trial starts
Former real estate and resort tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi pleaded guilty Thursday to insider trading and falsification of financial reports concerning Seibu Railway Co. shareholdings.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2005
Shareholders' meetings poised for takeover debates
The season for general shareholders' meetings is just around the corner, and a growing number of companies plan to use them to propose measures against hostile takeovers.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2005
TSE won't drop regulatory role
The Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday told the Financial Services Agency it plans to retain its ability to regulate the market even after it goes public, despite concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2005
Fujita gets Goldman Sachs-Mori aid
Fujita Corp. said Wednesday a fund led by Goldman Sachs and Mori Trust Co. agreed to inject 41 billion yen in fresh capital, making the U.S. investment bank and its partners the troubled construction firm's largest shareholder.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jun 2, 2005
Pen makers cross swords in battle for thinnest lines
In the competition for writing ever sharper lines, pen makers have been jostling for the title of the world's smallest ball points.
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

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER