Mayumi Negishi - The Japan Times

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Mayumi Negishi

For Mayumi Negishi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

BUSINESS

Nov 15, 2005

Easing beef ban seen as missing chance to let consumers rule

Yoshinoya D&C Co. executives, intent on reviving the restaurant chain's trademark beef-on-rice bowls as quickly as possible, are calling U.S. meatpackers to find out how much beef they can get and at what price.

JAPAN

Nov 12, 2005

July-September 0.4% rise ups GDP for four quarters

Domestic demand nudged the economy forward in the July to September quarter, tallying 0.4 percent growth in real terms, for an annualized rate of 1.7 percent, the Cabinet Office said Friday.

Japan Times

BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW

Nov 5, 2005

Japan Post's private units will need business leaders

When the gigantic Japan Post takes its first steps toward privatization in October 2007, the reins should be held by people who have had experience heading private businesses, Heizo Takenaka, who doubles as minister in charge of postal privatization and minister of internal affairs and communications, said Friday.

Japan Times

BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW

Nov 3, 2005

New METI chief to try softer touch with Asian neighbors

Newly appointed Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai said he favors a "patient, but persistent" approach toward improving strained relations with China caused by a protracted bilateral squabble over natural gas fields in the East China Sea.

Japan Times

BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW

Nov 2, 2005

Tanigaki considers how to win over public on raising taxes

For Sadakazu Tanigaki, newly reappointed as finance minister, the crucial question is not whether to raise the consumption tax, but when.

JAPAN

Nov 1, 2005

Onus on Japan to ensure U.S. beef safety, report says

A food safety panel on Monday adopted a draft report that, once finalized, will pave the way to ending the two-year-old ban on imports of U.S. and Canadian beef.

BUSINESS

Oct 27, 2005

How does the state want to care for the elderly?

Japan, with one of the world's oldest populations, is having increasing problems providing universal health care as each year there are fewer working people to pay for it.

BUSINESS

Oct 26, 2005

Tax panel begins annual discussions for fiscal 2006

The Tax Commission kicked off its annual discussions Tuesday, with members applauding a plan by a Liberal Democratic Party panel to convert the 5 percent consumption tax into a double-digit welfare tax.

JAPAN

Oct 25, 2005

At last minute, safety panel delays ending ban on U.S. beef imports

A government-appointed panel unveiled Monday a draft report that would pave the way to lifting the 22-month-old ban on U.S. beef imports, saying meat from young cattle poses an extremely low food safety risk.

BUSINESS

Oct 12, 2005

Wolfowitz hits poverty, takes Iraq flak

Donor nations, including the United States and Japan, must act now to fight poverty in an interconnected world, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said Tuesday in Tokyo.

JAPAN

Oct 8, 2005

Traffic won't stop for inclusive Tokyo marathon

Some 2,000 runners will pound the pavement Monday in Tokyo in Japan's only urban marathon open to both fast and slow alike.

JAPAN

Oct 2, 2005

Japan proposes joint use of deposits in East China Sea fields

Japan proposed to China on Saturday that they jointly develop the gas fields in a disputed area of the East China Sea as two days of working-level talks on the issue drew to a close.

JAPAN

Sep 30, 2005

State asbestos inaction blamed on 'red tape'

Bureaucratic red tape hindered Japan from taking a more aggressive stance against asbestos use in the past, the government said Thursday.

BUSINESS

Sep 22, 2005

Japan to guard Teikoku Oil if gas-field talks fail

If no agreement is reached in talks next week with China on natural gas development in the East China Sea, Japan is prepared to ensure the safety of Teikoku Oil Co. employees and protect the Japanese company's right to drill in disputed waters, Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry, said Wednesday.

Japan Times

Features

Sep 18, 2005

TREASURED TRANSPORTS OF ARTISTIC DELIGHT

Tigers and dragons snarl. Missiles and rockets soar above a dozen Mount Fujis. Inside, a chandelier sways over plush velvet. Around the fender, Chinese characters for "art," "tradition," "landscape gardener" and "love" salute the important things in life. All moving at a respectable 75 kph on the highway.

BUSINESS

Sep 13, 2005

Koizumi's next act to be his toughest yet

By MAYUMI NEGISHI and HIROKO NAKATA Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's landslide victory has given him a broad mandate to privatize the postal services and downsize the bloated public sector.

JAPAN

Sep 9, 2005

Bureaucrats fear not the loss of pull on politics if they join in

The road from bureaucrat to politician is well-paved.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Sep 7, 2005

Sales tax hike best solution, and it's urgent: expert

Raising the consumption tax may be considered political suicide.

JAPAN

Sep 2, 2005

Thai FTA defers sticking points

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his visiting Thai counterpart, Thaksin Shinawatra, agreed Thursday on a basic accord to lower mutual trade barriers that left key decisions on high tariffs on Japanese cars and Thai rice unresolved.

JAPAN

Sep 1, 2005

Budget ax poised to swing as agencies vie for shrinking pie

Starting Thursday, officials from government ministries and agencies will line up in the hallway outside the Finance Ministry Budget Bureau to make their annual pitches for hunks of the 2006 general account budget.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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