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Mayumi Negishi
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2004
Koizumi puts off final decision on contentious subsidy reforms
Blocked by fierce opposition from his own party, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday postponed finalizing a plan to give more fiscal freedom to prefectural and municipal governments.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2004
Consumers help GDP edge up just 0.1%
Slumping corporate spending and exports caused the economy to slow to a crawl in the July-September period, with real gross domestic product expanding just 0.1 percent from the previous quarter, Cabinet Office data showed Friday.
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Nov 12, 2004
Credit card firms face one cold foe: hard cash
One credit card offers miles and points for clothes purchases. Another beckons with travel insurance and discounts at movie theaters and fancy restaurants.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2004
Buddhism, Calvinism molds execs
OYAMA, Shizuoka Pref. -- Japanese executives are satisfied with lower pay than their Western counterparts because wealth is not considered proof that a person has been chosen by God, the president of a think tank on business ethics said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Oct 19, 2004
Law of probability proves bid-rigging is rife
The bid-rigging took place at breakfast, recalls the son of a former official at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Port and Harbor Bureau.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2004
Daiei fix followed twisted path
It took one phone call from auditor Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu to convince Daiei Inc. to accept help from the state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan and end a lengthy standoff between the retailer and major banks.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2004
FSA targets UFJ over attempts to block probe
The Financial Services Agency filed a criminal complaint against UFJ Bank and three former executives Thursday over their attempts to block inspections by concealing documents and refusing to answer questions, the bank regulator said.
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Oct 5, 2004
IRCJ to stop accepting new projects in March
Seiichiro Murakami, newly chosen state minister in charge of industrial revitalization, said the Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan will stop accepting new turnaround assignments in March, as scheduled.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2004
FTA concessions needed: Nakagawa
Japan may have to make more concessions to push forward free-trade negotiations with Southeast Asian nations, according to Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2004
Tax increases on the table: Tanigaki
With the economy relatively steady, Japan is ready for debate on tax increases and government program cuts to put the nation's finances in order, according to Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 29, 2004
Takenaka vows to get LDP members on board for Japan Post privatization
Heizo Takenaka, just named to the brand-new post of minister of postal reform, said Tuesday he will "keep talking" to Liberal Democratic Party politicians until he wins their support for privatization.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2004
Koizumi to get specially heated water via fuel cell
The government said Thursday it will make the world's first purchase of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell to help supply electricity and heated water to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's new residence.
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2004
SESC targets Citibank over bond misdeeds
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission said Tuesday it has urged the Financial Services Agency to take punitive administrative action against the Tokyo branch of Citibank over violations of Japanese security law.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 10, 2004
Fear of losing out to China prompts FTA stampede
Panicking suddenly over the specter of being left behind by its Asian neighbors, Japan is rushing to conclude bilateral free-trade agreements, with ministers striving to get stalled talks restarted.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2004
Toothless SESC rues failure to protect investors
Teruko Noda, a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, has a cabinet full of letters, mostly telling the same story: brokers who allegedly lied and individual investors who lost their life savings.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2004
FSA asks for more funds
The Financial Services Agency on Tuesday formally asked the Finance Ministry to increase funding by 14.2 percent in fiscal 2005 to enable it to hire more inspectors to monitor financial institutions and markets.
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2004
Governors OK subsidy cuts, including for teacher salaries
Prefectural governors voted Thursday to adopt a list of 160 subsidy cuts as part of a 3.2 trillion yen central government subsidy-reduction plan, including the controversial 850 billion yen for junior high school teacher salaries.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2004
Japan hopes opening bond sales to foreigners will solve woes
The Finance Ministry is increasingly hoping to sell Japanese government bonds to foreigners. And the economic recovery is forcing this effort to be accelerated.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2004
0.4% GDP rise rains on parade
Japan's economy expanded 0.4 percent in the April-June quarter from the previous quarter, sharply slowing on lackluster corporate investment and consumer spending, Cabinet Office data showed Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2004
0.4% GDP rise rains on parade
Japan's economy expanded 0.4 percent in the April-June quarter from the previous quarter, sharply slowing on lackluster corporate investment and consumer spending, Cabinet Office data showed Friday.
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.

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