For Taiga Uranaka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
When Tatsufumi Sakai was named chief executive and president of Mizuho Financial Group this year, many bankers and investors were surprised. The low-key book lover represented a sharp contrast with Yasuhiro Sato, his bold, charismatic predecessor, who was vocal about his ambitions for Japan's second-largest ...
The nation's top financial regulator said regional banks "should not blame the Bank of Japan" for their woes, urging them to explore ways to survive ultralow interest rates. "They should not just sit and wait for the BOJ to change its policy. Will everything be ...
Like many pachinko parlors throughout Japan, Naomi Suzuki's establishment on the outskirts of the city of Fukushima was once full of energy, with the din of bouncing steel balls and garish lights flashing to indicate winnings. But business is quieter for her these days as ...
Nippon Life Insurance Co. will no longer extend loans for, or invest in, coal-fired power plants due to environmental concerns, an official at Japan's biggest life insurer said, in the first such move by a major domestic institutional investor. Japanese banks in recent months have ...
Some ¥3.28 trillion in funding for roads, bridges and thousands of new homes in areas devastated by the tsunami in Tohoku 3½ years ago is still languishing unspent in the bank. That means Keiko Abe is heading into a fourth winter of subzero temperatures ...
Regulators are increasing the pressure on regional banks to consolidate, worried that shrinking populations outside Japan's major cities will leave lenders too weak to stand on their own. After direct prodding from the head of the Financial Services Agency for the more than 100 regional ...
The decorum traditionally seen in Japan's mergers and acquisitions has broken down, as hostile takeover attempts have grabbed the spotlight. The latest boardroom row, between Origin Toshu Co. and Don Quijote Co., stems from a Don Quijote bid to acquire Origin shares after the discount ...
Online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. reported Thursday 2.3-fold growth in its operating profit for calendar 2005 to 34.89 billion yen, buoyed by its stock brokerage business. The firm did not offer an earnings projection for this year, but Chairman Hiroshi Mikitani said he expects ...
A traditional seasoning flies off store shelves after the bottles begin sporting a cartoon panda. A droplet-shaped character turns a little-known manufacturer into a household name. These are just two examples of the magic worked by the corporate character boom that has gripped the nation ...
Don Quijote Co. made a surprise announcement Wednesday that it had acquired a 15.28 percent stake in Origin Toshu Co., refusing to give up its quest for the chain of 24-hour boxed-meal stores. The reversal came after a takeover bid launched by the discount retailer ...
