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BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2001

UFJ Group banks go into red

The three banks that will form the UFJ Group in April announced Thursday they will post pretax losses of 289 billion yen for fiscal 2000 due to writing off 1.13 trillion yen in nonperforming loans, around twice the amount they had earlier predicted.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

44% of firms targeted by gangsters

Nearly 44 percent of Japanese companies nationwide say they have been the target of "sokaiya" corporate extortionists and the mob, according to a survey released Thursday by an antigang organization affiliated with the National Police Agency.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Sumitomo execs to pay redress for losses

OSAKA -- Former executives of trading house Sumitomo Corp. reached a court-mediated settlement Thursday on a lawsuit filed by one of its shareholders over huge losses the firm sustained due to a rogue copper trader.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2001

All told, a strong rebound is in the offing?

There has been mounting alarm around the world that a global stock market rout might be developing.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Rise in shares stems fears of rout

Tokyo share prices rebounded strongly toward the close of trading Thursday, shrugging off worries about a global stock market rout.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Diesel woes spur truck firms to seek out alternative fuels

Delivery companies are starting to use trucks that run on compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas in the face of stricter regulations on diesel-powered vehicles.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Prince's daughter ends nursery days

Kako, the 6-year-old daughter of Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, graduated Thursday from her kindergarten in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Miyazawa proposes stock fund guarantee

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa presented a scheme Thursday that would extend a government guarantee to a proposed private-sector fund that would purchase cross-held shares from ailing institutions, Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa said.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Obituary: Mimpei Sugiura

Mimpei Sugiura, a scholar on Italian Renaissance literature, died of a stroke Wednesday evening at a hospital in the town of Tahara, Aichi Prefecture. He was 87.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2001

BOJ hints at easing monetary policy

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami signaled Thursday that the central bank may further relax its already easy monetary policy to help shore up the faltering economy.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2001

Atento Pasona sets up call center

Atento Pasona Inc. started operations Thursday at its first call center in Tokyo's Toshima Ward to promote its Web-based customer relationship management services in Japan.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 16, 2001

Post-rockers toil in obscurity and they like it like that

Anonymity is the nemesis of pop. History is filled with earnest, well-meaning bands who did whatever they could to keep the music up front and the personalities in the background, often to the point where they wouldn't even reveal their names (like early Pavement). But unless you intend to toil in obscurity...
SUMO
Mar 16, 2001

Kaio grabs sole lead in Osaka

OSAKA -- Ozeki Kaio dodged a bullet Thursday to preserve his unbeaten record and take sole possession of the lead, while yokozuna duo Takanohana and Musashimaru joined a logjam of wrestlers at 4-1 in the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2001

Part-time latte makers could own part of chain

OSAKA -- Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. will introduce a stock option scheme for 1,400 of its 5,000-strong workforce, including part-time workers, the subsidiary of the major U.S. coffee chain said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Parents awarded damages over son's death at crossing

The Tokyo District Court awarded 32 million yen in compensation Thursday to a Tokyo mother whose 8-year-old son was killed after being hit by a dump truck.
EDITORIALS
Mar 15, 2001

Making sense of the slide

The blood-letting in international stock markets continues. The U.S. Nasdaq index plunged below the 2,000 level for the first time in 27 months. The S&P 500 lopped 20 percent of its peak, officially becoming a "bear market." The U.S. free fall triggered a domino effect, pushing Asian and European markets...
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2001

Current account surplus falls 60% to 250 billion yen

January's current account surplus fell 59.7 percent to 249.6 billion yen for the second consecutive year-on-year decline, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2001

Slips of politicians' tongues hurt economy

The dollar appears likely to continue hovering around 120 yen for some time.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2001

FSA, Keidanren unite on bad loans

Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa and business leader Takashi Imai agreed Wednesday to cooperate in efforts to accelerate the disposal of bad loans through the consolidation of borrowing companies, business officials said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2001

The choice is North Korea's

WASHINGTON -- The curtain has come down on the first act of the Bush administration's Asia policy, and there are far more questions than answers about U.S. policy after President Kim Dae Jung's visit to Washington. The media feasted on the mixed messages from a skeptical President George W. Bush and...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2001

Endocrine disrupter check widened

The Environment Ministry on Wednesday added four more substances to a priority list of agents that are being studied to determine the risks they pose as endocrine disrupters, ministry officials said.

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