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BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Wit to entrust brokering to venture

Online brokerage Wit Capital Japan Inc., a unit of U.S.-based Wit SoundView Group Inc., said Wednesday it will entrust its retail brokerage services to a firm due to be created in March through the merger of e-Wing Securities Co. and Japan Online Securities Co.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Amway Japan chief looks to raise firm's public profile, sales

In an effort to combat a decline in sales amid stagnant consumer spending, Amway Japan Ltd. President Stephen A. Robbins is determined to raise the direct selling firm's public profile by forming alliances with major Japanese companies.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Luxembourg the perfect site for Japan's banks: minister

The European common currency is making Luxembourg more attractive to Japanese financial institutions, Henri Grethen, Luxembourg's economic minister, said Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Failed insurer to sell Hotel New Japan site

Restructuring Chiyoda Mutual Life Insurance Co. is selling the site of the now-closed Hotel New Japan, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2001

Bush brings opportunity to bolster Japan-U.S. ties

Now that U.S. President-elect George W. Bush has named his Cabinet and his inauguration is only days away, it might be useful to contemplate how Japan-U.S. relations may be affected and what might be done to strengthen this very important strategic alliance.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Taisei taps Hayama for presidency

Major construction contractor Taisei Corp. said Wednesday that President Osamu Hirashima will be replaced by Vice President Kanji Hayama on April 1.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Despite bleak outlook, return to 'zero rate' unlikely: poll

Nearly 80 percent of economists at financial institutions questioned by Kyodo News expect the Bank of Japan to maintain its current monetary stance and say there is little chance the central bank will return to its "zero-interest-rate" policy within a year.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Daiei chief tenders early resignation

Struggling supermarket-chain operator Daiei Inc. said Wednesday that former President Tadasu Toba, who was demoted to director in October over his alleged involvement in shady stock deals, will step down Monday -- earlier than planned.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Loner pleads guilty to slaying man

OSAKA -- A 24-year-old unemployed man pleaded guilty Wednesday before the Osaka District Court to stabbing a passerby to death in March on a street in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2001

Corruption tests Beijing's courage

Chinese efforts to clean up the economy have claimed more victims. This week, two high-ranking officials of the State Power Corporation were arrested for taking bribes; more arrests are expected. They are the latest offenders caught in the campaign to root out corruption. The program is absolutely necessary...
COMMENTARY
Jan 18, 2001

Bush faces an expectation gap

The emergence of George W. Bush as winner in the 2000 U.S. presidential election is creating an "expectation gap" between Japan and the United States.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Sony to distribute music via Internet

Inc. said Wednesday that it will begin selling samples of rock 'n' roll music over the Internet ahead of compact disc releases. It is reportedly the first Internet promotion of its kind by a major music and entertainment firm.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 18, 2001

Olympic hero Spitz still making waves at 50

LONDON -- Mark Spitz is widely regarded as the greatest Olympian of all time. The American swimmer captured seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games -- still the most ever by an athlete at one Olympics -- and broke world-record times in all seven events. Throw in the two golds, a silver and a bronze...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Kobe remembers '95 quake, but focus shifts to moving on

KOBE -- This city marked the sixth anniversary of the earthquake that resulted in the loss of 6,432 lives with prayers and remembrance services Wednesday, but also with a sense that the temblor is fading into history and that the recovery is almost complete.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Orders for ships leapt 67% in 2000

Shipbuilding orders received by Japanese companies in 2000 surged 66.7 percent from the previous year to total 14.56 million tons, the largest volume since 1973, when the first oil crisis hit the industry, the Japan Ship Exporters' Association said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Daiichi Mutual administrators pull plug

The administrators of failed Daiichi Mutual Fire & Marine Insurance Co. on Wednesday said they have terminated an eight-month search for a white knight.
LIFE / Style & Design / BEAUTY EAST AND WEST
Jan 18, 2001

Oranges for body and soul

Continuing with our citrus theme from the previous column, today we'll discover a few more uses of the spiritually potent, beautifying, healing orange and its citrus relatives.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 18, 2001

Meet your future friend, Mr. Roboto

One of the formative experiences of my childhood was the New York World's Fair of 1962-63, where America's great and beneficent corporations introduced consumers to the future. The memory that sticks with me most is of Bell Telephone's "picture phone," which we were told would be widely in use by the...
COMMUNITY
Jan 18, 2001

New blood in Japanese fashion design

At the beginning of the new millennium Japan is Asia's fashion ground zero, a place where street fashion in its myriad forms is helping inspire a new generation of young designers.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Hitachi, Omron tie on automation

Hitachi Ltd. and Omron Corp. said Wednesday they have agreed to join hands in providing information technology-based factory automation systems.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Opposition demands KSD probe

The Democratic Party of Japan and three other opposition parties on Wednesday asked the House of Representatives to facilitate an investigation of bribery allegations involving the Budget Committee and scandal-hit mutual aid foundation KSD and to summon three lawmakers to give sworn testimony.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Seirai, Horie win Akutagawa Prize

Yuichi Seirai and Toshiyuki Horie were chosen Tuesday evening as winners of the 124th Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, while the Naoki Prize for popular fiction went to Kiyoshi Shigematsu and Fumio Yamamoto.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2001

Alarming fall in the market

The slowing of the U.S. economy and concerns about a possible free fall on Wall Street, combined with the dimming prospects for Japan's economy, last week sent share prices in Tokyo plummeting to alarming levels. On Thursday, the benchmark Nikkei index plunged to 13,201, its lowest since October 1998....

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