search

 
 
EDITORIALS
May 14, 2004

More than just making ends meet

There is something fuzzy about Tuesday's Lower House vote on the pension reform bills. The package was supported by the ruling parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito. But the opposition Democratic Party of Japan approved only a proviso that calls for the integration of the complex pension...
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

COMJAN 'abduction' list grows -- despite lack of evidence

OSAKA -- On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 2003, 42-year-old Naruki Okita, operator of a small marine transport company in Taisho Ward here, showed up near the docks of Izumi Kita with his luggage in tow.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

Crown Prince's remarks stun wife's minders

The head of the Imperial Household Agency admitted Thursday he is unsure how to address the situation surrounding Crown Princess Masako following unusually candid comments about her condition by her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

ANA jet makes precautionary landing

An All Nippon Airways flight bound for Hiroshima made an emergency landing at Osaka's Itami airport Thursday after reporting a malfunctioning engine, officials said.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

Ex-Duskin chief gets suspended term for misusing money

The Tokyo District Court handed a former chairman of Duskin Co. a suspended prison sentence Thursday for "masterminding" the misappropriation of the company's money.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
May 14, 2004

Obscure Otago is now New Zealand's 'Lord of the Reds'

Salvation is at hand for worshippers of Antipodean Pinot Noir. The "Pinot Noir grail" is to be found in Central Otago, writes British wine expert Jancis Robinson in the latest "World Atlas of Wine."
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

COMJAN 'abduction' list grows -- despite lack of evidence

OSAKA -- On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 2003, 42-year-old Naruki Okita, operator of a small marine transport company in Taisho Ward here, showed up near the docks of Izumi Kita with his luggage in tow.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

DPJ names 33 pension delinquents; LDP mum

The Democratic Party of Japan said Thursday that 33 of its 244 Diet lawmakers did not pay mandatory premiums for the nation's basic pension system, leaving the Liberal Democratic Party as the only major party still refusing to disclose the payment records of its members.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Machinery orders down 3.2% in March

Core private-sector machinery orders dropped a seasonally adjusted 3.2 percent in March from February, the government said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Honda launches nonguzzler luxury eight-seater van

Honda Motor Co. launched an eight-seat minivan Thursday, following in the footsteps of industry rivals in the increasingly competitive market for large luxury minivans.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

Hospitals tied to HCV fiasco to be mostly named before '05

The health ministry said Thursday it will disclose the names of all 7,004 hospitals believed to have stocked blood products contaminated with the hepatitis C virus -- but not until year's end.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Bank lending balance down 4.5%

The average daily balance of Japanese bank lending fell 4.5 percent in April from a year earlier, the Bank of Japan said Thursday in a preliminary report.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

Ozawa holds out for best DPJ offer

The Democratic Party of Japan discussed the length of the next party president's term Thursday as part of efforts to convince deputy chief Ichiro Ozawa to take the helm.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

Experts doubt merits of Koizumi Pyongyang trip

Widespread suspicion over North Korea's agenda has failed to dampen speculation that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may visit Pyongyang in the near future to secure the passage to Japan of the families of the five repatriated abductees.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Fate of luxury sedan market reflects changing face of society

Popular cars may be a reflection of social values, and if so, the waning popularity of Japanese luxury sedans -- once a salaryman status symbol -- indicates values are shifting.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

ANA jet makes precautionary landing

An All Nippon Airways flight bound for Hiroshima made an emergency landing at Osaka's Itami airport Thursday after reporting a malfunctioning engine, officials said.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

China warned over Senkaku foray

Japan lodged a protest Thursday with China after a Chinese marine research vessel entered Japan's exclusive economic zone without prior notice near one of the disputed Senkaku Islands, Foreign Ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Fiscal 2003 a bumper year for Mazda

Mazda Motor Corp. said Thursday that its consolidated net profit surged 40.5 percent to 33.9 billion yen in fiscal 2003, while its operating profit rose 38.5 percent to 70.2 billion yen, the highest figure in a decade.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Ripplewood expresses interest in MMC

Ripplewood Holdings LLC is interested in investing in troubled Mitsubishi Motors Corp., according to sources.
JAPAN
May 14, 2004

Ex-Duskin chief gets suspended term for misusing money

The Tokyo District Court handed a former chairman of Duskin Co. a suspended prison sentence Thursday for "masterminding" the misappropriation of the company's money.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Finance Ministry appointments eyed

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki plans to promote Koichi Hosokawa and Hiroshi Watanabe to the two top bureaucratic posts within the ministry, sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Yoshinoya finds U.S. beef for 'gyudon'

Yoshinoya D&C Co. on Thursday served "gyudon" beef-on-rice dishes at a food fair in Yokohama -- the first time it has served these dishes since it suspended them in February.
COMMENTARY
May 14, 2004

Can U.N. take the handoff?

LONDON -- Everyone is now looking to the United Nations to step into Iraq and somehow stabilize the situation as the country enters its most critical postwar stage. But is the U.N. capable of performing this role and willing to do so?

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight