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BUSINESS
May 15, 2012

Tepco pays dearly for disastrous year

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday it posted a ¥781.6 billion group net loss for fiscal 2011 after incurring massive costs from the meltdown disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, compensation for the victims and fuel costs for reverting to thermal power.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 13, 2012

Noda's vexing full plate: tax hike, Ozawa, Futenma, Senkakus

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda hopes to persuade Okinawans to accept the government's highly contentious plan to move the Futenma air base elsewhere in the prefecture once the burden of hosting U.S. forces there starts to ease.
EDITORIALS
May 13, 2012

Married women as abuse victims

A recent Cabinet Office survey has found that 32.9 percent of married women have experienced domestic abuse. This percentage has remained unchanged from the two previous surveys in 2005 and 2008, indicating that little help has been provided for the ongoing tragedy in one-third of Japanese households....
JAPAN
May 12, 2012

Diet finally starts deliberations on tax hike bill

The Diet kicked off deliberations Friday on the contentious bill to double the 5 percent consumption tax by 2015, and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is urging the opposition camp to help ensure its passage by the end of the Diet session in June.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2012

Analysts wary of carmakers' projections

Although Japanese automakers foresee a strong earnings rebound for the business year ending next March, experts remain cautious about extended gains amid intensifying global competition and persistent strength in the yen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2012

Filmmaker says don't worry, be happy

"Wow, the weather turned bad quickly, huh?"
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2012

More than slogans needed

Former Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa is likely to strengthen his political activities after his April 26 acquittal by the Tokyo District Court of a charge of conspiring with his secretaries to falsify reports of Rikuzankai, his political funds management body.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2012

Toyota profits skyrocket amid recovery from 3/11 disasters

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that it expects its group operating profit to nearly triple to ¥1 trillion for the business year ending next March, a sharp recovery from a disaster-plagued year that also saw the yen surge against major currencies.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 10, 2012

Japan selects Suzuki to lead men's basketball team

The Japan Basketball Association officially introduced Kimikazu Suzuki as the new head coach for the men's national team on Wednesday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
May 9, 2012

Discontent with politicians

Voters in democratic countries are increasingly disenchanted with traditional party politics and regard most politicians with skepticism at best and as generally untrustworthy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 9, 2012

Youngest billionaire extends losses as Gree plunges

Gree Inc. extended losses in Tokyo trading a day after founder Yoshikazu Tanaka, Japan's youngest billionaire, lost $702 million as his social-gaming company plunged on concerns one of its sales methods may be illegal.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 8, 2012

Diaper manufacturers get them coming and going

Adult diapers now outsell baby diapers in Japan
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 8, 2012

Efforts to save Japanese crested ibis take flight

Japanese spirits were uplifted recently by the news that three "toki," or Japanese crested ibis, chicks were hatched in the wild for the first time in 36 years, the culmination of a ¥300 million project that was started in 1999 to breed the endangered wading birds outside captivity.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 8, 2012

The best of Views from the Street

A pick of some of best —and the rest — of the vox pops over the years, in chronological order:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 6, 2012

Richard Collasse: Sold on brand Japan

In Tokyo's high-end Ginza district, the Chanel Building stands out among the luxury fashion boutiques and global brands' emporiums thanks to its shining black-glass exterior.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 6, 2012

Japan's women are increasingly taking the future into their own hands

Sara Blakely's story is inspirational. The 41-year-old Floridian began her working life as a door-to-door fax-machine salesperson. Then one day she looked in the mirror — but not at her face.
CULTURE / Books
May 6, 2012

Mistakes that line a successful road

An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur, by William H. Saito. John Wiley & Sons, 2012, 241 pp., $24.95 (paperback) William H. Saito has enjoyed many successes in his short career as an information technology entrepreneur, but he is keen to stress the importance of failure.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 6, 2012

'Hidden children' of politicians no hurdle to success

Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa was acquitted last week of conspiring to file false financial reports for his political group. He can now return full-time to the job he was elected to do, but the sense you get from the mainstream media is that he's through as a politician. The press has...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 4, 2012

Playoffs could provide surprises in both conferences

And now, finally, it's time for the real season to tip off.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 3, 2012

Bus driver salaries inversely proportional to risk involved

Cheaper bus fares means higher stress factor for drivers

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years