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EDITORIALS
Aug 3, 2007

Managing Japan's foreign reserves

Some government officials, including Financial Services Minister Yuji Yamamoto, are calling for more effective management of Japan's foreign-exchange reserves, the world's second largest at about $910 billion. During a recent visit to Singapore, Mr. Yamamoto proposed that Japan consider investing foreign-currency...
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2007

Sumitomo Realty profits from land rebound

Sumitomo Realty & Development Co., Japan's third-biggest property developer, said Thursday its first-quarter profit rose 54 percent, as the country's real estate market accelerates out of a 14-year slump.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2007

Expanding Japanese economy attracting fund managers

Citadel Investment Group, the $14 billion hedge fund run by Kenneth Griffin, hired two bankers from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and a portfolio manager from Fidelity Investments for its Japan office, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2007

Murakami took to stocks early, a genuine 'activist'

Yoshiaki Murakami, the self-proclaimed "professional of all professional players in the stock market," began investing while still a child.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2007

That hazy, crazy bubbly feel of liquidity

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — We increasingly hear that "the world is awash with liquidity," and that this justifies expecting asset prices to continue rising. But what does such liquidity mean, and is there really reason to expect that it will sustain further increases in stock and real estate prices?...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 14, 2007

Bathhouse dress codes, or tell Yo! mama, no army boots!

The Japanese are exporting one of their greatest commodities — sleep. Or at least the idea of it. The Japanese are masters of the power nap, and at any time of day you can see entire extended families sleeping while sitting upright on the train. A raise of an eyebrow at each stop is enough to make...
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2007

Mitsukoshi turns profit but sales fall

Mitsukoshi Ltd., Japan's third-largest department store chain, said Friday it returned to profit in the first quarter from the year before, when it posted a loss because of a revaluation of its real estate holdings.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2007

Mull foreign currency reserve-management fund: Yamamoto

Japan should debate setting up a fund to manage its foreign-currency reserves, Financial Services Minister Yuji Yamamoto said, a signal the nation may diversify its assets from U.S. Treasuries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 29, 2007

'Sidecar ni Inu'

Kichitaro Negishi has a typical resume for a Japanese baby boomer director: Graduation from an elite university (Waseda), apprenticeship in the porno industry (Nikkatsu), awards for his first straight feature ("Enrai," 1981), followed by success as a maker of TV commercials and music videos. Meanwhile,...
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2007

Interest in buying vacation homes starts to heat up

Karuizawa," Kitazawa said. A real estate magazine published by Recruit Co. conducted a survey last summer to rank resort areas by popularity. Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, finished on top, while Karuizawa and Kusatsu, a Gunma Prefecture town known for its hot springs, tied for second, followed by Hokkaido....
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2007

Windsor Hotel prepares for second wind

The Windsor Hotel Toya in western Hokkaido has a lot of things going for it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 22, 2007

'Hollywoodland'

The new film noir "Hollywoodland" has a title that may leave people scratching their heads: Isn't the home of the movie studios called "Hollywood?" Well, yes and no. The original, iconic sign on the hillside read "Hollywoodland," placed there in 1923 by some real-estate developers. It lasted only until...
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2007

Mysterious deal with Chongryun

Mystery still surrounds the unsuccessful attempt to buy the 10-story headquarters of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents of Japan (Chongryun) and its land. Mr. Shigetake Ogata, former head of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, which monitors Chongryun, headed an investment...
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2007

Services before profits

Japan Post Corp. has submitted a business plan to the government for a 10-year privatization process that begins Oct. 1. The company will serve as a holding company for four units: Yucho Bank, Kampo Insurance, a mail delivery firm and an over-the-counter services firm. The group will have some 241,400...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 9, 2007

Koshu Project sets out to redefine Japanese wine

Ernest Singer is young at heart, with six children from three different families, and an office with staff members mostly half his age. "It's the young that have the passion that Millesimes thrives upon," he explains, navigating a sea of desks and concentrated faces.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 22, 2007

Home loans, PR

You can never leave P.J. would like to to share his story about home loans. He had no trouble getting a loan, but the problems came later.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 12, 2007

One sure way to build your Japanese vocabulary

I'll never forget the first time I went to city hall in Japan to talk about the national health insurance plan. The man behind the desk explained the whole scheme in perfect Japanese, which at that time was perfectly unintelligible to me.
JAPAN
May 2, 2007

State appeals acquittal of Obara in Blackman slaying

Prosecutors have appealed a court ruling that cleared convicted serial rapist Joji Obara of charges that he attacked and killed Briton Lucie Blackman, a court official said Tuesday.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan