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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2005

End to deposit guarantee symbolic more than strategic: economist

The upcoming removal of the government's decade-long unlimited guarantee on bank deposits is not expected to drastically change the financial portfolio of the average household, said Paul Sheard, chief economist for Asia at Lehman Brothers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Mar 11, 2005

Omotesando goes one step beyond

Omotesando has seen a flurry of buildings for up-market fashion brands open in recent years, most notably Jun Aoki's Louis Vuitton flagship store and Herzog & de Meuron's Prada tower. Now, the thoroughfare lined with trashcans inscribed with "the Champs Elysees of Tokyo" is blessed with another architectural...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Mar 11, 2005

Wines of Washington State

Every state in America now lays claim to indigenous winemaking attempts -- from Alaskans experimenting with Salmonberry wine to alcoholic beverage conglomerates setting their sights on fallow potato patches in Idaho in a quest for inexpensive, "undiscovered" potential vineyards. The results of these...
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2005

SMFG to issue shares to up capital

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group said Thursday it will effect a much-needed capital boost worth some 210 billion yen by issuing preferred shares.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2005

Foreign CEO signifies a more globalized Japan

First it was Mazda, then Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. Now it's Sony.
COMMENTARY
Mar 10, 2005

Avoiding sham democracy

LONDON -- There is all the difference in the world between democracy and constitutional democracy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2005

How diplomacy can defuse the North Korean crisis

WASHINGTON -- "The sure way to miss success is to miss the opportunity," a wise man once observed. Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit Japan "at the earliest possible opportunity" during a bilateral security meeting in Washington on Feb. 19. When...
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2005

NBS clients threaten to pull ads

Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. said Tuesday that many advertisers have threatened to withdraw sponsorship of baseball and soccer game broadcasts if Internet company Livedoor Co. takes over its management.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 8, 2005

Creating laws out of thin air

With terrorists striking fear into governments worldwide, Japan too is currently considering its own version of America's Patriot Act, to be passed in a year or two.
EDITORIALS
Mar 7, 2005

Risk-free deposit era nears dusk

With Japanese banks regaining financial health, the ad hoc regime of full-deposit insurance is about to end. Beginning April 1, deposits will be protected only up to 10 million yen in principal plus interest -- the same limit that was in force until 1996 when it was removed temporarily amid growing instability...
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2005

Let taxes spur carbon cuts

On Feb. 16, the Kyoto Protocol, aimed at curbing the air pollution blamed for global warming, took effect. To become valid, the accord had to be ratified by at least 55 countries, including developed countries that accounted for at least 55 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions...
Japan Times
Features
Mar 6, 2005

Issey Ogata: Comic chameleon

Issey Ogata is nothing if not versatile. Alone on an empty stage, he has audiences in fits as he performs his seriously funny one-man shows portraying characters as diverse as a classic sarariman (office worker) and a folk-song diva -- one after another.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 5, 2005

Marinos face major threat from rejuvenated Jubilo

Here is a team-by-team preview of the 18 clubs in the J. League's first division this season:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 5, 2005

Classy acts to follow in voice, audition coaching

Last month, Alice Hackett and Robert Tsonos were facing each other onstage in "Les Liasons Dangereuses," produced by Tokyo International Players. Now they are facing me, talking about coaching and training actors, writers, businesspeople and teachers -- anyone who needs help with projecting personality,...
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2005

GE plots housing-loan sector foray

U.S. conglomerate General Electric Co. will enter Japan's housing loan business, opening seven outlets in six major cities from April, company officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2005

Livedoor ups stake in broadcaster

Livedoor Co. has increased its stake in Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. to more than 45 percent in terms of voting rights, Livedoor sources said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2005

Investment managers push Indian stock funds

Investors are taking an interest in Indian stocks as "high-risk, high-return" investments gain favor in a country where interest rates are virtually zero, stock prices seesaw and deposit protection will soon be curtailed.
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2005

Ailment needs a national response

For sufferers of kafunshou (pollen allergy) or hay fever, this is shaping up into a really bad year. Because of last summer's sweltering heat, the amount of cedar pollen in the air is forecast to rise two or three times above average, possibly exceeding the worst-ever level of 1995. Reports say that,...
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2005

Nippon Broadcasting staff object to Livedoor bid

Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. employees objected Thursday to Livedoor Co.'s attempt to take control of the firm.
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2005

Firms take shine to environment-friendly materials

An increasing number of corporations have begun producing biodegradable plastics and other materials less harmful to the environment, reflecting rising environmental consciousness.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2005

IRCJ taps Marubeni to lead Daiei rehab

The Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan has picked a consortium led by trading house Marubeni Corp. as the sponsor for rebuilding troubled supermarket chain Daiei Inc., sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2005

Struggling aviation startups using wrong strategy, expert says

Despite the emergence of budget airlines that pose a threat to major carriers around the globe, Japanese startup carriers are still struggling to take off, with some already in rehabilitation.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2005

DoCoMo confirms plan to drop PHS

NTT DoCoMo Inc. officially confirmed its intention Monday to withdraw from the personal handy-phone system business and will begin turning away new customers at the end of April.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2005

Two more firms to back Fuji TV's bid for NBS

Daiwa Securities SMBC Co. and Kansai Electric Power Co. said Monday they will sell their shares in Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. to Fuji Television Network Inc. to support its tender offer for the radio broadcaster and thwart a takeover attempt by Internet company Livedoor Co.
COMMENTARY
Feb 28, 2005

Police have let trust escape

The Japanese police system was once regarded as one of the best in the world, but that is no longer true. In a spate of scandals, some officers are said to have created slush funds with public money while others have falsified internal reports to improve their performance records.
COMMENTARY
Feb 27, 2005

Let trade cement Indo-Pakistani peace

ISLAMABAD -- After more than 57 years, an agreement by India and Pakistan to allow people within the divided state of Kashmir to cross the border by bus, beginning in April, is the most important confidence-building measure yet achieved in the two countries' yearlong peace process.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 26, 2005

Late kickoff not the reason for hooligan trouble any time

LONDON -- If the matter was not so serious it would almost be funny.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear