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BUSINESS
May 25, 2005

SMFG posts record group net loss

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. said Tuesday it posted a record 234.2 billion yen group net loss for the business year ended March 31, a sharp reversal from the 330.4 billion yen net profit it recorded a year earlier.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2005

Mizuho profit up 54.2% on improved bad debts

Mizuho Financial Group Inc., the nation's biggest banking group by assets, said Monday its group net profit for the last business year rose 54.2 percent from a year earlier amid the economic recovery and strong corporate earnings.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2005

MMC suffers a 475 billion yen loss

Struggling Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Monday that its group net loss widened to a record 474.8 billion yen in fiscal 2004, from 215.4 billion yen posted a year earlier.
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2005

Chinese protests stiffen Japanese resolve

The Law of Unintended Consequences has been at work again, this time in the intense Japanese reaction to the Chinese demonstrations last month against Japan, some of them violent. In a word, the eruption in China has backfired in Japan.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
May 21, 2005

Johnson gets ready for night out in Tokyo

Rugby fans, collectors of sports memorabilia, lovers of sporting trivia and those that enjoy the dry sarcastic humor made famous by British comedians over the years are in for a treat on June 10 at Tokyo's Westin Hotel.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2005

Ultraloose monetary policy intact, for now

The Bank of Japan will keep its ultraloose monetary policy intact -- but may be inching toward tightening as concerns over the once-shaky financial system recede.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2005

Nakagawa to settle FTA in Malaysia

Trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa will visit Malaysia on Sunday to try to make a breakthrough in negotiations on a bilateral free-trade agreement, ministry officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2005

Odakyu berated over bogus data

Financial Services Minister Tatsuya Ito slammed three firms of the Odakyu Electric Railway Co. group Friday for failing to correct fabricated financial statements regarding the identity of their shareholders.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2005

Battling the windmills while Iraq burns

DOHA, Qatar -- Cast aside the nonsensical rhetoric about U.S. President George W. Bush's ostensibly successful efforts to bolster democratic tendencies "sweeping" the Middle East, and you'll discover that the facts are not so rosy, with Iraq remaining the most horrific reminder.
BUSINESS
May 20, 2005

Japan Net Bank books first profit

Japan Net Bank said Thursday it posted a net profit of 1.1 billion yen in the business year that ended March 31, the company's first net profit since it started operating in October 2000.
SUMO
May 19, 2005

Asashoryu pummels Kotooshu to remain in front

Grand champion Asashoryu pounded Kotooshu at the faceoff on Wednesday to remain undefeated and in the sole lead at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 19, 2005

Birders' islet of delights

The last month has been one of considerable atmospheric variety here where I live in Hokkaido, with laggardly spring weather lapsing back to winter sunshine and warmth, then being followed by snow and cold winds. It has been playing havoc with blossoming times, bumblebee emergence and spring bird migration....
BUSINESS
May 18, 2005

TSE won't shed regulatory division

The Tokyo Stock Exchange has no intention of spinning off the division that sets rules for listing applications and equities transactions when the bourse becomes a listed company later this year, TSE President Takuo Tsurushima said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2005

Suzuki unveils new, roomier Escudo SUV

Suzuki Motor Corp. unveiled its fully remodeled Escudo compact sport utility vehicle for the domestic market Monday, hoping the new addition will boost sales of compact cars.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2005

Victims slam report, cite absence of bankbook provisions

Friday's report on compensation related to bank card-related fraud has drawn fire from fraud victims and their lawyers, who claim it fails to adequately address the problem.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 14, 2005

The true scoop behind Japan's baseball superheroes

Another spring and another baseball season for the sports-numb nation of Japan. And once again the TV-viewing public is being regaled with starry-eyed tales of wonder regarding its established heroes: Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and, this year -- perhaps due to the shortage of heroic clay here in Japan...
BUSINESS
May 13, 2005

Steelmakers make hay as demand keeps rising

Strong global demand offset rising materials prices in fiscal 2004, allowing Japan's major steelmakers to log record earnings, according to earnings reports released through Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2005

Kirin to hawk canned 'chuhai' in Chinese market

Kirin Brewery Co. will launch its "chuhai" canned cocktails in Shanghai in mid-June, hoping to establish itself as a brand to be reckoned with in the rapidly growing but fiercely competitive market, company officials said Wednesday.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 12, 2005

Middle-aged men seek reconciliation with wives

Oh boy. It's happened at last: the junai (pure love) boom of last year that changed even the behavioral patterns of Sentagai no Jyoshikousei (the high school girls of Center-Gai, Shibuya) has reached the last and most difficult segment of the Japanese populace: the over-45 salaryman.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2005

Omron to acquire Colin Medical

Omron Corp. said Wednesday it will acquire all shares in medical device maker Colin Medical Technology Corp. from U.S. investment fund Carlyle Group and other stockholders through a wholly owned unit in mid-June.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2005

Tony Blair's Pyrrhic victory

HONG KONG -- The people of Britain have just re-elected Tony Blair and his Labour Party to a record third successive election victory. But in what should have been his moment of greatest triumph, Blair faces the ultimate question -- when will he give up the job of prime minister?
BUSINESS
May 12, 2005

Troubled MMC plans to launch electric minicar

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Wednesday it plans to launch an electric minivehicle by 2010, choosing to focus resources on development of electric vehicle technology to differentiate itself from automakers already producing hybrid-engine cars.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2005

Bandai profit falls on weak U.S. sales

Bandai Co. said Tuesday its net profit fell 21 percent to 11.23 billion yen for the year ended in March, dragged down by a weak performance in the United States.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2005

Fuji TV, NBS, Livedoor launch alliance talks

Fuji Television Network Inc., Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. and Livedoor Co. launched executive-level talks Tuesday to discuss details of their planned business alliance, their officials said.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2005

NTT DoCoMo reports first decline in profit

NTT DoCoMo Inc. on Tuesday reported its first decline in both profit and revenue since it went public in 1998, after resorting to aggressive discount programs to lure subscribers.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2005

Chairman quits but JAL is back in black

Japan Airlines Corp. said Monday that Isao Kaneko will resign as both chairman and board member at the end of this month and become an adviser to the company.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2005

McDonald's profit rockets 79%

McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan said Monday its operating profit for the first quarter jumped 79 percent to 3.01 billion yen, as it lured back customers by opening many outlets earlier and making operational improvements.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2005

Toyota open to sharing hybrid technology

Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it is willing to discuss sharing its hybrid vehicle technology with rivals, including U.S. automaker General Motors Corp.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 8, 2005

Nearly all agree Kuehnert wasn't given fair shot by Eagles

The week of April 25-30 was not a good one for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles or Marty Kuehnert.
COMMENTARY / World
May 7, 2005

Jubilee breathes new life into Bandung

SINGAPORE -- Indonesia recently brought together 80 leaders of the "decolonized peoples of Asia and Africa" to celebrate the historic 1955 Bandung conference of nonaligned nations.

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