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BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2005

Sony net profit skyrockets 85%

Sony Corp. said Wednesday its consolidated net profit for fiscal 2004 surged 85.1 percent to 163.84 billion yen, thanks to a strong performance by its movie unit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

Private rail firms check safety after JR crash

OSAKA-- Kansai's major private train firms said Tuesday they are reviewing safety procedures in the wake of the train crash near Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture that killed 73 and injured more than 450.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

Arianespace touts partnerships

Arianespace SA said it hopes to promote its satellite launch business in Japan through its partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the top executive of the French commercial launch service provider said Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

Mizuho unveils plan to boost profits

Mizuho Financial Group on Tuesday announced a three-year business plan aimed at repaying 1.47 trillion yen in borrowed public funds and boosting the group's profitability through a new unit and a tieup.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Emperor says flag, anthem should be left to the individual

Emperor Akihito said Monday that the national anthem and flag are matters best left to individual citizens' discernment.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Is the economy better off under Koizumi?

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday enters the fifth year of his administration.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

Nissan reports record profit for fifth year

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it posted a record group net profit of 512.3 billion yen for fiscal 2004, up 1.7 percent from the previous year, and the fifth consecutive record annual profit.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

U.S. more forthcoming on cattle tests

Japanese and U.S. government officials on Monday discussed conditions for lifting Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports in connection with mad cow disease.
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Apr 26, 2005

Chinese, a visa poser and used book sales

Chinese learning Is there a Chinese-language school in Tokyo that teaches Chinese to English speakers (only in English; my Japanese skills are beginner level)?
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

Credit card fraud -- how they do it and how to protect yourself

People walking around with their wallets sticking up out of their back pockets is a sight pickpockets in Japan are only too used to being grateful for.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2005

Students improve in standardized tests

Elementary and junior high school students showed improvements in the government's scholastic achievement tests conducted in January and February 2004 from those in 2002, according to the education ministry.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2005

Bug in antivirus software hits LANs at JR East, some media

Computer local area networks at East Japan Railway Co. and some media organizations were inaccessible Saturday morning, apparently due to a bug in antivirus software made by Trend Micro Inc.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2005

Koizumi, Hu hold talks

JAKARTA -- The leaders of Japan and China met Saturday in an effort to end a dispute over Japan's wartime aggression that has badly damaged relations between the two Asian powers and alarmed their neighbors.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2005

Fuji, Livedoor set to detail alliance

Fuji Television Network Inc. and Internet service provider Livedoor Co. could hold the first meeting of their joint task force to work out details of their business alliance by the end of this month, Fuji TV President Koichi Murakami said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2005

Koizumi to visit Russia for Allied fete

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit Russia in early May to attend a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2005

Data show China trade is vital

Japan's customs-cleared trade with China exceeded its trade with the United States for the first time in fiscal 2004, underlining the interdependence between the two economies, Finance Ministry statistics showed Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2005

Production recovering, IT inventories subsiding: Fukui

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Thursday he remains confident the economy is on a recovery track, although the information technology sector continues to be bogged down by inventories.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2005

Contractor held in DoCoMo customer data leak

Police have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of leaking personal information on 24,600 customers of NTT DoCoMo Inc., police officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2005

Scientists, academics urge major nuclear powers to dispose of weapons

A seven-member group of Japanese scientists and academics has urged the world's five major nuclear powers to stick to a global treaty on nuclear nonproliferation and work toward the complete abolition of nuclear arms.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2005

Kyushu's latest aftershock a setback

Officials expressed concern Wednesday that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that hit northern Kyushu that morning could hamper the area's efforts to repair damage caused by a more powerful quake just a month ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2005

Japan, Australia to mull FTA

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, John Howard, agreed Wednesday that their two nations should study the pros and cons of a bilateral free-trade agreement for about two years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 21, 2005

Fast, furious -- and frustrating

In "Meteos," a new puzzle game for the Nintendo DS handheld, the denizens of the universe greet you with a plea (in earnest, broken English): "We want you, save our planet!"
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2005

Fuji TV plans to send member to Livedoor board

Fuji Television Network Inc. is considering dispatching a member to Livedoor Co.'s board, sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2005

Toshiba chief Nishimuro to be TSE chairman

Taizo Nishimuro, chairman of Toshiba Corp., will become the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first chairman, pending shareholder approval in June, the bourse announced Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2005

U.S. team to visit in bid to end beef ban

The United States will send a team of scientific experts on mad cow disease to Japan next week to discuss with their Japanese counterparts ways to resolve a 16-month import ban on U.S. beef at the earliest possible date, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer said Monday.

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