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COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 9, 2003

Scootering, start-ups and an update

Scooter licenses Maynard never learned to drive in Canada before moving here in 1972 ("yes, 31 years ago, sigh"). Living and working in Tokyo's Yoga district, he has had no need to drive a car, and is put off by the 250,000 yen starting price for local driving schools.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Osaka's Ohta announces she will seek second term

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta formally announced Monday that she will seek a second term when her current term expires in February 2004.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Sep 9, 2003

Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Doraemon battle for global supremacy

A number of U.S. celebrities have been spotted toting Hello Kitty paraphernalia in the past year or so, leaving officials of Sanrio Co., the maker of the long-selling character, scratching their heads.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 8, 2003

Taking the blue pill in a deflationary world

"Welcome to the real world," says Morpheus, captain of the hovercraft Nebuchadnezzar. That is how the cult-movie serial "Matrix" first ventured out into its progressively surreal world. Fans avidly await the coming of the third and (supposedly) last installment of the saga later this year.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 7, 2003

For Barry Eisler, when it rains, it pours

In Tokyo this month to promote his latest work and research story ideas, Barry Eisler shares his thoughts on the art of fiction -- and martial arts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 5, 2003

The little town with a big name

You've hauled your bags off the conveyor belt onto the cart, you've skulked through Customs and you're staring blankly at an electronic board, trying to fathom which Limousine Bus is going where. You've heard that there is another Narita apart from this one dedicated to air travel, but somehow you've...
Japan Times
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 4, 2003

Koizumi half way toward reforming public firms

Can Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi live up to his pledge to save the nation's ailing economy by reforming monstrous public corporations?
COMMENTARY
Sep 4, 2003

'History' bedevils China-Japan relations

HONG KONG -- The visit to China this week by Japan's defense minister, Shigeru Ishiba, reflects an improved relationship between the two countries as well as the fact that little is being done to address underlying problems.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Luxembourg eyes stronger alliance

Luxembourg's economic minister on Wednesday urged Japanese companies to boost trade and investment with Luxembourg, citing its competitive tax laws and role as a financial center of an expanding European Union.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Obscenity trial prompts freedom-of-speech outcry

Motonori Kishi was bemused when he was arrested in October on suspicion of distributing obscene material -- despite the fact that his firm's comic books feature uncensored scenes depicting sexual intercourse.
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2003

Deteriorating job environment

The unemployment rate in Japan remains at a disturbingly high level of more than 5 percent, although the overall economy shows some signs of recovery. Particularly hard hit are workers in their 40s and 50s, who continue to bear the brunt of corporate restructuring. Once out of work, those who have passed...
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 3, 2003

Was 'reform without sanctuaries' an empty pledge?

When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001, he told the public that pain was a necessary evil in the process of rehabilitating the corporate sector and achieving financial stability.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Sep 2, 2003

Matsushita hopes to pad DVD lead with new Diga recorder

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. on Monday released the latest in its Diga series of DVD recorders, hoping to consolidate its position as the nation's No. 1 shareholder in the rapidly expanding market.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 1, 2003

Surge in JGB issuance proves need for Koizumi reform drive

The preliminary GDP figures for the latest quarter, released Aug. 12, show that Japan's economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.3 percent in the April-June period. The economy is on a continuing uptrend, with GDP having expanded six quarters in a row since the January-March period of last year.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2003

Japan's lesson for Europe

LONDON -- At some point last year, it became fashionable to compare the economic plight of Germany and, by extension, the euro zone as a whole with the situation in Japan. As recession bit into the country that used to be Europe's motor and as the 12-nation euro area began recording declining growth...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 31, 2003

Tips from the top

Feeling lucky? This time, you're certain, you just know the takarakuji is as good as yours.
COMMUNITY
Aug 31, 2003

What's it really like to win?

Everyone who buys a takarakuji ticket dreams of winning big, but what is it like to actually hit the jackpot? The Japan Times spoke with a 36-year-old who won a 100 million yen jackpot seven years ago, and heard how his win brought him a fortune -- and some hard lessons in life as well.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 31, 2003

Reform is required to untangle pension system

A woman I know recently went to her local Social Insurance Agency office to find out about her pension. Since she is 68, she is past the age when she should have started collecting benefits, but she was never sure what she was supposed to do because the SIA never contacted her.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2003

Ogi moves to rescue ailing airlines

Transport minister Chikage Ogi on Friday unveiled a package of comprehensive measures aimed at supporting the troubled airline industry.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2003

BTM to launch revival task force for borrowers

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi will launch a special task force in September to deal exclusively with corporate rehabilitation for some 3,000 troubled borrowers.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2003

Firms lick their lips over flat-panel TVs

Major consumer electronics makers are rolling out the latest batch of flat-panel TVs for the all-important yearend shopping season.
COMMENTARY
Aug 28, 2003

Asia needs export controls to keep terrorist forces at bay

SINGAPORE -- The recent bomb blast at the J.W. Marriott hotel in downtown Jakarta is only the most recent reminder of the ruthless cruelty of international terrorism. The topic dominates every discussion of Asian security. Those talks have become increasingly sharp in the face of a rising death toll...
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2003

25% of workers are part-timers

Reflecting the increasingly austere business climate, part-time and temporary employees now make up roughly a quarter of the workforce, according to government figures released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2003

Elpida Memory to create semiconductor subsidiary

Elpida Memory Inc., the sole domestic supplier of dynamic random access memory chips, said Tuesday it will establish a wholly owned semiconductor manufacturing subsidiary Sept. 1.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Aug 26, 2003

Canon looks to blast rivals via download service

The dramatic growth in the market for mobile phones equipped with cameras has witnessed camera makers struggling to survive the onslaught, some by shifting to production of high-quality digital cameras.
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2003

TSE planning online voting system

The Tokyo Stock Exchange will create an online system that will allow domestic and overseas investors to exercise their voting rights in Japanese companies, exchange officials said Monday.

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