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Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Ishihara confirms re-election plans

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday formally declared that he will run in the April 13 Tokyo gubernatorial election, seeking a second four-year term.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2003

UFJ spearheads bid to save small firms

The UFJ group, the nation's fourth-largest lender, will team up with financial services company Orix Corp., trading company Marubeni Corp. and others to set up a fund aimed at turning around small and medium-size firms, UFJ officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2003

Nippon Steel changes fiscal 2002 forecast to 45 billion yen loss

Nippon Steel Corp. forecasts a consolidated net loss of 45 billion yen for fiscal 2002 after absorbing losses of 142 billion yen, including one-time costs for restructuring a subsidiary, the world's third-largest steel maker said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2003

Can prewashed rice make a clean sweep?

Washing rice before it is cooked has long been a daily ritual in Japan.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2003

Daiei touts new plan to open two outlets

Ailing retailer Daiei Inc. on Wednesday announced a plan to open its first new outlets in more than two years and strengthen ties with an affiliate chain.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Mar 6, 2003

"Dealing with Dragons," "The Last Castaways"

"Dealing with Dragons," Patricia C. Wrede, Magic Carpet; 2002; 228 pp.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2003

At 200,000 yen a bag, this is the world's costliest tea

Forget Starbucks, Tully's and Doutor. If you're after a real quality brew, perhaps it's time to enjoy Chinese tea at its best.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2003

Recruit exec gets suspended term in bribes scandal dating from '80s

The Tokyo District Court, ruling on a 15-year-old bribery scandal that led to the downfall of a prime minister and touched deep into the bureaucracy, gave a suspended sentence Tuesday to Hiromasa Ezoe, founder and former chairman of information conglomerate Recruit Co.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2003

Fast Retailing sales down 26.8%

Fast Retailing Co., a casual-clothing retailer known for its Uniqlo brand, said Tuesday that sales in the first half of its business year through Feb. 28 dropped 26.8 percent on a same-store basis from a year earlier.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2003

NTT fees unlikely WTO matter

Telecommunications minister Toranosuke Katayama dismissed on Tuesday the suggestion that the U.S. would go to the World Trade Organization over access fees charged by NTT for use of Japan's telephone infrastructure.
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2003

AIDS vaccine disappoints

To practically no one's surprise, the first test of an AIDS vaccine has failed. That the outcome was widely predicted -- and even anticipated -- must not deter future efforts to develop a vaccine. AIDS is one of the worst scourges humanity has suffered to date, and a combination of economics and demographics...
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2003

Nissan hopes to boost dealer profits with tailor-made insurance policies

Nissan Motor Co. has taken the unusual step of agreeing to have its affiliated car dealers sell auto insurance provided exclusively by Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. and Millea Holdings Inc., according to company sources.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2003

Once-charging Koizumi now besieged

Approval of the 81.79 trillion yen fiscal 2003 budget package by the Lower House Budget Committee -- with little deviation from the ruling coalition's schedule -- should spell one victory for the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2003

Increase in overtime boosts average monthly salaries

The average monthly wage, including overtime pay, stood at 277,003 yen in January, up 0.2 percent from a year earlier, marking the first rise in 25 months, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Monday in a preliminary report.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 4, 2003

Homesickness, toll-free numbers and money orders

Greetings Greetings from London, England, where my fellow Assyrians are making me feel at home with their sweet hospitality, wonderful food, but also making me homesick for Japan.
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2003

Price of backing U.S. against Iraq

A pall of gloom hangs over the world economy as a war looms with Iraq. If war does come, world oil prices will go higher, crimping growth and investment worldwide. That much is fairly clear. What is not clear is just how much the price of petroleum will rise and how hard the global economy will be hit....
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 3, 2003

Unorthodox likely to be deprived of death wish

So now we know. After much speculation, leaking and hearsay, the next governor of the Bank of Japan has been named. Toshihiko Fukui it is, to the surprise and dismay of many it seems, judging by immediate media reactions here and elsewhere.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 2, 2003

The real deal of high fidelity

Twin sisters Kim and Kelley Deal pass the phone back and forth like siblings accustomed to dividing everything. Today they're sharing an interview, and only the tone of their near-identical voices indicates who is on the line. Kelley's measured, Midwestern accent remains at a clipped, cordial distance,...
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2003

SMFG bids for stake in Aozora

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. has offered a specific price to Softbank Corp. to acquire its 48.8 percent equity stake in Aozora Bank, sources familiar with the deal said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2003

New members named to IT panel

Kyodo News
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2003

Flood of opinions solicited for water forum

OSAKA -- Water is everyone's business, and so it is perhaps only natural that preparations for the Third World Water Forum -- which starts later this month in the Kansai region -- include activities to raise awareness and get the public more involved.
Japan Times
JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW
Feb 28, 2003

Ex-BOJ man hopes to wield LDP clout as reformer

A glance at his Web site can tell you quite a lot about his position.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2003

Kinki Nippon lays profits to cost cutting

Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. said Thursday its group net profit grew 4.8 percent to 2.45 billion yen last year thanks to cost cuts and a rebound in overseas travel.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2003

Celebrated geisha's tell-all a hot item

The mystery of the geisha, with their painted faces and elaborate kimono, has long been a source of fascination for people worldwide. But it has also led to fantasies and misunderstandings about their true roles.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2003

JAS to postpone launch of cargo handling unit

Japan Airlines System Corp. plans to postpone its cargo operation spinoff eyed for April 2004 as the move would make it difficult for the carrier to effectively allocate crews for the firm's overall operations, company sources said Thursday.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?