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BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Jun 25, 2002

Nosy bosses foul up

Every CEO needs to know how to strike a balance between staying aloof from the nitty-gritty of his company's operations and getting too involved in the day-to-day details of those employees and divisions far from the corner office.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

Nissho Iwai to tie up with Excel unit

Nissho Iwai Logistics Corp. said Monday it has reached a tieup agreement with the Japan unit of Britain's largest distribution firm, Excel PLC.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

Creditors OK rehab plan for troubled Nagasakiya

Creditors on Monday approved a rehabilitation plan for troubled supermarket chain operator Nagasakiya Co., according to informed sources.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

Road panel votes for open discussion

A panel handling the privatization of four expressway-building public corporations unexpectedly decided Monday to open all of its sessions to the media to enhance transparency on the politically sensitive issue.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2002

In danger of becoming white elephants

There is a growing trend among prefectural governments to distance themselves from Kasumigaseki, the seat of the nation's bureaucracy, as moves accelerate to decentralize the national government and a recent ban, issued in response to a series of scandals, prevents lawmakers from wining and dining ministry...
BUSINESS / ANOTHER LOOK
Jun 24, 2002

The three secrets of securing success in corporate marriage

A week rarely seems to pass without the announcement of new corporate alliances involving leading players in major industries. However, as we all know, many of these relationships are destined not to live up to the expectations of those concerned. In fact, some experts claim that 70 percent of acquisitions...
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2002

Road panel to include controverial writer

A long-awaited list of members of a key government panel that will discuss proposed privatization of road-related public bodies was released Friday, controversially naming the well-known nonfiction writer Naoki Inose.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2002

Ex-Mizuho chiefs' allowances eyed

Former top officials of Mizuho Holdings Inc. should either repay their retirement allowances or have them reduced as a means of accepting responsibility for the massive computer debacle that threw operations at the firm's two banks into chaos in April, Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa said...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 22, 2002

Shilpa Gandhi

A country of many different regions, India displays a panorama of diversity in many ways. Even the sari, the national dress for women, presents myriad differences in materials and styles. India has a long history of love for brilliant fabrics and the dazzling uses to which they are put. Old paintings,...
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Change at banks starts in personnel departments

Bankers once rode high as the elite of Japan. Along with top-notch bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry, they represented the best the Japanese education system had to offer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

'Cleaner' seen by ATM blast site

OSAKA — A man in a work uniform appeared to be cleaning near automated teller machines in an office building Tuesday evening about five minutes before an explosion there left one man in critical condition and three others injured, police said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY
Jun 20, 2002

Pedal pushers cop a load on Yasukuni Dori

I hail from Sapporo, and since I travel a lot around Japan on business, one of my pastimes is borrowing a bicycle from local friends and seeing the sights.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Look for Japan to narrow gap in IT race

Can Japan catch up with the United States in information technology? The mere suggestion sounds preposterous, given the current climate of American triumphalism and Japanese gloom. Yet we should recall that not too long ago the U.S. and Japan were both declaring Japan's victory in the high-technology...
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

Milk sales may be sour but yogurt's on a roll

Yogurt is enjoying brisk sales as makers and the media tout its efficacy as a health and beauty food, despite the sluggishness in business surrounding milk products, according to market sources.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2002

Mizuho president to take 50% pay cut

Terunobu Maeda, president of Mizuho Holdings Inc., plans to take a 50 percent pay cut over a six-month period to take responsibility for the computer fiasco that threw the group's operations into chaos during its April relaunch, informed sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2002

Spending cuts will finance tax reduction, Shiokawa says

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday that proposed tax cuts for the current fiscal year will be carried out boldly and will be financed by spending cuts.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2002

Suzuki concession eyed in bid to end Diet boycott

Opposition parties on Monday indicated they might be ready to discuss an end to their Diet boycott following a request by prosecutors to strip lawmaker Muneo Suzuki of his parliamentary immunity from arrest.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2002

Mexico pushes Japan to move forward on FTA

Visiting Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda proposed Monday that Japan and Mexico launch official negotiations on concluding a bilateral free-trade agreement in October, when Mexico hosts the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2002

Economy still bottoming out, government says

The economy has bottomed out, the government said Monday, maintaining its basic assessment of the economy in its report for June.
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jun 17, 2002

How to avert the risk of war with China

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In the rolling green countryside of West Sussex in South England, there is an estate called Wilton Park. Some readers of this column may be familiar with the place and the institution it has become: "Wilton Park conferences" occur throughout the year bringing together politicians,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2002

Key to corporate survival

Recent revelations about the mislabeling of foods and the use of illegal food additives by Japanese companies suggest a collapse of corporate ethics. The latest incident -- mislabeling of chicken by Zen-Noh Chicken Foods, an affiliate of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 16, 2002

Nodaiwa: Why put off eel you can eat today?

Who says you have to wait till the dog days of midsummer to enjoy unagi? Ignore the media hype: There are no rules that say when you should (or should not) eat your eel. But if you are only going to dine on unagi once a year, then make it somewhere special. And you will not find anywhere in Tokyo that...
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2002

Report to put heavy pressure on airport execs

OSAKA — The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry's downward revision Friday of the projected number of takeoffs and landings at Kansai International Airport is likely to increase pressure on officials here to postpone the completion date for the second runway beyond 2007.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2002

Ecuador minister to explore family history in Japan

Ecuador trade chief Richard Moss' eight-day visit to Japan beginning June 23 will be a sentimental journey.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2002

Will new responsibility make farm ministry act responsibly?

Will too many cooks spoil the broth?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2002

Okinawa airline plots cheap flights to Haneda

A new low-cost airline hopes to capitalize on recent changes in the government's aviation policies and give Okinawans a cheaper option of getting to and from the mainland.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 14, 2002

'Allez Nippon!' -- how Japan learned to love M. Troussier

Watched any World Cup matches in the past few weeks? Yelled your heart out? Ready to slit your wrists -- or, more to the point, to strangle a shinpan (referee) or two? Predictably, a few of my friends have sworn never to touch coffee made from Costa Rican beans ever again (what was that referee thinking...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 13, 2002

'Dark Side' proved a lightning rod for readers' ire

Being a columnist can be lonely. Apart from doing interviews, researching and writing are pretty solitary activities and feedback is limited. Getting a handful of e-mails, be they cranky, critical or supportive, marks a successful column.

Longform

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