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BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2002

Koizumi gives up on lifting legal ban on post privatization

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has given up on eliminating a legal clause banning the privatization of the new public corporation slated to take over the government-run postal services in 2003, posts minister Toranosuke Katayama said Tuesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Apr 10, 2002

Investor focus shifts to corporate prospects

The Tokyo stock market is shifting attention to corporate earnings projections to be made public shortly.
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2002

Daiwa Bank, Asahi Bank in talks to merge by autumn 2003

OSAKA -- Daiwa Bank and Asahi Bank are in talks to merge by fall 2003, following their business integration in March under Daiwa Bank Holdings Inc., bank sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2002

Mitsubishi Tokyo Group projects 145 billion yen loss

Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group, the nation's third-largest banking group, is projecting a 145 billion yen consolidated net loss for the 2001 business year, hit by larger-than-expected credit costs and share price falls.
SOCCER / J. League / SPORTS SCOPE
Apr 9, 2002

J. League to help newcomers and retirees

The J. League this season has launched two new projects. The first is to help players look for a job when they retire from the game. The second is the J. League Academy -- a developing program for players aged five to 21.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2002

Machinery orders grow 10.8%

Core private-sector machinery orders grew a seasonally adjusted 10.8 percent in February, marking the first month-on-month rise in three months, the Cabinet Office said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2002

Incorporation of state universities

The proposed incorporation of Japan's government-run universities aims at relaxing state regulations on matters such as budget use, personnel management and research organization, and to substantially expand the decision-making discretion of the universities. The system envisioned would be much more...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2002

A special time of hope for a better future

MANILA -- The end of March is a very special time in the Philippines, when ceremonies are held to honor the year's crop of graduates. Having served as commencement speaker at various institutions for the last two years, I have had the opportunity not only to observe the joyful ceremonies closely, but...
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Key gauge of economy stays well below 50%

The key gauge of the state of the economy remained below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in February for the 14th straight month, but the index of leading indicators topped the threshold for the second consecutive month, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Upper House approves new BOJ board appointees

The House of Councilors on Friday approved the government's decision to appoint two new members of the Bank of Japan Policy Board: Toshikatsu Fukuma, vice chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, and Hidehiko Haru, executive vice president of Tokyo Electric Power Co.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Mitsubishi to sell U.S. cancer test

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. will begin domestic sales of a U.S.-made screening device for cervical cancer in mid-April, company officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2002

Mad cow losses put at 365 billion yen

Mad cow disease caused at least 365 billion yen in damage to the farming sector and related industries, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2002

Law for Okinawa's prosperity

Thirty years after its return to Japanese control in May 1972, Okinawa continues to struggle with its twin problems: the heavy presence of U.S. military bases and the relatively low level of industrial development. While the base problem is likely to persist for a long time to come, the drive for economic...
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2002

Hayami tells government to sort out deflation menace

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami urged the government Thursday to initiate concrete structural reforms to stamp out deflation, reflecting the central bank's concern about the slow pace of reforms as Diet proceedings stall amid political scandals.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2002

Nippon Steel in talks over unit merger

Nippon Steel Corp. is engaged in final negotiations with its two group firms on the proposed merger of the units this business year, informed sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2002

TSE to delist Snow Brand earlier

The Tokyo Stock Exchange has announced it will delist scandal-ridden Snow Brand Foods Co. from its second section on April 30, instead of the initially planned May 23.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2002

Forecasts of an early exit fade

LONDON -- Those who said the war in Afghanistan was over have had to eat their words.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2002

Balance of short sales falls

The balance of shares sold short dwindled last week -- the final trading week of fiscal 2001.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 4, 2002

Better to skip this 'adventure' and just go to Osaka

You've probably already been inundated with news that Universal Studios opened a theme park last year in Osaka. If you have any interest in seeing that park, do not try to preview it with "Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure" (UA), a relatively new game for the Nintendo GameCube published by a company...
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2002

Embarrassing ATM problem fixed: Mizuho

Mizuho Holdings Inc. said Tuesday that the embarrassing glitch that shut down its automatic teller machines the previous day has been fixed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 3, 2002

Still chasing their dream

And then there were two . . . Dreams Come True keyboard player Takahiro Nishikawa's announcement on March 24 that he had left the pop trio wasn't all that surprising. For a long time Nishikawa had been very much the odd man out in the DCT lineup, especially after his involvement in a car accident a few...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Apr 3, 2002

In the realms of the spirits

"Ghosts, we hope, may be always with us -- that is, never too far out of the reach of fancy." So wrote British novelist Elizabeth Bowen in the preface to her "Second Ghost Book," published in 1952.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2002

The hair-raising art of Lennie Mace

A hair salon in Harajuku seems an unlikely venue for an art museum, especially one dedicated to a shaven-headed, New York artist who works principally in ballpoint pen.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2002

Government introduces consolidated taxation for corporate reform

The government introduced a consolidated tax system Monday to help promote corporate restructuring, especially by making it easier to establish holding companies and spin off loss-making divisions.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2002

Daido Life becomes stock firm

Daido Life Insurance Co. converted itself from a mutual firm into a stock company Monday, becoming the first Japanese life insurer to go public.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2002

Sakata coed dreams of degree as classmates flee to find work

SAKATA, Yamagata Pref. -- Jin Xianhua, a 26-year-old Chinese student, tossed and turned as if in a bad dream as she took the night express bus to the snow-clad Shonai Plains in the north.
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2002

Banks must disclose more information

Banks in Japan enter a new era today when full deposit protection is abolished for time deposits and other similar savings accounts. In the event of a bank failure, the maximum refund per capita will be limited, in principle, to 10 million yen plus interest. And beginning April 1, 2003, the same limit...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2002

The role of nuclear weapons is deterrence

How do we justify the paradox of using a weapon of mass destruction to stop others from acquiring them?
COMMUNITY
Mar 31, 2002

Keigo: A lexicon of control

Whether you're Japanese or not, chances are you have conflicting feelings about Japan's formal respect-language, keigo. On the one hand, it is one of the most difficult aspects of the language to truly master. On the other, many feel that it somehow contains and expresses a truly Japanese essence. Then...

Longform

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