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BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2002

Sluggish spending hits service sector

Billing by credit card companies edged up 0.6 percent in January from a year earlier for the second-smallest gain on record, the trade ministry said Friday in a preliminary service industry report.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2002

Key economic gauge stays below 50%

The nation's coincident index stayed below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the 13th straight month in January, according to a government report released Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2002

S&P places Matsushita Electric ratings on CreditWatch

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.'s A-plus long-term and A-1 plus short-term ratings have been placed on CreditWatch with negative implications, Standard & Poor's Corp. said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2002

Sectarian strife spells trouble for BJP

MADRAS, India -- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government may fall if the troubles concerning the controversial plan to build a Hindu temple at a site formerly occupied by a mosque escalate further.
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2002

Zimbabwe: 11th hour questions

LONDON -- The situation in Zimbabwe goes from bad to worse. Sunday's presidential election approaches amid a crescendo of violence and intimidation, with the army, the state police and the thugs of the ruling Zanu-PF political party rampaging through every region of this enormous and once-rich Central...
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2002

Tokyo eyes countermeasures, appeal to WTO

Japanese government officials and business leaders reacted with measured anger Wednesday to a decision by U.S. President George W. Bush to slap tariffs on imported steel.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Mar 7, 2002

Yen's rebound may be short-lived affair

The yen has regained some of its recent losses against the dollar, but the upturn could soon run out of steam.
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Mar 7, 2002

Enron mania and other diversions

www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,50688,00.htmThe Spudmeister feels like he's cheating a bit here, directing you to a mere article, but it may foretell the next step in digital piracy. The tool tomorrow's pirates are using today is the iPod.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2002

Uniqlo sales plunge record 36%

Fast Retailing Co., which operates the Uniqlo chain, said Tuesday its sales plunged a record 36 percent on a same-store basis in February from a year earlier, down for the fifth straight month.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2002

METI drafts e-commerce guidelines

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday that it has drafted guidelines on how the Commercial Code and other laws should be applied to the growing field of e-commerce.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2002

Shady politico-bureaucratic ties

A Foreign Ministry investigation of influence-peddling by Liberal Democratic Party legislator Muneo Suzuki has revealed an appalling pattern of politico-bureaucratic collusion. A report released Monday indicates that Mr. Suzuki, a self-styled foreign policy guru, behaved like a "shadow foreign minister"...
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2002

Mitsubishi Estate expects big losses

Mitsubishi Estate Co. said Tuesday it anticipates a consolidated net loss of 72.5 billion yen in the business year through March, a reversal from an earlier forecast profit of 20.5 billion yen, as it will write off latent losses on real estate holdings.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2002

New firm gets into sticky situations

GumBusters Japan, a Tokyo-based venture business, said Tuesday it has launched a service to instantaneously remove chewing gum from pavement, walls and other surfaces with a specially designed cart.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2002

Mitsubishi Electric shuffles top posts

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced Tuesday that Tamotsu Nomakuchi, an executive vice president, will take over its presidency on April 1. Ichiro Taniguchi, the current president, will become chairman.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2002

Hazama shrugs off rumor of Sato Kogyo linkup

Construction firm Hazama Corp. rejected suggestions Monday that it is considering integrating its management with Sato Kogyo Co. or other companies, or that it is seeking additional financial aid from its creditor banks.
COMMENTARY
Mar 5, 2002

Narrow field helps Koizumi

Immediately after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi fired Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka early Jan. 30, the public approval rate of his government plummeted to about 50 percent from the unprecedentedly high 80 percent it had maintained for nine months since its inception in April. There may be no rebuttal...
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2002

Nikkei soars above 11,000

Tokyo stocks surged Monday, lifting the 225-issue Nikkei average to its highest closing since Aug. 16 on Friday's jump in U.S. stocks and the failure of midsize contractor Sato Kogyo Co., which spurred hope banks are seriously tackling their bad loans.
SOCCER / J. League / TALK OF THE TIMES
Mar 4, 2002

Cerezo hopes to take Kashima to third J. League title

Kashima Antlers boss Toninho Cerezo has had a remarkable two seasons with his J. League Division One club despite his short coaching experience.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2002

Who will limit the U.S. defense budget?

WASHINGTON -- Earlier last month, the Bush administration requested a $46 billion defense budget increase for 2003. That would come on top of a combined $45 billion increase in the annual budget from 2000 to 2002, and be followed by a further increase of $75 billion after 2003. Even factoring out the...
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2002

Tobishima set to request more help

Tobishima Corp., yet another general contractor struggling in Japan's troubled construction industry, is considering calling on its main creditor, Fuji Bank, for additional financial assistance, company sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 3, 2002

Hard realities and total fabrications

Ten years ago, Chikako Kaku was the most popular actress in trendy dramas. Though not classically beautiful, she was good at conveying the type of well-bred charm that's considered a paramount virtue in Japanese wives, while at the same time possessing a formidable capacity to exhibit nail-biting fear....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 3, 2002

Substance with style on the side

Any fashion boutique worth its salt has a cafe attached these days. Offering cappuccinos and cheesecake is, after all, a good way to draw reluctant window-shoppers through the doors. Too often, though, style wins out over substance. The requisite ambience is installed along with the espresso machine,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 3, 2002

Together, they made magic

THE EMPEROR AND THE WOLF: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, by Stuart Galbraith IV. Faber & Faber, 2002, 848 pp. 32 pp. of b/w photos, $40 (cloth) Many directors have favorite actors and many actors have favorite directors. One thinks of John Ford and John Wayne, Ingmar Bergman...
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2002

NTT seeks more ADSL circuits

NTT Corp. and its two regional carriers have announced a business plan for fiscal 2002 that calls for an increase in the number of circuits available for B Flet's fiber-optic broadband service to 620,000, up from the current 20,000.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2002

Tax revenues declined 13% in January

Tax revenues in January fell 13 percent from the previous year to 3.44 trillion yen, the largest monthly decline since the start of fiscal 2001, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2002

Matsushita and union haggle over bonuses

OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and its labor union are at an impasse regarding next year's bonuses, with the company hoping to slash payouts below a threshold equal to four months' pay due to a sharp decline in earnings.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2002

Digital TV joint venture launched

Digital television broadcasts using a new communications satellite got off the ground Friday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2002

Seeds of change

If you have ever visited Britain, or just dropped by one of Tokyo's popular British pubs, you might have tasted fish and chips flavored with salt and maybe a dash of vinegar. This classic takeout has been a favorite of the British working class for as long as anyone can remember. It came as a bit of...

Longform

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