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BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2005

EBC frets corporate law amendment

The European Business Council in Japan issued an annual white paper on the nation's business environment Thursday that recommends changing an article in the revised corporation law it fears could make the structure of some European companies here illegal.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2005

Sony's quarterly net profit slumps amid flat sales, struggling TV unit

Sony Corp. said Thursday that its operating profit rose 52 percent to 65.9 billion yen in the three months through September, boosted by a large windfall generated by a change in its pension scheme.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2005

Chubu economy's future seen bright with boost from expo

NAGOYA -- As Nagoya's big coming-out party winds down, thoughts turn inevitably to what's next. The issue of how the prefecture can capitalize on the Aichi Expo is on everyone's mind.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2005

Big firms' confidence up again

Business confidence at large companies rose in the July-September period for the second straight quarterly improvement, reflecting the economic recovery and the completion of inventory adjustments in the information technology sector, the government said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2005

Sony plans workforce, plant cuts in bid to stem losses

Sony Corp. announced Thursday it will slash 10,000 employees, or about 7 percent of its global workforce, and close 11 production facilities as part of a sweeping restructuring plan in a bid to revive its fortunes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2005

Consumers reaping benefits of farm deregulation

Fresh tomatoes, sweet oranges and bright green lettuce grown organically and tracked by computer may soon arrive on consumers' tables directly from farms, thanks to agricultural deregulation.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2005

TVs skew electronics earnings

Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electronic Industrial Co. presented starkly different earnings reports Thursday as sales of flat-screen televisions altered the fortunes of the rival consumer electronics makers.
COMMENTARY
Jun 11, 2005

Slots, cops, and deception

LAS VEGAS -- The Japanese have been kicking around the idea of building American-style casinos in Japan for four years now. The Parliament Committee on Casinos with 100 Diet members has been gathering information on casinos, and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has been a major proponent of the idea. In...
BUSINESS
May 13, 2005

Vocal U.S. lobbyist enjoys being 'underestimated'

Many people may have underestimated Thomas Donohue when he assumed the position of president and chief executive of the United States Chamber of Commerce in 1997.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2005

High-end matchmaker finds Japan eligible for expansion

Chased by a busy schedule 24 hours a day, months and years pass until you suddenly notice that your encounters with the opposite sex are limited and you seldom have a chance of meeting a soul mate, let alone a spouse. Hiroko Ozawa, president of Destina Japan, noticed that many of her peers felt that...
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2005

Mr. Tsutsumi called to account

Mr. Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, the former leader of the scandal-tainted Seibu Railway group, has been arrested on charges of presenting false financial reports and selling stock to clients without sufficient information disclosure. His arrest, carried out Thursday jointly by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2004

Toy maker Takara needs Christmas gift: renewed demand

It isn't likely to be a very merry Christmas for Keita Sato this year.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2004

Japan now has to get serious about greenhouse gases

When Russian President Vladimir Putin put the finishing touches on his country's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on Friday, reducing greenhouse gas emissions also moved one notch higher on Japan's policy agenda.
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2004

Citigroup CEO says trust bank to be shut down

The CEO of U.S. banking giant Citigroup Inc. apologized Monday for the bank's misconduct in Japan and said it will terminate its private banking business here for wealthy customers by Sept. 30, 2005.
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2004

Large firms still feel confident

Business confidence among large companies remained positive for the second consecutive quarter in the July-September term, the government said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 6, 2004

Prepare for higher interest rates

Japan's economic recovery is spreading across a broader spectrum of industries, according to the Bank of Japan. The latest "tankan" survey on business sentiment, which was conducted in June, showed large manufacturers feeling more confident about business conditions than at any time since the asset-price...
JAPAN / POLITICS IN FOCUS
Apr 27, 2004

Firms now balking at political donations

Kenji Watanabe spent the last year preaching and begging business leaders around Fukui Prefecture to donate to the Liberal Democratic Party. He was always received politely, but company presidents kept their wallets closed.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2004

Upstart KDDI backs DoCoMo into a communications corner

NTT DoCoMo Inc. is at a crossroads.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Whistle-blower law in the pipeline

Three decades after Hiroaki Kushioka exposed a price-fixing cartel involving his employer in the trucking industry, the government is working on what would become Japan's first-ever law to protect whistle-blowers in private-sector firms and government organizations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2003

Young environmental campaigner has message for Japan

Since delivering a speech during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 at age 12, Severn Cullis-Suzuki has actively campaigned worldwide to raise people's awareness about environmental issues.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 15, 2003

Importing sake to U.K., Asahi beer back here

Lynfa Phillips is still feeling overcome by her welcome to the Tokyo headquarters of Asahi Beer. "Crossing Izuma-bashi bridge, I saw flags hanging limp at the approach to the building. One was the company flag, the next the Rising Sun, and then I saw a hint of white, red and green."
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

PC price reductions exacerbate Toshiba loss

Toshiba Corp. said Friday its net loss widened during the first half due to sharp price reductions in its PC business.
EDITORIALS
Oct 16, 2003

New banking hope for small firms

It appears that small-business banking in Japan is about to enter a new era. In May, the Tokyo metropolitan government unveiled a plan to create a new bank to serve smaller businesses. Now, members of the Japan Junior Chamber are pushing a similar plan. In August, they applied for permission from the...
EDITORIALS
Oct 4, 2003

A checkered economic recovery

During an economic recovery, it often happens that disparities in business performance between companies that are doing better and those that are not become more apparent. That is the case with Japanese companies today, as shown clearly by the Bank of Japan's latest survey of business sentiment. While...
COMMUNITY
Sep 14, 2003

Plenty of ways to escape debtors' hell

Lenders loathe him, and Hiroyuki Yagi, Buddhist monk-in-training and president of consultancy Central Research Institute, Inc., loves this reputation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 13, 2003

We can work it out

"Naze hatarakunoka (Why Do We Work?)";
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 7, 2003

Robin Maynard

Next Thursday, June 12, Robin Maynard will celebrate his 59th birthday. In October he will mark 25 continuous years of living and working in Japan. Recently he secured permanent residence here. Next year, he said, after 26 years, "I will be the longest-serving-ever insurance expat Englishman in Japan."...
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2003

Self-help is the best help for banks

The latest earnings reports from Japan's top banks confirm what everyone already knows: They are still heavily burdened with bad loans that won't be paid back. In the financial year that ended March 31, the seven largest lenders chalked up a combined deficit of 4.6 trillion yen, in large part because...

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan