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BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2005

Toyota, GM at center of global auto shift

The ongoing realignment of the global auto industry may accelerate, with General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. set to play pivotal roles in this seismic shift.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2005

Six held in bogus mushroom ads

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested six people Wednesday including an executive of a Tokyo-based publisher on suspicion of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law by advertising in books a type of mushroom as a treatment for cancer.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Aug 23, 2005

DVD gives lesser players chance to shake up camcorder market

A major shift in recording media from tape to disc is taking place in the camcorder market, with manufacturers rapidly expanding their DVD-compatible model lineups.
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2005

Wal-Mart revolution for Seiyu leaves shoppers cold

Supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd. said Thursday its first-half net loss widened to 10.59 billion yen, following a 2.88 billion yen loss a year earlier, as drastic changes in store operations caused confusion among staff.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2005

Cheap eats bite halfway into McDonald's profit

McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan said Tuesday its net profit for the first six months dropped by more than half to 474 million yen, dragged down by a cheap-menu campaign launched in April.
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2005

FSA ups protection for insurance policyholders

The Financial Services Agency released a new set of rules Friday to upgrade protection of customers by requiring insurance firms to become more accountable for policies they sell.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jul 5, 2005

Makers read the leaves: green tea is where it's at

A rowdy tea party is brewing in the soft drink industry as companies crank up already-intense competition in the rapidly growing market for bottled green tea.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2005

Four salesmen arrested over home-improvements scam

Police arrested four former salesmen Thursday on suspicion of deceiving several individuals -- most of them elderly -- into signing contracts for unnecessary home renovations.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2005

E-commerce grew sharply in 2004

Japan saw a sharp rise in Internet-based business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce last year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jun 27, 2005

Economists, remember to mind your Ps and Qs

Children are told to mind their Ps and Qs when they go visiting. They must be on their best behavior. They have to be able to speak like well-educated young people. They have to know P from Q. Well, so do economists, actually.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2005

Nintendo saw profits more than double in 2004

Nintendo Co.'s net profit more than doubled for fiscal 2004, lifted by strong sales of its new portable game player Nintendo DS and gains from foreign-exchange fluctuations, the firm said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2005

Banks must wait eight months to sell insurance

The Financial Services Agency will not let banks sell savings-based insurance products, including endowment insurance, for another eight months, it was announced Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2005

Eisai again scores record profit

Eisai Co. said Monday it posted record group pretax and net profits for the fifth straight year in fiscal 2004 due to strong demand for drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease and peptic ulcers, its two major products in Japan and abroad.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 7, 2005

Health boom jazzing up production of bottled water

The current health boom in Japan is having a ripple effect on the bottled water industry and sending many beverage makers scrambling to offer products with added health benefits.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

ANA doubles profit on back of strong international demand

All Nippon Airways Co.'s group operating profit more than doubled from the previous year to 77.7 billion yen in fiscal 2004 led by strong demand for international flights and rigorous cost-reduction efforts, the carrier said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2005

Shiseido posts a net loss of 8.86 billion yen

Shiseido Co. said Wednesday it posted an 8.86 billion yen net loss for the year that ended in March, after booking hefty restructuring costs including an early retirement package.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

TVs, phones give Sharp record profit

Sharp Corp. said Tuesday its net profit for fiscal 2004 jumped 27 percent to a record 76.85 billion yen, driven by brisk sales of liquid crystal display TVs and mobile phones.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2005

Honda hopes compact wagon debut snaps slide

Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it will start selling its first compact station wagon this week.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2005

Carmaker pushes hybrids as key environmental technology

The launch Tuesday of two sport utility vehicles featuring hybrid engines highlights Toyota Motor Corp.'s keenness to spread the hybrid system as a core environmental technology.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2005

Last chance for Daiei's survival

Daiei Inc., Japan's ailing supermarket operator, is ready to make its third -- and final -- attempt at rehabilitation. On Monday, the state-run Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan (IRCJ) formally selected trading house Marubeni Corp. and investment fund Advantage Partners as Daiei's business sponsors....
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2005

Don Quijote sees strong earnings despite fires

Discount retailer Don Quijote Co. said Tuesday it expects double-digit earnings growth for the year through June, despite a spate of apparent arson fires, including a fatal blaze, that hit its outlets late last year.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2005

Bridgestone profit up 29% in 2004

Bridgestone Corp. said Friday its group net profit in the 2004 business year surged 29 percent from the previous year to 114.45 billion yen due to brisk tire sales in Europe and North and South America.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2005

Kirin brewed 49.1 billion yen net profit in 2004

Kirin Brewery Co. said Friday its net profit for 2004 jumped 52 percent to 49.1 billion yen, thanks to the strong performance of its nonalcohol and overseas beer subsidiaries.
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2005

Flat TVs seen taking 86% of market in '09

Sales of plasma-display panel and liquid crystal display televisions are likely to grow about 3.5-fold from 2004 to 9.5 million units in Japan, accounting for 86 percent of overall TV sales in 2009, an industry association said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2005

Prohibition in Bhutan

The news out of the Himalayas last week was all about Nepal, where King Gyanendra on Tuesday dissolved the government and proclaimed a state of emergency. (The move was billed as an attempt to end an intractable Maoist insurgency; observers predict it will only feed the flames.) But if you think Nepal...
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2005

Matsushita upgrades '04 profit forecast

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday it had revised upward its full-year operating profit forecast by 7 percent to 300 billion yen, in stark contrast to Sony and Toshiba, which have cut their outlooks.
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2005

Canon logs record net profit despite snarling competition

Canon Inc. said Friday its net profit for 2004 jumped 25 percent from a year earlier to a record 343.34 billion yen, driven by robust sales of multifunctional copiers, laser printers and digital cameras.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

BMW unit gets female touch from on high

Before Fumiko Hayashi applied for a sales job at a car dealership 27 years ago, she hadn't planned on entering the automobile industry. Today, she is president of BMW Tokyo Corp.

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