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EDITORIALS
Feb 22, 2003

'Shunto' has lost steam

Wage bargaining is the stuff of the annual springtime labor offensive known as "shunto." This year's wage round, however, is essentially different from previous ones because wage increases are not the main subject of labor-management negotiations. The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, the...
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Daiei to sell stakes in four hotels

Struggling supermarket chain Daiei Inc. said Wednesday it will sell four hotels to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of the United States for 45.4 billion yen. It also said it is also considering selling Fukuoka Dome.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2002

State seeks job opportunities for youngsters

The government urged business leaders Tuesday to boost employment opportunities for high school graduates and other juveniles who find it increasingly difficult to find jobs.
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2002

Lone maker may emerge from latest chip talks

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has launched talks to sell its dynamic random access memory chip operations to NEC Corp. and Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / ANOTHER LOOK
Sep 16, 2002

Outsourcing offers Japan Inc. a viable, new cost-cutting option

Regardless of the size of a company's operations, one of the most pressing issues for management is reduction of costs. With very low economic growth likely to continue for some time and deflation placing pressure on prices in many different industry sectors, management is being called upon to make more...
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2002

Major builders' merger still under construction

Mitsui Construction Co. and Sumitomo Construction Co. said Wednesday progress is being made in their business integration talks but no specifics have been settled.
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Jul 9, 2002

Burning your bridges

There was a well-known shogun who at one point was considered one of the most powerful men in the country. He built his empire swiftly and, he would be the first to admit, ruthlessly, and in the process ran over a lot of people and burned a lot of bridges. Like many feudal warlords, he rarely left the...
EDITORIALS
Jul 7, 2002

Fudging a few little fingers

I t's a good thing Mr. Steve Fossett doesn't play golf. Those other CEOs wouldn't stand a chance. On the other hand, many might do better than they should: In a survey published last week, a staggering 82 percent of top business executives admitted to cheating on the golf course. They shave strokes,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Big companies demanding better English

Takuya Suzuki has been taking the Test of English for International Communication exams twice a year since he joined electronic parts maker Sumida Corp. two years ago.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2002

More revenue for local governments

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is seeking tax reform to revive economic vitality, but he wants to limit tax cuts to the extent that they do not exacerbate the budget crisis. In other words, he is opposed to stimulating the economy at the expense of fiscal discipline. So no major tax cuts are planned...
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2002

Life insurers remain negative: S&P

Standard & Poor's Corp. said Friday its outlook for Japanese life insurers remains negative, as their earnings reports released earlier this week indicate continued business contraction, a severe environment of ultra-low interest rates and a weak stock market.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2002

Kansai firms hope the Cup runneth over

OSAKA -- While economists debate the macroeconomic impact of the FIFA World Cup, which kicked off Friday, Hisako Tanigawa just hopes it will mean extra pocket money for her family.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2002

Foreign companies slightly optimistic, survey shows

Most foreign companies in Japan expect business confidence to remain flat over the next six months, although there are signs of improvement on the horizon, according to a joint survey recently released by foreign chambers of commerce.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2002

Softbank posts 88.76 billion yen net loss

Internet business investor Softbank Corp. dipped into the red in the year that ended March 31, due to costs to build infrastructure for broadband online services and a devaluation of the firm's stockholdings, company officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2002

Japan Telecom to cut spending

Japan Telecom Co. announced Thursday a midterm business management plan that includes cutting planned capital expenditures by up to one-third by the end of the 2004 business year.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Ito-Yokado claims top supermarket slot

Ito-Yokado Co. has claimed top spot in the supermarket chain sector in terms of operating profits for the first time in two years, according to an earnings report released by the company Thursday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2002

The trickle-down effect

It's late in Tokyo's Yurakucho district, and the pachinko parlors clustered here have shut off their garish neon signs. The consoles through which the game's trademark metal balls are sent cascading have gone quiet, and the hard-core players who hang on until closing time are scurrying out onto the pavement...
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2002

Foreign firms draw both keen, reluctant Japanese

Strictly businesslike.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2002

Sharp expects to ride wave of recovery in Europe, U.S.

Electronics manufacturer Sharp Corp. expects its group sales and consolidated profits to mark double-digit year-on-year growth in the next business year, buoyed by economic recovery in overseas markets, President Katsuhiko Machida said Friday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2002

Uniqlo earnings outlook is revised downward

The operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing store chain said Tuesday it has revised downward its earnings forecast for the current business year due to significant declines in sales.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

Mazda lets buyers fine-tune Roadster

If you are a fan of Mazda Motor Corp.'s Roadster, shopping for your next new car might be a little different than what you expect.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 4, 2002

Town ties fate to remnants of an industry

KUSHIRO, Hokkaido -- Although the new year was just around the corner, there was little joy to be seen in the southeast end of this port city.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2001

Shiodome development to spruce up center of Tokyo

The southern half of central Tokyo is teaming with development projects aimed at reviving a city long criticized for its lack of space and greenery.
EDITORIALS
Nov 20, 2001

'Make no haste' makes way

Facing its worst economic crisis in the postwar era, Taiwan has opted for deeper engagement with the mainland. The government of President Chen Shui-bian has lifted limits on investment in China in an attempt to boost the island's faltering economy. The move was applauded by Taiwanese businesses eager...
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2001

Sony expects rebound from resurgent mobile-phone division

Sony Corp.'s earnings will probably rebound in the second half of the business year after an anticipated improvement in the performance of its mobile phone division, Sony President Kunitake Ando said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2001

Lawson racks up record profits

Lawson Inc., the nation's second-largest convenience store operator, reported on Monday record consolidated pretax profits of 22.45 billion yen, up 3.3 percent from a year earlier, for the first half of its business year through Aug. 31.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2001

'Tankan' shows mood darkening across the board

Business sentiment among large manufacturers fell for the third consecutive quarter amid increased fears of a global economic downturn, according to a key economic survey released Monday by the Bank of Japan.
Events
Sep 18, 2001

Matsushita woes mean more pain for Kansai

OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.'s announcement that it will post operating losses of 38.7 billion yen in the April-June quarter and begin restructuring shocked the Kansai business community and prompted worries about what it would mean for the region's economy.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2001

IMG delves into soccer, Japan

IMG, the largest sports management and marketing company in the world, is planning to get even bigger.

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