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EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2001

No public faith in Koizumi reforms

The first year of the 21st century has seen a great change in Japan's political landscape with the appearance of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Mr. Koizumi, who in April won the post of prime minister with an ardent call for "reforms without sacred cows," has been maintaining an unprecedentedly high...
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2001

Unemployment rate hits 5.5%

The jobless rate rose to a seasonally adjusted 5.5 percent in November, rewriting the record high for a third consecutive month as the economic slump continues to weigh heavily on the labor market, government sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2001

Mitsui Mutual to get 100 billion yen cash injection

Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Co. said Thursday that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and other firms have agreed to plow a combined 100 billion yen into its foundation funds to improve its financial health.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2001

Kuraray to spin off real estate unit

Synthetic fiber maker Kuraray Co. said Thursday that it will spin off its real estate operation and hand it over to its wholly owned real estate company in April.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2001

Tokyo tax on big banks rings up 102.9 billion yen

A tax on major banks that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government introduced in fiscal 2000 will bring in revenues of 102.9 billion yen, 38.7 billion yen less than initially expected, metro government officials said Wednesday.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2001

When men were men -- and spies were spies

Spy Game Rating: * * * 1/2 Director: Tony Scott Running time: 128 minutes Language: English Now showing
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Dec 26, 2001

At last, Congress tackles election reform

WASHINGTON -- It was just a year ago last week that the Supreme Court elected George W. Bush our 43rd president. The mess of the elections in 2000, from the faulty voting machines in Florida to the long counts in western states (remember it took almost a month to declare a winner in the Senate election...
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Octopus tax evasion probe entangles Kanbe

Tokyo Customs on Tuesday filed criminal complaints with prosecutors against an Osaka-based seafood company and two senior officials of the firm's Tokyo branch office on suspicion of evading duties on imported octopus.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2001

Polishing the diamond trade

Money is the fuel of conflict. Without it, there is no way to sustain a military. In many poor countries, the sale of natural resources is the only means of financing an insurgency. In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the sale of illegal stones, "conflict diamonds," which have financed...
COMMENTARY
Dec 24, 2001

No rush to ease rules against layoffs

A government advisory group recommends that Japan consider legislation to establish standards and rules for layoffs. A report to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi by the Council for Regulatory Reform covers a wide range of subjects, including medical care, welfare and education. However, resolving the...
COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2001

Preserving freedom in an unfree world

WASHINGTON -- The massive terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 brought home to the United States its vulnerability. Protecting Americans' security has become a critical challenge. So has protecting their freedom. People who seek to do the first often sacrifice the second. So it has been in the war on terrorism....
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Jewelry collectors: guardians of a glittering past

At first glance, the visitor would hardly guess that the austere-looking building nestled in the beautiful, green mountains of Nasu Kogen, Tochigi Prefecture, is the Akiba Museum of Antique Jewellery -- Japan's first private museum specializing in European antique jewelry.
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Dec 23, 2001

Finding the Christmas spirit (and ale)

Christmas was once a lonely business for an expat in Japan. With no holiday, no family and everyone who could manage it having already left town, it was downright dismal -- even for a seasoned Japan-hand.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

Pundits see Japan-China spat as just the beginning

The recent trade dispute between Japan and China over three farm products was a harbinger of future trade friction between the two countries, according to pundits.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

Nikko Cordial buys bonds to help unit repay investors

Nikko Cordial Corp. has bought 108.9 billion yen worth of banks' subordinated bonds in devalued money management funds managed by its subsidiary, Nikko Asset Management Co., to help it reimburse investors, company sources said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 21, 2001

Public-sector reforms move forward

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's efforts to streamline inefficient public corporations have been largely successful so far. But he has suffered a setback in one important category of these corporations: state-run financial institutions. Faced with stiff resistance from both inside and outside the government,...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 20, 2001

Sports world fails to confront fear

It's very interesting to see how people react to crisis. Some embrace it and confront it. Some try to fight it and overheat. Others just run from it altogether.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Osaka-based drugstore penalized for undeclared income

OSAKA -- Osaka-based drugstore firm Daikoku and its affiliates failed to declare about 200 million yen in corporate and personal income for five years up to 1999, industry sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Armenia chief condemns terrorism

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting Armenian President Robert Kocharian on Wednesday jointly condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation "in combating terrorism at all levels."
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Zero growth in GDP forecast for fiscal '02

The government on Wednesday adopted an official projection of zero economic growth in real terms for fiscal 2002, turning in its lowest-ever fiscal year growth target.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Dec 20, 2001

Does a 'sell Japan' scenario loom again?

Investors have opted for electric machinery and auto shares in recent days, counting on the positive effects of a weak yen.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2001

Son to get into the phone business

Beginning this spring, some broadband Internet users will be able to place a three-minute call to the U.S. for 7.5 yen over a new service to be offered by Softbank Corp.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 19, 2001

How-to secrets of Japan's greatest artistic export

First of two parts There can be few readers of The Japan Times who have not browsed a secondhand bookshop in Japan, hoping to discover an unrecognized gem of a woodblock print. Although the subjects they depict are far removed from the reality of contemporary Japan, ukiyo-e still charm us today. Western...
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2001

More females left jobs than were hired in '01 first half

The rate at which female workers lost jobs exceeded that of those who became employed during the first half of 2001, marking the first negative gap in the 10 years that such figures have been recorded, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight