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BUSINESS
May 23, 2001

Tax Commission will tackle road-building tax

The government's Tax Commission agreed Tuesday to review use of the special road-building tax in response to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pledge to include the controversial fund in his budget reform effort.
JAPAN
May 23, 2001

Loan firms linked to rise in personal bankruptcies

With colorful billboards at train stations, TV commercials showing Brazilian soccer legend Zico or a carefree, successful young woman, major consumer loan firms seem to have shed the shady images that previously haunted them.
JAPAN
May 22, 2001

Suspicions true: communists defied ban in U.S.-run Okinawa

A secret communist group was formed within the Okinawa People's Party on Okinawa Island in the 1950s during U.S. rule when such organizations were outlawed, according to the latest study by a group of researchers.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2001

Koizumi's chance to change privileged corporate entities

Now that Mr. Junichiro Koizumi has been elected Prime Minister on his campaign to "Change Japan," one issue that should not be overlooked is how Japan approaches its government-run special corporate entities, or "SPEs."
EDITORIALS
May 6, 2001

Pressing for freedom

Last Thursday was World Press Freedom Day. Most people probably missed it here in Japan, where Thursday was also Constitution Day, part of the mass timeout we call Golden Week. (They probably didn't spend much time thinking about the Constitution, either, or the coincidence that freedom of the press...
COMMENTARY
Apr 21, 2001

U.S. must seek three-way balance in Asia

LOS ANGELES -- China is about to get a new U.S. ambassador. But will it get a new U.S. China policy?
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

JAMA urges automakers to 'clarify' own complaint systems

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association on Tuesday compiled a report on the industry's responses to consumer complaints in an effort to regain trust in the wake of last summer's scandal in which Mitsubishi Motors Corp. admitted to covering up complaints for decades.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2001

Crown Princess showing signs of pregnancy

The Crown Princess, 37, is showing signs that she might be pregnant, the Imperial Household Agency announced Monday.
MORE SPORTS / THE DUKE OF HAZARDS
Apr 17, 2001

The revolution is coming: Get ready for cheap golf in Japan

I probably play golf more than 80 times a year around the world. It's a tough life, but someone has to do it. And besides, it's my job.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2001

Mizuho Financial Group unveils business plans

The Mizuho Financial Group, one of four megabanks created through recent bank mergers, has unveiled business outlines for the two banks it plans to launch in April 2002 after reorganizing its three constituent banks.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2001

Japan Inc. moves toward true accounting of books

The true standing of Japanese firms in relation to their foreign rivals is slowly becoming clear.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2001

Sell public on ODA: white paper

Japan should make its official development assistance more efficient and transparent to convince the public that the funds are spent in the nation's interest, according to the fiscal 2000 white paper on ODA released Friday by the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 28, 2001

Cash, traditions standing between elderly and proper care

For 61-year-old Nayako Yamaguchi, taking care of her 66-year-old sister, Etsuko, is a job she does 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2001

Government waters down bills for breaking NTT phone monopoly

The government will impose looser regulations than previously planned on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. according to a new outline of two amendments to laws governing the dominant carrier's operations, government sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 25, 2001

Hot rod 'tribes' roar into the night

It's 2:30 a.m. on a Friday night outside the Shibaura parking area, a thin strip of concrete and pavement stuck to a pillar under the belly of Tokyo's Rainbow Bridge. There's a flash of red taillights as vehicles speed in. New arrivals are greeted by leather-clad bikers revving their engines, spitting...
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2001

BOJ's action lifts Nikkei above 13,000

Tokyo share prices soared virtually across the board on Wednesday, reacting positively to the Bank of Japan's moves to funnel more money into the ailing economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2001

Good signs for Japan-U.S. alliance

Since the end of the Cold War, Japan-U.S. relations have been in turmoil. A highly significant development was a 1996 Japan-U.S. summit, in which Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and President Bill Clinton redefined the terms of the bilateral security system. The 50-year-old alliance will continue into...
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Mori, Bush expected to confirm macroeconomic cooperation

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and U.S. President George W. Bush are expected to issue a joint statement mainly on bilateral cooperation regarding macroeconomic policies when they meet in Washington on Monday, in an attempt to quell concerns over recent steep falls in stock markets in both countries.
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2001

Mr. Bush focuses on the home front

The speech U.S. President George W. Bush delivered to a joint session of Congress last Tuesday was disappointing because it said little about the basic strategy the new U.S. administration intends to follow in the area of foreign policy and security. The speech focused on domestic and economic policies,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2001

Meeting mutual expectations

The Bush administration attaches special importance to U.S. allies in its foreign policy. In a news conference held Dec. 16, immediately after he won the presidency, George W. Bush said his administration will work with its allies in Europe and the Far East.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2001

JR group firms move closer to privatization

Three Japan Railway group firms moved closer to privatization Wednesday after Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) accepted a government bill that would strip away some of the vestiges of state control.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2001

Friendly Asians Home: helping foreigners in need

A growing number of foreigners suffering from serious infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and AIDS, is putting pressure on a private social work agency based in Tokyo's Shin-Okubo, a district known for its mix of foreign residents.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2001

Friendly Asians Home: helping foreigners in need

A growing number of foreigners suffering from serious infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and AIDS, is putting pressure on a private social work agency based in Tokyo's Shin-Okubo, a district known for its mix of foreign residents.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Public works bid-rigging said widespread

Takehiko Mori says he is confessing to his crime now that the three-year statute of limitations for the offense has expired.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2001

2001 budget awaits nod from Diet

The government on Wednesday submitted an 82.65 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2001 to the Diet that features a record 48.66 trillion yen outlay meant to bolster the teetering economy.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2001

Council steps up disaster preparations

The government decided Friday to strengthen monitoring systems in preparation for the likelihood of major earthquakes, especially in the Tokai region, government officials said.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.