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Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Aug 15, 2007

Hoppy enjoying comeback after radical shift in management

Hoppy, a sparkling low-alcohol beverage usually mixed with "shochu" distilled spirits, debuted in 1948 and became popular mainly in and around Tokyo as a cheap alternative to beer after the war.
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2007

Strengthening the Antimonopoly Law

A private advisory body to the chief Cabinet secretary has recommended strengthening the Antimonopoly Law. Such a move that will benefit consumers and businesses — by assuring the supply of good-quality products and services at reasonable prices — is welcome. The Fair Trade Commission and the ruling...
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2007

Murakami took to stocks early, a genuine 'activist'

Yoshiaki Murakami, the self-proclaimed "professional of all professional players in the stock market," began investing while still a child.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 15, 2007

Bulbous hair gives 'Brand King' a head start

People aligning themselves with a unique hairstyle is nothing new. But Tsutomu Morita is likely the first pitchman via pompadour. "Some people don't believe it is real," Morita says in a back room of his discount luxury-brands store, referring to the black bulbous bob that hangs over his eyes. "Others...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2007

New cell phone services tap image-recognition technologies

Normally used for security purposes, face and image recognition technologies are making their way into other, more entertaining, fields. One service, kaocheki, lets people send a digital photo of themselves via cell phone to find out which celebrity they most resemble.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2007

Governance rules often spun by managers: expert

It is company managers, not politicians or institutional investors, who call the shots on corporate governance, an American scholar said at a recent seminar in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2007

Comsn president to step down over certification fraud

Staffing agency Goodwill Group Inc. apologized Friday for the certification fraud involving its nursing-care unit Comsn Inc. and announced that the firm's president, Koichi Higuchi, will resign to take the blame for the scandal.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2007

Nonlife insurers take revenue hit

Six major domestic nonlife insurers on Wednesday reported mixed financial results for the business year to March 31 as earnings were affected by revelations of an industrywide failure to pay legitimate claims and payouts for typhoon damage.
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2007

Strengthening smaller firms

The fiscal 2006 government white paper on medium and small enterprises states that there are about 4.3 million such enterprises in Japan. Their employees account for about 70 percent of the nation's total employment. Given their weight in the economy, it is important that the government understand their...
BUSINESS
May 9, 2007

Nippon Steel eyes India tieups as sector girds against takeovers

In late March, Nippon Steel Corp. President Akio Mimura was in New Delhi to attend a board meeting for the International Iron & Steel Institute.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 1, 2007

Are new rules kind to hostile mergers?

Delayed for a year because of strong opposition from domestic firms frightened by the prospect of being taken over, the so-called triangular merger system becomes legal Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 14, 2007

Aiming to cook up a storm in the Big Apple

NEW YORK -- Saori Kawano was working five and a half days a week as a waitress at a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan when she realized something had to change.
BASEBALL / MLB'S EFFECT ON JAPAN
Apr 13, 2007

NPB needs major reform, vision to prosper like MLB

This is the third installment in a four-part series.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2007

Pentax board stops Hoya merger

Pentax Corp. said Tuesday that its board of directors scrapped a planned merger with leading optical glass maker Hoya Corp. and replaced its president.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 29, 2007

A haven of hedonism's days are numbered

As any good street tout will tell you, high foot-traffic is the key to success. Sure, he might toss out his chest, flash his best smile and smoothly sell you an explanation for the apparent contradiction between the shapely, high-class ladies he promises and the remarkably low entry price to his establishment,...
COMMENTARY
Mar 26, 2007

Strengthen U.S. trade ties

Japan is gearing up to conclude more free trade or economic partnership agreements with foreign governments. So far, Japan has been less enthusiastic about FTAs and EPAs than Western countries but is changing its tack due to difficulties expected in the new round of multilateral trade talks under the...
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2007

Mazda aims for 27% profit rise to 200 billion yen by '10

Mazda Motor Corp. announced its new midterm business plan Thursday, aiming to raise its operating profit to 200 billion yen in its 2010 business year, up 26.5 percent from its projection for fiscal 2006.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2007

Good and bad seen from Livedoor fallout

Just over a year ago, 29-year-old Masanobu Kimura was one of the many eager Japanese individual investors rushing to put their savings in dozens of small venture businesses, including a fast-rising Internet portal named Livedoor Co.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2007

Sony aims to break even despite PS3 price cuts

Price cuts for the PlayStation 3 are among the factors Sony is studying as it seeks to break even in its money-losing gaming segment in the next business year, a company executive said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / CONSUMER LOAN CRACKDOWN
Dec 14, 2006

Lending legislation reforms spell industry shakeout

It was early last month at moneylender Aiful Corp.'s midterm earnings news conference, and the mood at the Tokyo venue was grim.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 12, 2006

Students spread their wings

Ever since Japan opened its doors to the West, English has been zealously studied in Japan's high schools, night schools, universities and companies.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2006

Big banks see high profits in first half

Most major banks posted big profits in the April-September first half as brighter business activities led to a reduction in bad loans, allowing them to shift money from loan-loss reserves to the profit section.

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