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BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2011

Biz confidence up but small firms lag: 'tankan'

The nation's large manufacturers are more confident about business conditions but have yet to recover their prequake optimism, the Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" sentiment index said Monday.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 18, 2011

Is permanent connectedness really something we all need?

An Associated Press report of Apple Inc.'s CEO Steve Jobs' resignation last month stated, "Jobs helped change computers from a geeky hobbyist's obsession to a necessity of modern life at work and home." This testifies to Jobs' genius but fails to raise what seems an obvious question: Is it a change for...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2011

Is China's economic miracle a mirage?

Doubts are beginning to be heard about how sustainable is China's economic miracle, particularly the relentless emphasis on exports and investment spending by hundreds of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and local governments. Beijing, of course, has its supporters, including banker turned academic Stephen...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2011

Do we rate state-run companies as heirlooms or dear luxuries?

Conventional wisdom, except in China with its plethora of state-owned enterprises, has become that governments should get out of business. Business knows best how to run things efficiently and to make money, whereas governments tend to tie up enterprise in bureaucratic red tape, or so the thinking goes....
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

PowerPoint method is no excuse

In his July 12 article, "Advantage of taking notes," professor Takamitsu Sawa has invented a strange explanation for the decline in the number of applicants for economics and business administration programs at Japanese universities.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2011

Mitsubishi Estate to spend big this year

Mitsubishi Estate Co. this year will start using a quarter of the ¥600 billion it plans to invest by 2014 to redevelop Tokyo's most expensive business district.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2011

Thailand Inc. versus Thaksin

Thailand is preparing to go to the polls on July 3 in an election that is supposed to mark the restoration of full democracy to the country, one of the liveliest, best-endowed and most promising countries in Asia. But the way the campaign is going, the chances are that Thailand will face another coup...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 8, 2011

Apache pull plug on 2011-12 season

Due to financial problems, the Tokyo Apache have suspended operations for the bj-league's 2011-12 season, it was announced on Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 20, 2011

Depp adds more gold to his treasure chest

Johnny Depp is wrestling with a monster. No, it's not one of the numerous sea monsters from "Pirates of the Caribbean" — it's the franchise itself.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 15, 2011

Media starting to tally the economic effects of foreigner flight

News reports immediately following the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant accident of panicked foreign residents lining up for the first flight home — in many cases advised to flee by their own governments — had the initial result of helping to feed the sense of angst among Japanese that...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Apr 22, 2011

NHK hopes for a home run with new anime

It's a quintessential scene of Japanese youth: Young boys out in baseball uniforms jog across their school grounds, the white and maroon of their gear contrasting with a clear blue sky. In the bleachers, an earnest-looking high school girl named Minami, in a jersey that matches the team's uniforms, eyes...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Apr 8, 2011

Won't somebody think of the wine?

Many Tokyoites counted themselves lucky when the March 11 quake left their homes largely intact, except, perhaps, for the odd broken glass. But while the damage was of course far more grave in the northeast, this wine writer would like to spare a thought for those in the hospitality business, whose stock...
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Mar 7, 2011

Germany's economic miracle: New lessons await for old Japan

The economies of Japan and Germany, similar in many respects, are often compared. Not only did both rise from the ashes of World War II to become the leading economies in their regions, but they also formed strong manufacturing bases, large numbers of successful midsize companies and enjoyed extreme...
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT JAPAN'S EXPENSE
Jan 1, 2011

Digital age leaves myopic Japan facing manufacturing crisis

First in a five-part series exploring how Japan and its East Asian neighbors are separately handling five common issues
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2010

Digital signs provide flashy new trend in advertising

Moving through a bustling JR East station, one can't help but notice the ubiquitous digital information swirling about.
COMMUNITY
Nov 6, 2010

Canadian loves keeping Fukuoka informed

Nick Szasz, a native of Toronto, has published the free bilingual magazine Fukuoka Now since 1998. He says he launched the publication out of love for the biggest city in Kyushu and his sense of mission to provide information for non-Japanese living in the area.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2010

APEC needs to find growth amid new global landscape

Asia-Pacific economies need to identify a new paradigm for post-crisis growth and Japan, as the chair of APEC this year, is required to set a new direction for the regional economic forum under the changing global circumstances, officials and experts said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / HANEDA COMEBACK
Oct 20, 2010

Ota Ward hopes hinge on airport

For many foreigners visiting Tokyo, places like Akihabara and Harajuku are the must-see spots.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2010

America running neck and neck with Japan as worst manager

NEW YORK — Contrary to the Republican Party/tea party's fear-mongering, America is not becoming Greece. But it is on its way to becoming Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 5, 2010

British pie man to pass on pastry prowess to new owner

We've all heard the tale of a pie man selling his wares to a certain Simple Simon. But this time, the pie man is selling the whole shop.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 22, 2010

Tokyo Game Show exhibits signs of mobile-game trend

Major video-game makers wowed game fans at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) on the weekend with products such as Sony's 3-D games, Microsoft's controller-free motion-sensor system Kinect and Capcom's super popular "Monster Hunter" series.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2010

CEOs learning 'globish' to expand overseas

Oki Matsumoto, chief executive officer of online trader Monex Group Inc. and a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner, has a solution to the stagnant economy: Learn "globish."
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 11, 2010

Farmers see salvation in hunting

In many parts of the country, wild animals are being targeted for food as well as to protect farmers' crops.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years