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COMMENTARY
Oct 12, 2006

North Korea: Asia's pouting paper tiger

LOS ANGELES -- One mustn't make too light of the presumed North Korean underground nuclear test, but the fact is that whenever instruments detect a lot of ground-shaking in North Korea, it could be because of almost anything.
COMMENTARY
Oct 12, 2006

Koizumi vs. Abe economics

A popular pun in Japanese is to take the word kaikaku (reform, or change for the better) and turn it into kaiaku (to change for the worse.)
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 3, 2006

Divorce and tenant troubles

Divorce Reader SJ and his wife were married nearly 40 years ago in the United States. At that time, SJ agreed to list her as half-owner of our home. For various reasons, the couple now do not get along and are on the way to separation or divorce.
COMMENTARY
Oct 2, 2006

Weakness prods Pyongyang

Though impoverished and starved, North Korea owns nuclear arms and is developing long-range ballistic missiles, thus posing a growing military threat to the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 30, 2006

Single rate cap needs five years, FSA chief says

A transition period of about five years in introducing a lowered, single interest-rate ceiling for consumer loans is necessary to meet potential demands from customers who want to borrow money for a short period, Financial Services Agency chief Yuji Yamamoto reckons.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2006

Abe, Roh agree on need for early fence-mending summit

New Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun agreed Thursday to hold a summit in November or even earlier, taking a step to mend bilateral relations that have been strained in recent years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 29, 2006

Abe hopes shrine coyness won't miff China: Aso

A Japan-China summit could be in the works, but Tokyo is waiting for Beijing to move forward on negotiations, reappointed Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2006

Aum leader's trial finally ends

The long trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara ended Sept. 15 when the Supreme Court rejected a special appeal by lawyers for Asahara. The top court's decision affirmed the February 2004 ruling of the Tokyo District Court, which found the cult leader guilty of 13 criminal counts, the most serious...
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2006

Abe's LDP exec picks told to gear up for '07 Diet poll

joins other LDP leaders in a show of unity after appointing Hidenao Nakagawa (third from left) as secretary general, Yuya Niwa (second from left) as chairman of the Executive Council and Shoichi Nakagawa (third from right) as chairman of the Policy Research Council. KYODO PHOTO
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2006

Nissan to sell off stake in truck maker to Volvo

AB Volvo said Monday it will acquire 34.5 billion yen of Nissan Diesel Motor Co.'s preferred stock and purchase 6 percent of Nissan Diesel's outstanding shares from Nissan Motor Co. -- a move that will push Volvo's stake in the truck manufacturer closer to 50 percent by April 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2006

Pope showed bias in misguided moment

HONG KONG -- What theological devil tempted Pope Benedict XVI earlier this month to make a byzantine reference to a long-forgotten Christian emperor who, under siege in Constantinople (now Istanbul) from Muslim forces, made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad's instruction to spread Islam by...
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2006

Japan, Chile agree on FTA framework

Japan and Chile have produced a framework free-trade accord that will abolish tariffs on 92 percent of both countries' exports over 10 years, settling negotiations in principle just seven months after they were launched, the government announced Friday.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2006

Hanshin, Hankyu stores agree on business tieup

Hankyu Department Stores Inc. and Hanshin Department Store Ltd. said Friday they have agreed to form a comprehensive business alliance ahead of their parent companies' Oct. 1 merger.
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2006

Lenders to get five years until 20% rate cap: LDP

A key Liberal Democratic Party panel agreed Friday to shorten a transition period for the creation of a single interest-rate ceiling for consumer loans to five years instead of the original nine proposed by the Finance Services Agency, panel members said.
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2006

DoCoMo tests activity-tracking service

NTT DoCoMo Inc. began a test-run Wednesday of a new system that monitors cell phone customers' activities in certain areas and analyzes the patterns to ascertain their needs and send relevant information to their handsets.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2006

Hokuetsu, Nippon Paper agree to hold tieup talks

Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd. and Nippon Paper Group Inc. said Tuesday they have agreed to begin discussing a business tieup that would include mutual supply of printing paper under each other's brands.
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2006

Small consumer lenders rush to restructure

Consumer finance companies, particularly midsize and small firms, are expected to restructure their operations as the government considers lowering the cap on consumer loan rates.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006

Tokyo, Seoul agree on joint ocean survey

Tokyo and Seoul have agreed to conduct a joint radiation survey at six locations in the Sea of Japan, including three spots near the disputed islets, by the end of October, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2006

Issues no factor in LDP election

The Liberal Democratic Party presidential election officially kicked off Friday with three candidates vying for the job, but it doesn't look like party members are going to vote according to their platforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2006

Can the IMF avert a global meltdown?

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- When world financial leaders meet in Singapore this month for the joint World Bank/International Monetary Fund meetings, they must confront one singularly important question: Is there any way to coax the IMF's largest members, especially the United States and China, to help...
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2006

Parliamentary secretary quits over bill

Masazumi Gotoda, parliamentary secretary in charge of financial services, said he resigned Wednesday to protest a draft bill to lower the ceiling on consumer loan interest charges because it would allow lenders to continue to charge up to 28 percent for nine years after the bill is passed.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2006

Abe looking to beef up defense posture

Shinzo Abe, the runaway favorite to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, has big ambitions for Japan's traditional pacifist diplomacy.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 6, 2006

Valentine critical of All-Star Series

CHIBA -- It was no accident that the announcement of the MLB-NPB All-Star Series came later in the year than it ever has.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2006

MUFG to fully own group brokerage

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. plans to turn Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Co., a group brokerage, into a wholly owned subsidiary, MUFG said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 27, 2006

Letters on high school arms, the WBC and Kaz in Colorado

Wayne: I am a big fan of Japanese high school baseball and was at Koshien for the wonderful tournament recently, but I am very disappointed high school coaches/administrators (and parents) allow their pitchers'/sons' arms to be abused for potential short-term gain.
BASKETBALL
Aug 23, 2006

Reserve Hermann impresses Bobcats

SENDAI -- Michael Jordan may have found his diamond in the rough.
BASKETBALL
Aug 22, 2006

Battle of NBA stars a big draw

HIROSHIMA -- Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki provide the headline attraction for Monday afternoon's 4 p.m. game here.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Aug 22, 2006

Should Japanese leaders give Yasukuni Shrine a wide berth?

Shounago Tadamasa School manager, 31 Koizumi and the new prime minister both shouldn't visit Yasukuni shrine. The prime minister has to think about relations with China and Korea. Visiting the shrine is harmful for the economy, for trade and for politics.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan