Search - 2003

 
 
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003

Business groups seek a freeze on capital gains tax

The nation's three major business lobbies, hoping to bolster stock prices from their 20-year lows, called Monday for a freeze on the tax on capital gains from the sale of shares.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 25, 2003

Rugby boys pack down for sevens extravaganza

Tradition has it that in 1883 the Melrose rugby club in Scotland was casting around for ideas to help the club's finances when the suggestion of a rugby football tournament was put forward by the now legendary "Ned" Haig.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2003

Ruling bloc, opposition lawmakers defer Oshima spat to pass budget

Putting their spat aside for the time being, the ruling and opposition camps got together in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to approve an 81.79 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2003.
EDITORIALS
Feb 17, 2003

Revival of the 'twin deficit' threat

A budget crisis is returning to the United States. Along with worsening trade deficits, record budget shortfalls projected for the fiscal year 2003 and beyond are reviving a nightmare threat of "twin deficits." It is worrisome for global growth and security that the world's only military and economic...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Osaka unveils slimmer draft budget

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka unveiled on Thursday a belt-tightening 1.78 trillion yen draft budget for fiscal 2003 featuring cuts in subsidies, public projects and personnel outlays.
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2003

Tax, welfare burden to ease: ministry

The burden of taxes and social welfare costs on individuals will probably fall slightly in fiscal 2003, mainly due to tax cuts designed to boost the economy, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

Ministry sees state bond issues rising

The value of government bonds issued to cover the fiscal 2006 budget deficit is expected to hit 45.5 trillion yen, 25 percent higher than the planned issuance for the 2003 budget, according to a report released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Feb 2, 2003

Getting a word in edgewise with Howling Guitar

"This is my 1958 Gibson LP-Jr. You know that Johnny Thunders played the same model. This guitar is my life and if it dies I would like to give it an honorable burial. But . . . I hope we get buried together."
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 10, 2003

Buffs open vault for Nakamura

OSAKA -- Norihiro Nakamura signed a free-agent deal with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes on Wednesday, becoming the highest-paid Japanese baseball player with an estimated annual salary of 500 million yen for 2003 plus incentives.
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2003

Time to rock economic boat

After remaining in the doldrums for more than 10 years, the Japanese economy is now plagued by deflation. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei index has fallen to the 8,500 level, and the nation's unemployment rate remains high. Last fall the government announced a policy package for expediting...
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2002

Fiscal panel urges restraint, streamlining and discipline

The Fiscal System Council, an advisory panel to the finance minister, proposed Wednesday that a "reform-oriented" budget be compiled for fiscal 2003 that restricts government bond issuance and scrutinizes tax grants for local governments.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 20, 2002

Expos evoke memories of Japan's 'gypsies'

There's a lot of speculation about what will happen to the Montreal Expos and where the team will play its home games during the 2003 season.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2002

EU 'withholds funds' for N. Korea reactors

The European Parliament has decided to temporarily withhold its 2003 funding to a consortium charged with building nuclear reactors in North Korea following Pyongyang's admission that it is developing nuclear arms, EU sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2002

Budget requests total 86.78 trillion yen

Requests for the fiscal 2003 general account budget from government ministries and agencies stand at 86.78 trillion yen, up 6.8 percent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2002

Tax Commission looks to cut exemptions

The government's Tax Commission on Tuesday proposed abolishing in fiscal 2003 certain tax exemptions granted to salaried employees with a working spouse.
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2002

Japan's economy grows 0.5%

The nation's economy expanded 0.5 percent in the April-June quarter, up for the first time in five quarters, on the back of strong performance by exports, government data showed Friday.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2002

FSA plans to offer cash incentives to banks that merge

The government may provide as much as 1 trillion yen to banks that agree to consolidate, according to a proposal outlined Thursday by the Financial Service Agency.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Ministry hopes to pay for babies

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to press for a 4.6 percent increase in its fiscal 2003 budget in order to introduce a 1.04 trillion yen incentive program to boost the nation's birthrate, officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2002

Ministry to seek more funds to deal with packed prisons

The Justice Ministry will seek a sharp increase in its fiscal 2003 budget to address the problem of overcrowding in Japan's prisons and request a "research budget" to build the first new prisons in about 20 years, ministry sources said.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Aug 16, 2002

Japanese rugby gears up for professionalism

Summer used to be a time for rugby players to either relax or pursue other sporting interests. Between the end of season tour (which generally involved a lot of drinking with a little rugby thrown in) and the start of preseason training in late August there was plenty of opportunity to pursue other interests....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2002

Tax Commission head skeptical of Koizumi tax cuts

While Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is gearing up for tax cuts he hopes will boost the fragile economy, the head of his advisory panel is not shy about expressing skepticism about their effectiveness.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

Private-sector leader urged for postal entity

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday that the public corporation that will take over the state-run postal service operations in April should be headed by someone from the private sector.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Fukuda says no plans yet for extra fiscal 2002 budget

The government has no plans at present to draft a supplementary budget for fiscal 2002, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 12, 2002

Japan rugby team needs tougher competition

Japan's rugby players go into Sunday's game with South Korea at Tondaemun Stadium in Seoul knowing that a win will ensure qualification for the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals.
EDITORIALS
Jul 6, 2002

Unemployment insurance in peril

Rising unemployment is creating serious financial problems for the government, making it likely that jobless insurance premiums will be increased. In fact, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi suggested the other day that the premium rate would be raised on an emergency basis, perhaps...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 20, 2002

Tokyo stock prospects peachy

Favorable corporate earnings and economic prospects have not yet been factored into share prices, and price moves on the chart show that the Tokyo stock market has overcorrected itself.

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