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BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2012

JAL scores profitable IPO in milestone turnaround

Japan Airlines Co. relisted its shares Wednesday on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, opening a new chapter as a publicly traded company two years and seven months after its bankruptcy led to the delisting of the former state-owned carrier.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2012

Quebec vote signals uncertainty for Canada

Political uncertainty shadows Quebec in the aftermath of a contentious provincial election campaign. Since the vote, the specter of separatism has re-emerged in the multiethnic Canadian province where political rhetoric by the French-language-focused Parti Quebecois could bring about the return of economic...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2012

JAL Narita-Heathrow jets to get revamped seats

Japan Airlines Co. said Thursday it will upgrade the seats in its Boeing 777-300ER jets starting next year in a bid to beef up its international competitiveness.
EDITORIALS
Sep 7, 2012

Gloomy job outlook for graduates

An education ministry survey, whose results were released on Aug. 27, has found that of 559,000 young people who graduated from universities in April, 128,200 or 22.9 percent have no stable employment.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 4, 2012

Self-sponsored visas: a passport to freedom or a world of pain?

In response to our July 31 column, "How would changing jobs affect my visa?" S.E. asks: "I have heard of foreigners sponsoring their own visa, but is this true? If so, how can I go about this?"
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2012

U.S. presidential election needs another Teddy

What America feared above all was the growing concentration of wealth and political power. A Republican alliance with big business had flooded election campaigns with torrents of money, and it threatened to reduce — if not eliminate — whatever influence ordinary Americans had with their elected officials....
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2012

Why is government policymaking paralyzed?

It is no secret that the global economy is struggling. Europe is in the midst of a crisis whose root cause is a structurally flawed monetary and economic union.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2012

Softbank bets on credit card tieup

In an attempt to change the deep-rooted cash culture in Japan, Softbank Corp. is hoping to create a business opportunity here by teaming up with U.S.-based PayPal Inc.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2012

U.S. religious liberty feeling the weight of so many faiths

In the United States, Muslim women trying to maintain modesty should get female-only hours at the public pool, right?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2012

Utilities lose $46 billion as nuclear era nears end

The nuclear power industry has lost a record $46 billion since the earthquake and tsunami disasters led to three meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant last year, wiping out seven years of profit.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 13, 2012

The power reform charade

On July 13, "Basic Policies for Reforming the Electric Power System" was released by a panel of experts organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). It was subtitled "Aiming for an Power System Open to All Citizens."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 11, 2012

Who can afford a day on the beach?

"We went to the beach on the mainland," said a foreign friend, "and it wasn't very nice."
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 5, 2012

Steamy, sleepless nights grind down the nation

Sleeping-goods manufacturer Nishikawa Sangyo Co. Ltd., founded in Omi Province (modern-day Shiga Prefecture) in 1566, got its start in business selling mosquito netting. The company's Tokyo retail outlet, on the opposite side of the Nihonbashi Bridge from the Mitsukoshi department store, has been in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jul 31, 2012

Creative thinking inside the box: the Koloro Desk, FeltFelt folders and matching stationery

Personalized cubicle There's nothing enticing about working in a cubicle space, aside from a sense of privacy, but Torafu Architects have somehow made the cubicle a desired option for the home.
COMMENTARY
Jul 19, 2012

Character assassination on the campaign trail

It's getting down and dirty in election land. Last week, President Barack Obama's campaign suggested Mitt Romney might be guilty of a felony for filing misleading papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission (a charge The Washington Post discounted); and Romney's team aired a new ad portraying...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 7, 2012

The price you pay for electronic bells and whistles of businesses

The setsuden (power-saving) campaign is now in full force, as residents all over Japan are being encouraged to conserve electricity so there is enough to get through the high-use summer months. Even on my small island of 609 people, each household received a list of suggestions on how we can help Japan...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2012

Japan to become No. 2 solar market

Japan is poised to overtake Germany and Italy to become the world's second-biggest market for solar power as incentives that started Sunday drive sales for equipment makers from Kyocera Corp. to China's Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2012

Clarity in the conflict of austerity versus growth

It seemed clear that Germany (or at least this rather large gathering of government, business, and labor leaders) remains committed to the euro and to deeper European integration, and recognizes that success will require Europe-wide burden-sharing to overcome the ongoing eurozone crisis. The reforms...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2012

Skytree a mixed blessing for locals

A month after the opening of Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Skytree Town in Sumida Ward, the world's tallest broadcasting tower and its shopping and entertainment complex continue to draw hordes of visitors, reaching 1.6 million in just the first week, according to operator Tobu Tower Skytree Co. and its parent,...
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2012

Aeon agrees to buy 50% of Tesco unit

Aeon Co., Japan's largest retailer, agreed to buy 50 percent of Tesco PLC's operations in the country for a "nominal sum," almost a year after the U.K. retailer said it was looking for a buyer.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb