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BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2005

Rising demand lifts life insurers

The rising demand for medical and annuity insurance by the rapidly graying population boosted revenues at many of the nation's six largest life insurers in the first half of fiscal 2005, according to earnings reports released Monday.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2005

Digital players killing off MDs

Global sales of recordable MiniDiscs are expected to total 144 million units in 2005, down 25 percent from the previous year, due to the widespread use of portable digital music players, an industry association said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2005

Biometric systems popular with condo buyers

With crime rising, an increasing number of condominiums are being equipped with biometric security systems able to identify people by scanning their faces, fingerprints or other physical characteristics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2005

China far way from becoming global technology powerhouse

China has come a long way to show "pockets of excellence" in some fields of science and technology, but it still has a long way to go before it can become a full-blown innovative power, a China expert at a U.S. think tank told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2005

Chaff rains on Aussie trade

SYDNEY -- An international scandal revealing Australia's role in the Iraq food-for-oil coverup is costing good will in Washington and could affect agricultural exports to the key Japanese market.
EDITORIALS
Nov 19, 2005

An emerging picture of growth

Japan's economy in the July-September quarter expanded 0.4 percent from the previous quarter, or 1.7 at the annualized rate, in price-adjusted real terms, according to a preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) report from the Cabinet Office. That was the fourth consecutive quarter of positive growth,...
BUSINESS
Nov 18, 2005

R&D spending dents Isuzu first-half profit 27%

Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Thursday its group net profit plunged 27.4 percent to 26.02 billion yen in the six months to Sept. 30, mainly due to an increase in research and development spending by the truck maker.
BUSINESS
Nov 8, 2005

Key gauge continues positive

A key economic gauge remained above the boom-or-bust threshold of 50 percent in September for the second straight month, spurred by brisk industrial output and large-lot electricity consumption, the government said Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

Heads roll at Meiji Yasuda as severity of scandal sinks in

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. said Friday that 11 executives, including President Ryotaro Kaneko, will step down Nov. 30 to take responsibility for the company's repeated failure to pay legitimate insurance claims.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2005

Electronics firms see mixed results

The stark differences in fortune for major consumer electronics firms have been highlighted in the April-September period results announced so far.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2005

FSA punishes Meiji Yasuda once again for unpaid claims

The Financial Services Agency on Friday ordered Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. to suspend part of its operations following the insurer's repeated failure to pay legitimate insurance claims.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2005

Panasonic maker sees solid first half

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday it posted a group net profit of 64.41 billion yen for the first half of fiscal 2005, a year-on-year increase of 15 percent.
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2005

Toyota to be world's top carmaker in 2006: report

The Toyota Motor Corp. group is expected to boost its automobile production to more than 9.2 million units in 2006, making it almost certain the group will top General Motors Corp. to become the world's No. 1 automaker in terms of output, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2005

Can DVDs help stabilize and unite Asia?

SINGAPORE -- Despite and beyond the copyright infringement issue, the booming "DVD phenomenon" in Asia appears to have a strategic importance to governments and a real psychological value to consumers. In fact, the DVD is replacing the video cassette as the best-selling item on the consumer market in...
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2005

Arrests widen over home renovation scam

Tokyo police on Wednesday arrested two former executives of the parent firm of a housing renovation company involved in fraudulent home repairs that mostly targeted elderly people.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2005

Paper companies drop tieup plan

Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd. announced Monday it has dropped a business and capital tieup plan between its subsidiary Kitakami Hitec Paper Corp. and Oji Paper Co.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2005

Chubachi reaffirms faith in Sony recovery plan

Sony Corp. President Ryoji Chubachi expressed confidence Monday the embattled electronics giant can meet its revenue target of more than 8 trillion yen in fiscal 2007 by expanding sales of LCD TVs, DVD recorders and key electronics components.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2005

Sting units making dent in narcotics trade on Internet

The health ministry set up special units in January to crack down on illegal drug trade on the Internet, with investigators arresting about 60 people in the seven-month period through July, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2005

Kanebo will sell off core fashion division

Kanebo Ltd., undergoing state-backed rehabilitation, plans to sell its fashion division, company officials said Thursday night.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2005

Service industry activity falls 0.8%

Japan's service industry activity index fell 0.8 percent in July from the previous month due to lackluster sales of software and, apparently, weak electricity demand caused by bad weather, the government said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2005

'Manga' publishers see cell phones as the future

Cartoon-strip publishers, whose printed-matter sales have been losing steam, are actively embracing mobile media because cell phones are what young people are spending their time and money on.

Longform

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