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BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2004

IRCJ to rescue meter maker, Osaka-based real estate firms

The Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan said Wednesday it will bail out a troubled Tokyo-based maker of water and gas meters and two Osaka-based real estate firms.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

Regional economies earn second straight upgrade

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday upgraded its quarterly assessment of the nation's regional economies for the second time in a row.
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2004

Hitachi, Omron poised to forge ATM alliance

Hitachi Ltd. and Omron Corp. said Monday they will set up a joint venture combining their automated-teller machine businesses, partly in the hope of grabbing a substantial share of the growing Chinese market.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 24, 2004

Poppies Samui

"Thank you for picking Poppies," reads the beguiling management message.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2004

Matsushita chief resolves to achieve profit target before stepping down

OSAKA (Kyodo) Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. President Kunio Nakamura said Thursday that the Matsushita group will raise its targeted ratio of operating profit to sales to 5 percent under his leadership and achieve that goal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2004

Online matchmakers hand ailing truckers a lifeline

Yasunori Fujikura knows the nuts and bolts of the trucking business -- as well as the pain of being behind the wheel in these tough times.
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2004

Number of failed firms falls for first time in four years

The number of corporate bankruptcies fell by 14.6 percent in 2003 from the previous year to 16,624, down for the first time in four years, Teikoku Databank Ltd. said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2004

Cool summer hurts beer, 'happoshu'

Combined shipments of beer and "happoshu" low-malt beer by Japan's five major breweries fell 6.3 percent in 2003 from the previous year for the second straight annual decline.
JAPAN / TALKING SHOP
Jan 13, 2004

Prada Japan's Italian chief knows the merits of vagueness

Davide Sesia, representative director of Prada Japan Co., is on the prowl.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2004

Matsushita hopes digital focus ups profit margin

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday it aims to lift its profit margin to at least 5 percent in the next three years on sales of 8.2 trillion yen by meeting rising demand for digital consumer electronics products such as DVD recorders and flat TVs.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

Corolla regains best-selling car title

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla regained the title of Japan's best-selling car in 2003 after a one-year absence from the top spot, even though sales fell 12.1 percent to 198,904 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

Raising retirement age eases, adds strains

Isomi Suzuki believes he is one of the lucky few to be able to continue his career even after reaching age 60, the common retirement age in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2004

Falling dollar barely changes trade flow

WASHINGTON -- We hear about record breaking declines in the value of the dollar, rising U.S. trade deficits and a retrenchment of inward investment flows. Cassandra-like voices point to the war-caused budget deficit, foresee a growing U.S. dependence on the mercy of foreigners and predict the imminent...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2004

As axis turns, Pyongyang feels the squeeze

SEOUL -- It turns out that the construct of the "axis of evil" was more than an applause line in the 2002 State of the Union speech by U.S. President George W. Bush. What it really has come to convey is the interaction between axis members, which was little appreciated by Bush speechwriters at the time....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 4, 2004

From mourning to 'magic'

It may be only mildly surprising that Japanese translations of the first four "Harry Potter" titles have racked up 16.5 million sales to date. It is, though, quite astonishing that the publisher is not an industry giant, but a small Tokyo firm with no previous best seller to its name.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2004

Founder of Don Quijote empire revels in breaking all the rules

It's a jungle in there: Tacky, handwritten cardboard signs bearing dubious slogans vie for space with garish rolls of toilet paper, sex toys and Louis Vuitton handbags.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Mobile commerce market taking off

Taking the 15-minute walk from her home to her office in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, every morning, Noriko Kato, 29, looks at the tiny screen on her DoCoMo 505i mobile phone to check her e-mail and sometimes access her favorite shopping site, run by Netprice Ltd.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2003

Output rises third month in succession

Japan's industrial production expanded in November for the third straight month, with the index registering its highest level since February 2001, the government said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Dec 23, 2003

The sky is just one limit for Toray's foray into carbon fibers

Toray Industries Inc, a major maker of textiles and plastics, is expanding its carbon fiber line, wooing airplane and car manufacturers in the process.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2003

Isuzu nourished by overseas revenue

Isuzu Motors Ltd.'s group revenues from overseas operations are expected to reach 80 percent of its overall revenues by the end of fiscal 2007, Isuzu President Yoshinori Ida said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2003

Optimism among big manufacturers soars

Bolstered by strong overseas and information technology-related demand, optimism among large manufacturers overcame fears over a rising yen and soared to a 6 1/2 year high, according to a key business survey released Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Nation's blue chip firms said on firm recovery track

The current fiscal year has seen Japan's blue chip companies put themselves on a firm recovery track, absorbing the negative impact of the yen's strength, Nomura Securities Co. said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Curbs eyed for nonprescription drugs

A health ministry advisory panel plans to urge the government to place sharp limits on the scope of nonprescription drugs to be sold by convenience stores and other retailers that do not employ pharmacists, including cold and allergy medicines.
JAPAN / TALKING SHOP
Dec 8, 2003

When lenders balk, entrepreneur banks on worthy cause, trust

When Safia Minney first learned over a decade ago the Japanese phrase "mottai-nai" (what a waste) in regard to resources, she knew she was on the right track.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 5, 2003

Akihabara -- not just a treat for the tourists

Growing up means putting away your toys. At least that's the accepted view. But in truth, adults don't forsake toys -- we just buy more expensive and interesting ones.
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2003

Daiei signs deal on stadium, hotel

Struggling retailer Daiei Inc. announced Tuesday it has agreed to sell a baseball stadium/hotel complex to U.S. investment fund Colony Capital LLC, offloading a chunk of mounting debts as it struggles to stay afloat.

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