Search - (2006-01-27)

 
 
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2007

Lending growth slows in July as companies shy from banks

Bank lending grew at the slowest pace in 16 months in July, as companies used profits or sold bonds to raise funds rather than borrow from banks.
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2007

Opportunities for baby boomers

The first group of 6.7 million baby boomers, born in the years 1947-49, have reached or will reach the retirement age of 60 this year. About 3.6 million of them — almost equivalent to the population of Yokohama — are expected to retire as salaried workers in 2007-09. As they reach the age of 60,...
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2007

Strengthening the Antimonopoly Law

A private advisory body to the chief Cabinet secretary has recommended strengthening the Antimonopoly Law. Such a move that will benefit consumers and businesses — by assuring the supply of good-quality products and services at reasonable prices — is welcome. The Fair Trade Commission and the ruling...
EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 2007

Flagging spirit to abolish nukes

The 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the first use of a nuclear weapon in history, comes amid circumstances not necessarily favorable for abolishing nuclear weapons. The Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima killed some 140,000 people; the bombing of Nagasaki three days later, some 70,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 4, 2007

Speech contest aims to pull nation together

Up until a few years ago, Tom Gerrard was an entrepreneur with an eye to mainstream business. He then underwent a radical shift of attitude and interest, changing the name of his company in 2004 from Comm Pro (Communication Professionals) to Global Learning.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2007

Uniqlo fancies M&As as it outgrows home turf

Tadashi Yanai, chairman and CEO of Uniqlo Co. and its holding company, Fast Retailing Co., strongly believes a business must keep growing and changing to survive, and is now acting aggressively on this belief.
EDITORIALS
Aug 3, 2007

Managing Japan's foreign reserves

Some government officials, including Financial Services Minister Yuji Yamamoto, are calling for more effective management of Japan's foreign-exchange reserves, the world's second largest at about $910 billion. During a recent visit to Singapore, Mr. Yamamoto proposed that Japan consider investing foreign-currency...
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2007

U.S. House urges clear apology

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed by voice vote a resolution urging Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young (Asian) women into sexual slavery."
COMMENTARY
Aug 2, 2007

Expect oil to hit $100 a barrel and beyond

LONDON — Nine of the last 10 serious downturns in the world economy followed a spike in the price of oil, and we are heading for another spike, with oil back up near the peak of $78.40 a barrel that it reached almost exactly a year ago.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 1, 2007

Pitcher Iwakuma gives Eagles big boost

CHIBA — Injuries have kept Tohoku Rakuten pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma from making much of an impact on the mound this season. After missing most of the year, and a chance to play in the All-Star game on his home field, Iwakuma was back on the mound Tuesday and made a big impact against the Chiba Lotte...
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2007

Mazda sees profit fall 62% but predicts record year

Mazda reported a 62 percent drop in April-June profit on Tuesday, but Japan's No. 4 automaker stuck with its forecast of record profit for the full year on growing global sales.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 1, 2007

E-cash silencing the jingle of change

Since major electronic money services emerged in 2001, it has become common in Tokyo for people to go through ticket gates by just touching a smart card to electronic readers at train stations and to make small purchases without pulling out their wallets at convenience stores. Japan's cash-based tradition...
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2007

Got Gmail? Got it on your mobile? KDDI to offer Google mail for free

KDDI Corp. will offer an e-mail service based on Google Inc.'s Gmail, expanding an existing alliance to win customers in the $75 billion wireless market, KDDI said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2007

Mitsubishi Motors reports smaller shortfall for quarter

Scandal-marred Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Monday its losses for the April-June quarter shrank to 8.23 billion yen from the same period last year, boosted by growing sales in North America, Europe and Asia.
SOCCER
Jul 30, 2007

Osim admits mistakes after disappointing finish in Asian Cup

HANOI — Ivica Osim felt he had "dropped his trousers" for the second straight game as Japan's Asian Cup campaign ended with an embarrassing penalty shootout defeat to 10-man South Korea in Saturday's third-place playoff.
EDITORIALS
Jul 30, 2007

Suspicions that threaten ties

The standoff between Britain and Russia over the November 2006 murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko continues with no signs of compromise from either side. A failure to strike a mutually acceptable deal could not only damage relations between the two countries but also cause the overall relationship...

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear