Search - 2003

 
 
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2002

Second transport company opts out of mail service

A second transportation company made it known Wednesday that onerous conditions attached to a postal deregulation bill will keep it from entering the mail delivery business.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2002

The shrinking U.S. dollar

The U.S. dollar continues to slide on international currency markets. Actually, slide is too polite a word: "Nosedive" seems like a more apt description of the greenback's behavior in recent weeks. Some economists now worry that a "hard landing" -- a crash in the dollar's value -- is the chief threat...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 27, 2002

Kids' eyes on the world

Entries are now being accepted for the 12th Kanagawa Biennial World Children's Art Exhibition, which invites children's paintings from all over the world to promote the dreams and creativity of the children who will shape tomorrow's world.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2002

Koizumi talks tough on four postal bills

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he has told a key minister that he wants a set of four postal deregulation bills to pass the Diet without amendments -- a move that should provoke further political wrangling over the controversial legislation.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

Snow, Lotte forge deal to sell ice cream

Struggling dairy products maker Snow Brand Milk Products Co. said Monday it has signed an agreement with confectioner Lotte Co. to jointly set up a firm to manufacture and sell ice cream.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2002

Panel seeks to limit toll-road projects

An infrastructure development panel in the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry unveiled Monday a new road building outline, urging the government to curb construction of toll roads.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2002

Reforms seen weak in short-term

Although a package of reforms finalized by a key government panel on Friday may point Japan's economic and fiscal systems in the right direction in the long term, pundits are skeptical whether it can deliver the boost of confidence necessary now.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2002

Government wastes money, study says

Wasteful spending of taxpayer money is a common problem at both the central and local governments, according to preliminary data from a government-spending review released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2002

Pensions face possible reductions

Chikara Sakaguchi, minister of health, labor and welfare, said Friday that his ministry will conditionally agree to lift a freeze that has kept pension payments from matching price declines during the past three years.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Forecasters upgrade projections for 2002 GDP

Japan's gross domestic product for the current fiscal year has been revised upward by several economic forecasters due to growing signs of an export-led recovery, according to reports released as of Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Look for Japan to narrow gap in IT race

Can Japan catch up with the United States in information technology? The mere suggestion sounds preposterous, given the current climate of American triumphalism and Japanese gloom. Yet we should recall that not too long ago the U.S. and Japan were both declaring Japan's victory in the high-technology...
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2002

More revenue for local governments

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is seeking tax reform to revive economic vitality, but he wants to limit tax cuts to the extent that they do not exacerbate the budget crisis. In other words, he is opposed to stimulating the economy at the expense of fiscal discipline. So no major tax cuts are planned...
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2002

Ministry plans environment protection bill

The Environment Ministry said recently that it plans to submit to the Diet next year a bill aimed at helping nonprofit organizations and local firms promote environmental protection.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2002

Mexico pushes Japan to move forward on FTA

Visiting Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda proposed Monday that Japan and Mexico launch official negotiations on concluding a bilateral free-trade agreement in October, when Mexico hosts the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2002

'Intelligent' TV server in works

Royal Philips Electronics N.V. of the Netherlands and Waseda University are jointly developing a household TV server that would allow viewers to watch the programming of their choice at any time, researchers said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2002

Ruling bloc rams medical bills through committee

The ruling coalition rammed a set of medical reform bills through a House of Representatives committee meeting Friday, laying the groundwork for an increase in the ratio of medical expenses paid by salaried workers.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2002

Katokichi to recall Chinese spinach

OSAKA — Major frozen foods firm Katokichi Co. said Thursday it will recall 74,000 packages of frozen Chinese spinach because it has been alerted by authorities that the imports contain levels of pesticide residue in excess of the legal limit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2002

Okinawa airline plots cheap flights to Haneda

A new low-cost airline hopes to capitalize on recent changes in the government's aviation policies and give Okinawans a cheaper option of getting to and from the mainland.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2002

Fuji eruption evacuation map in works

A council working on measures to be taken in the event that Mount Fuji erupts met Wednesday and received a report by experts on the creation of a map of areas that could be affected.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2002

Canon to merge two subsidiaries

Printer maker Canon Inc. said Wednesday it will merge subsidiaries Canon Aptex Inc. and Copyer Co. to create a new company specializing in office printers.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2002

Postal bills 'counterproductive': Yamato chief

The president of major courier firm Yamato Transport Co. on Tuesday criticized a set of of four postal services deregulation bills being debated in the Diet and reiterated his company's decision not to enter the mail delivery business.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2002

Ogi hits plan to use gas tax for environmental protection

Transport minister Chikage Ogi balked Tuesday at a proposal by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to spend part of 2.8 trillion yen in gasoline tax revenues on measures to safeguard the environment.
BUSINESS
Jun 11, 2002

Domestic retailers brace for Seiyu-Wal-Mart impact

Japan's retail industry, suffering from a decade-long economic slump and the advance of powerful specialty discount stores, is gearing up to compete with another formidable player.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2002

Government may relax messenger-service deadline

The government may relax a requirement that any messenger service entering the mail-delivery sector deliver express parcels within three hours, posts minister Toranosuke Katayama said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2002

Kansai airport faces struggle over funds for extra runway

The top bureaucrat in the transport ministry said Thursday the specter of weak demand for a second runway at Kansai International Airport has made the ministry wary of taking any budgetary steps to fund its construction.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jun 6, 2002

Lessons learned from E3 gathering

Few people could have been happier to see the end to this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) than Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA).
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Koizumi postal reforms draw flak from LDP vested interests

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was criticized Tuesday by a lawmaker from his own Liberal Democratic Party over his long-held goal to privatize the nation's postal services.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji