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EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 1999

Ending the politics of money

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has done the right thing in overriding objections from his own party to the ban on donations to individual politicians from firms and other interest groups. His decision, first unveiled in a meeting with opposition party heads Wednesday, paves the way for the enactment of...
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 1999

An ode to nature -- her beauty and her treasures

For many artists and craftsmen, nature is a great source of inspiration. For Toyama-based sunago craftsman Tatsuo Nagaoka, the beautiful scenery he encounters while hiking in the mountains is also his inspiration to create new work. His subjects range from a sea of clouds viewed from a mountain peak...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Nov 7, 1999

Our troubled world

Only 55 more days to go until the end of this century. It has been a troubled one, yet one filled with new discoveries and hope. More people have been assured of at least the basics of comfort in life while large numbers have been left in devastating poverty. Perhaps it will be remembered as a century...
JAPAN
Nov 2, 1999

Hotel exec arrested for hiding money

OSAKA -- The former president of a company that used to manage International Dojima Hotel was arrested Tuesday on suspicion that he withdrew more than 1 million yen from his bank account -- which was already under control of government-appointed administrators -- and hid the money.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 1999

Schroeder has faith economy will recover

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Tuesday he has become confident of Japan's economic recovery through talks with Japanese government and business leaders during his three-day visit here.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 1999

HP gears up for aggressive Japan campaign

Consumers and business partners in Japan will become increasingly important in the next century for Hewlett Packard Co. to expand its share in the information technology market, Carly Fiorina, new president and chief executive officer of the firm, told reporters Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 1999

JAS earnings climb in first half; JAL's dive

Two of the nation's major airlines watched their unconsolidated earnings travel in opposite directions during the first half of fiscal 1999, with industry leader Japan Airlines Co.'s falling and Japan Air System Co.'s increasing, reports released Friday showed.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 1999

Fiat shareholder sees strength in alliances

Staff writer
JAPAN
Oct 21, 1999

Trade chief vows small firms to get funds

Trade chief Takashi Fukaya promised representatives of small business Thursday that government financial institutions will keep financing startup businesses and firms faced with tight bank lending after the current special measures expire next March, officials of the Ministry of International Trade and...
EDITORIALS
Oct 20, 1999

'Nissan is in bad shape'

That blunt comment says it all. At a press conference Monday, Mr. Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's chief operating officer, ticked off the company's failings: mismanagement, inefficient production, lack of vision, unappealing products. Their impact has been plain: Nissan, Japan's second largest carmaker, has lost...
JAPAN
Oct 19, 1999

New bank-rescue plan would relieve depositors

An advisory panel to the finance minister on Tuesday said that healthy banks should be brought in to buy failed banks after a revised deposit protection system takes effect in April 2001.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 1999

Negotiations stall over sale of Toho Mutual

The Life Insurance Association of Japan has given up on its plan to sell the failed Toho Mutual Life Insurance Co. by the end of this year, association chairman Tomijiro Morita said Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 1999

PC giants to merge monitor operations

In a move to compete against Taiwanese and South Korean rivals, NEC Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will merge their domestic and overseas computer monitor operations next January, officials of the two firms announced Friday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 1999

Cautious optimism on the economy

Japan's economy in the second quarter of this year, April through June, expanded slightly at an annualized rate of 0.9 percent. This is a far cry from the 8.1 percent surge in the first quarter. But two consecutive quarters of positive growth make it reasonably clear that the protracted economic slump...
JAPAN
Sep 14, 1999

Regional Focus: Hokkaido

Otaru pins revival hopes on mega-mall complex> Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 31, 1999

Daiei eyes sale of Recruit stake

As a way to accelerate efforts to repay its debts, Daiei Inc., the country's leading supermarket chain operator, plans to sell its stake in publishing firm Recruit Co., top officials of the firm said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 1999

Imperial Hotel announces anniversary events

To commemorate its 110th anniversary since it opened on Nov. 3, 1890, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, the Imperial Hotel Ltd. has announced special programs for its guests.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 1999

Bank customers detail need for new deposit safety net

A safety net is needed to protect deposits in business transaction accounts and to ensure fast refunds if banks fail after fiscal 2000, a cross section of bank customer representatives said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 20, 1999

Ethics drive is losing steam

The Diet earlier this month approved an ethics-in-government bill, more than a year after it was introduced under the initiative of former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The way in which is was handled, however, indicates that the political drive to stamp out corruption has lost steam.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 1999

Nippon Life feeling assured of 401(k) role for small firms

Staff writer
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 1999

Predictably capricious

True to form, Russian President Boris Yeltsin has astounded his country and the world. Demonstrating that nothing is more important to the mercurial Russian leader than the fate of his regime and his family -- it is hard to distinguish the two -- Mr. Yeltsin this week dismissed Prime Minister Sergei...
JAPAN
Aug 3, 1999

Nissho Iwai announces major restructuring

Nissho Iwai Corp., a major trading firm struggling under heavy financial burdens, will carry out a drastic restructuring that will halve its textile business, company sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 1999

Tokyo Forex, Ueda Harlow to unite brokering, lending

Japan's two largest foreign exchange brokers on Monday announced an agreement to set up a joint company in September to handle their brokerage business and foreign currency lending in an effort to raise profitability.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 1999

Nissan to unload stake in nine Tu-Ka firms

Nissan Motor Co. announced Monday that it will sell all its shares in nine Tu-Ka and Digital Tu-Ka cellular phone companies to DDI Corp. and Japan Telecom Co. in a move that will likely accelerate the ongoing realignment of cellular phone operators into three major groups -- DDI, Japan Telecom and NTT...
COMMUNITY
Jul 15, 1999

Behold! The 'fashion bible' cometh

Long before there were Versace minis, Gucci stilettos and Chanel nail polish in Vamp, Vogue was there -- watching, documenting and dictating the trends to the fashion-savvy masses.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 1999

Toshiba, IBM scrap DRAM deal

Toshiba Corp. and IBM Corp. have agreed to cancel a memory chip production tieup in the U.S., and Toshiba will purchase all shares of a joint venture of the two firms by the end of next year, Toshiba officials in Tokyo said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 4, 1999

Slurp noodles right with the lip-o-suction method

Japanese people can eat a bowl of noodles in just five minutes. That's because they don't chew. Real noodle connoisseurs know that the taste of the noodle is felt in the throat, not the tongue, so to appreciate the true flavor of noodles, you must swallow them whole. I wonder how the stomach feels about...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jun 30, 1999

Let's digital

Let's digital. That's the message in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications 1999 White Paper on Communications in Japan. The annual survey, released earlier this month, reveals a nation poised for the millennium, its finger firmly on the mouse, clicking its way into the 21st century
JAPAN
Jun 23, 1999

Researchers to regain intellectual property rights

The government has decided to hand back intellectual property rights to private- sector researchers who conducted research and development on its behalf, Trade Minister Kaoru Yosano told biotechnology leaders Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 1999

Local governments, businesses form Kansai council

OSAKA — Local governments and business organizations in Kansai and surrounding areas set up a joint council Wednesday to revitalize the regional economy.

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