Search - 2002

 
 
BUSINESS
May 11, 2002

JAL suffers 36.7 billion yen in losses for fiscal 2001

Japan Airlines Co. on Friday said it slipped 36.7 billion yen into the red in fiscal 2001, it's first net loss in four years.
JAPAN
May 11, 2002

Kawaguchi sorry for scandals

In a highly unusual arrangement, Foreign Ministry scandals and reform plans were at the fore of the so-called diplomatic Blue Book for 2002, released on Friday, with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi expressing resolve to regain trust in the ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2002

Nissan eyes big global sales boost

Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn announced Thursday the carmaker will add 1 million units to its global sales by the end of the 2004 business year by launching at least 28 new models worldwide.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2002

ANA to push for more on-time flights

To survive intensifying domestic competition, All Nippon Airways Co. will unify flight codes of its group airlines and improve on-time flight rates, the company said Thursday.
SOCCER / World cup
May 9, 2002

Venues get thumbs-up

A FIFA delegation on Wednesday concluded its final World Cup venue inspections ahead of the quadrennial tournament, giving good marks to the preparations regarding security control and the improvement in the condition of the turf at Saitama Stadium 2002.
COMMENTARY
May 6, 2002

Koizumi must focus or fail

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration, which marked its first anniversary April 26, stands at a crossroads. Its future hinges on whether his "no pain, no gain" reform initiative will produce tangible results. Thus far his administration has made no substantial achievements to speak of. Its...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / CLOSE-UP
May 5, 2002

Thoughts of an accidental politician

Kyosen Ohashi was born in Tokyo in 1934 and studied journalism at Waseda University. He enjoyed a long career as a respected jazz critic and TV presenter, before quitting the entertainment world in 1990.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 5, 2002

Kids these days

What is wrong with kids today?
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 5, 2002

Memories are made of this

TOKYO CENTRAL: A Memoir, by Edward Seidensticker. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002, 256 pp. with b/w photographs, XXXVI. $30 (cloth) Translator extraordinaire, historian and beloved pedagogue, Edward Seidensticker has given us the definitive English versions of "The Tale of Genji" and the...
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2002

Why it must be Bush vs. Gore in 2004

NEW YORK -- It is impossible to overstate the importance of tossing U.S. President George W. Bush back onto the unemployment lines in 2004. His illegitimate presidency isn't even half-over, yet Bush's disreputable Cabinet of tin-pot gangsters has already succeeded in causing irreparable harm to our great...
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2002

No end in sight to China's banking woes

While Japan's recession and its wobbly banks distract much of the world, the banking sector in China is in much worse shape. Xinhua News Agency has reported that central bank governor Dai Xianglong admits that nonperforming loans (NPLs) account for 26.6 percent of total lending by China's top four state-owned...
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2002

U.S. homeland still insecure

Half a year after the creation of the Office of Homeland Security, how well is the Bush administration doing in its efforts to improve protection of the United States against terrorist attacks? No major attacks have occurred since Sept. 11, giving a first impression that the effort is going well. But...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 3, 2002

Ailing Japan looks to World Cup to spark a spending spree

While the nation continues to struggle with weak consumer spending amid the protracted economic slump, the World Cup soccer finals, which Japan and South Korea will cohost from May 31 to the end of June, seem to be loosening the purse strings of some consumers.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 1, 2002

Lopez puts tantrum behind him

Hiroshima Carp first baseman Luis Lopez says the problem between him and outfielder Tomonori Maeda has been put to rest. Marty Kuehnert, in his April 10 "Keen Edge" column, described how the teammates had nearly come to blows after Maeda twice failed to score from second base on outfield hits by Lopez...
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2002

Japanese cheerleader back for second season with NFL team

When Ai Yasuda was named to the San Francisco 49ers' Gold Rush cheerleading squad for the second straight year, she realized that although the door may not be wide, it is always open.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2002

UNICEF urges child focus at Cup

Nane Annan, wife of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, said Saturday that the well-being of children throughout the world should be a focus during the World Cup 2002.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2002

Osaka, U.K. officials work to ease soccer hooligan fears

OSAKA -- Concerted efforts by Osaka municipal officials and British government representatives to assuage fears of hooliganism in advance of the June 12 World Cup match here between England and Nigeria seem to be paying off.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2002

Agency seeks to boost rehab of failed ventures

The government should create an environment in which failed entrepreneurs are encouraged to stage a comeback, the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency said in its annual white paper released Friday.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 25, 2002

Tokyo Verdy picks Sandri as new manager

Tokyo Verdy named Brazilian Lori Sandri as the struggling J. League First Division club's new manager Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 24, 2002

Rage against the machine: anti-tech art

"The First Move," a showcase of finalists for the 2002 Philip Morris Art Award, opens this Saturday at Tokyo International Forum. On display until May 6, the exhibition includes paintings, photographs, 3-D pieces, videos, installations and computer-generated work by 57 young artists selected from more...
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2002

Japan Prize laureates hope technologies will be used for good

Three scientists who won the 2002 Japan Prize expressed hopes Monday that their achievements will be utilized to enhance the welfare of people the world over.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 21, 2002

Getting on the right track

JAPAN BY RAIL, by Ramsey Zarifeh. Trailblazer Publications, 2002, 416 pp., $18.95/2 yen,900(paper) "Perfect timing," I thought when I picked up this guide book, barely two weeks before a trip I was planning out of Tokyo. I flipped to the index to look for my destination: Mashiko, a pottery town close...
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2002

Daiei suffers 332.5 billion yen loss

Ailing supermarket operator Daiei Inc. announced Friday a consolidated net loss of 332.51 billion yen for the business year that ended in February, blaming the losses on increased restructuring costs.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Apr 19, 2002

Market cautiously optimistic on earnings

The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average has been languishing at around 11,000 since the beginning of the fiscal year, reflecting a lack of clear direction.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 18, 2002

Saitama pitch OK

URAWA, Saitama Pref. -- Players and officials gave the thumbs up to the pitch at Saitama's World Cup stadium on Tuesday after a reserve team match between the Urawa Reds and Kashiwa Reysol.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CLOSE NEIGHBORS
Apr 18, 2002

Grassroots ties aim to bypass diplomatic gridlock

One click on a mouse turns the hankul characters on an Internet chat site into a Japanese message of welcome, delighting elderly Japanese participants in an online exchange with some of their South Korean counterparts.
COMMUNITY
Apr 14, 2002

Designers unveil new looks to fall for

As the weather warms up and the days get longer, memories of summer's trial-by-heat again begin to send shivers down the collective spine.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 12, 2002

Verdy fires Omi

Tokyo Verdy boss Yukitaka Omi became the J. League's first managerial casualty of the 2002 season after just five games when he was replaced by Brazilian Lori Sandri on Thursday.

Longform

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Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building