Search - 2004

 
 
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
May 16, 2001

Can 'e-Japan' make leap from paper to reality?

The economic slump over the past decade has crushed Japan's confidence and raised fundamental questions about the government's ability to turn things around.
JAPAN
May 13, 2001

Maglev link between Osaka, Tokyo starts to move forward

A plan to operate magnetically levitated -- or maglev -- trains between Tokyo and Osaka in one hour at speeds of up to 500 kph is moving ahead, with the government starting a feasibility study.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2001

Omron unveils earnings targets

KYOTO -- Omron Corp., a major automated control equipment manufacturer, said Thursday it intends to raise return on equity to 10 percent from the current 6.7 percent through sales of 750 billion yen and pretax profits of 80 billion yen by the end of fiscal 2004.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2001

Draconian arrests boost Malaysian opposition's message of change

PENANG, Malaysia -- A second-echelon leadership has emerged within Malaysia's prominent opposition party, Keadilan, to pursue its fight for justice after eight top party leaders were detained by police.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2001

'Green' car panel makes debut

The government on Wednesday established and held the first meeting of a panel to craft recommendations for promoting development and use of environmentally friendly vehicles.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2001

Kawasaki Heavy wins Embraer deal

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. said Wednesday it has struck a basic agreement with Brazilian aircraft makerEmbraer SA to develop and manufacture the main wings of Embraer's next-generation small jets.
JAPAN
May 2, 2001

NPO tackles cybercrime as government drags its feet

A group of lawyers, scholars and housewives has launched a nonprofit organization to help victims of libel, fraud and other problems that have seen a sharp increase on the Internet.
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2001

Strike two for Mr. Wahid

It is hard to believe, but Indonesia seems to be heading toward yet more political chaos. That country's Parliament voted Monday night to censure President Abdurrahman Wahid for a second time. That sets the stage for an impeachment vote later this year, which would set off widespread demonstrations by...
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2001

Economic ills have a silver lining

Economic problems can have positive effects. They are providing the governments in Greece and Turkey with good reasons to follow up their political rapprochement with concrete security measures. Or, as in this case, to abstain from making arms purchases that would ratchet up tensions in the region.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

Sanwa, Tokai merger ahead of schedule

Sanwa Bank and Tokai Bank will form UFJ Bank by Jan. 15, completing their merger two and a half months earlier than planned, due to better-than-expected progress toward computer systems integration, Sanwa and Tokai presidents said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2001

Mitsubishi Motors changing gears under new three-year turnaround plan

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is banking on a three-year restructuring effort to change its traditional corporate culture and become a more market-oriented company.
EDITORIALS
Apr 15, 2001

Prepare now for demographic changes

The rapid aging of Japan's population, combined with a steady decline in the birthrate, makes it certain that the productive-age population will begin to fall sharply in the not-so-distant future. As a result, the entire population will also start shrinking, making it necessary to redesign the economic...
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2001

Kyoto university hall faces first repairs in 100 years

The first complete renovation of the Clarke Memorial Hall at Kyoto's Doshisha University, a symbol of one of Japan's oldest private educational institutions, is to begin in 2004, more than a century after the building was completed, university officials said Saturday.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 12, 2001

Handspring holds on to the future

Move over personal computers, you're just not personal enough. Consumers are seeking something sleeker, something less sedentary. Something that will perform more technological acrobatics and perhaps be a little easier to cuddle up with on a rainy day. Or so handheld computer makers and visionaries would...
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2001

Makers to can colored plastic bottles

Soft drink makers and plastic bottle manufacturers have decided to cease production of colored plastic bottles to facilitate recycling, officials of a recycling organization run by the makers said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2001

Tokyo Marine in management switch

Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. said Friday that Kunio Ishihara, its senior managing director, will succeed Kokei Higuchi as president in late June.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2001

Isuzu kicks off bus production in China

Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Wednesday it has started production of large and medium-size buses in China, the first Japanese firm to embark on a venture of this kind.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2001

Hoya to ship glass to U.S. nuclear lab

Japanese glass maker Hoya Corp. plans to resume suspended shipments of glass slabs to the U.S. Energy Department's nuclear weapons research facility, believing the product will not lead to new nuclear development, the company said.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2001

Straining under their weight, bank behemoths strive to survive

All-out competition will break out among Japan's four major banking groups next month in an arena that will host some of the world's largest banks in terms of aggregate assets.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2001

Retailer Mycal names new chief

OSAKA -- Troubled retailer Mycal Corp. on Friday formally named Osamu Shikata, former chief of the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters, as its new president, replacing Kotaro Utsunomiya, who is to become an adviser.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2001

Part-time latte makers could own part of chain

OSAKA -- Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. will introduce a stock option scheme for 1,400 of its 5,000-strong workforce, including part-time workers, the subsidiary of the major U.S. coffee chain said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

National agency to sell space station images

Japan's space agency has announced it will sell the rights to use live broadcasts and video footage from the International Space Station.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2001

Troubled Mycal may ax two stores

OSAKA -- The ailing Mycal Corp. supermarket chain may close the Ofuna Saty store in Yokohama and Shinsaibashi Vivre store in Osaka as part of its three-year restructuring plan, sources said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 8, 2001

Central League to cooperate in Olympic effort

The Central League said Tuesday it will make a concerted effort to allow more of its professional baseball players to join Japan's national baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2001

Effect of Nissan factory closure to linger

Kazuko Shimoda, 62, wasn't surprised when she heard in October 1999 that the Nissan Motor Co. plant across the street from her tobacco store in Musashi-Murayama, western Tokyo, was to close by the end of March.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2001

Effect of Nissan factory closure to linger

Kazuko Shimoda, 62, wasn't surprised when she heard in October 1999 that the Nissan Motor Co. plant across the street from her tobacco store in Musashi-Murayama, western Tokyo, was to close by the end of March.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2001

Residents fear Olympic bid will be mired in politics

OSAKA -- Osaka residents are voicing hope that their city will be viewed favorably by a group of International Olympic Committee officials visiting this week.
OLYMPICS
Feb 27, 2001

Committee starts inspection of island site

OSAKA -- The International Olympic Committee's evaluation committee began their four-day visit to Osaka on Monday by discussing the city's bid for the 2008 Games with Osaka government and business leaders, and by visiting Maishima island in Osaka Bay.

Longform

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