Search - 2005

 
 
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

METI to guarantee loans to MMC units

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday it will support cash-strapped affiliates of scandal-hit Mitsubishi Motors Corp. by offering them guarantees to receive more loans.
EDITORIALS
Jul 12, 2004

Applauding a regional forum

It is tempting to dismiss the just-concluded annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as little more than a talk shop. The statement released at the end of each meeting tends to look like the one before it. Tangible accomplishments are hard to identify. Furthermore, it is difficult to take a...
COMMENTARY
Jul 12, 2004

Summits of East Asian unity

East Asia is moving toward regional integration, albeit at a slow pace. In a series of meetings held in Indonesia from late June to early July, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on a package of measures to expedite economic, financial, political and security integration. This signals...
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Sumitomo, UFJ aim to merge in fall

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. and UFJ Trust Bank are in the final stages of negotiations aimed at moving up the completion of their business integration to the fall, sources close to the deal said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 6, 2004

Prepare for higher interest rates

Japan's economic recovery is spreading across a broader spectrum of industries, according to the Bank of Japan. The latest "tankan" survey on business sentiment, which was conducted in June, showed large manufacturers feeling more confident about business conditions than at any time since the asset-price...
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2004

Toyota launches remodeled Crown Majesta luxury sedan

Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday launched a remodeled version of the Crown Majesta luxury sedan, hoping to make it one of the firm's top cars.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2004

Herbal remedy approval system may change

The government is considering revising approval standards for nonprescription herbal medicines sold at drugstores for the first time in 30 years, officials said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2004

Kerry has potential to further ties, scholar says

If Democratic Sen. John Kerry is elected president of the United States in November, the first half of his administration will be extremely important for Japan-U.S. relations, a prominent U.S. scholar told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2004

Expressway debts: New policy goes on the road to nowhere

By passing expressway legislation that omitted a key part of privatization panel's suggestions, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's political 'style' may now be under scrutiny by politicians and the general public.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 6, 2004

Expressway debts: New policy goes on the road to nowhere

By passing expressway legislation that omitted a key part of privatization panel's suggestions, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's political 'style' may now be under scrutiny by politicians and the general public.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2004

Bureaucrats face a cold shoulder

The National Personnel Authority has decided to reduce allowances for national government employees working in cold districts, personnel authority sources said Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2004

Admiral proposes SDF less run by civilians

The chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force has proposed that uniformed officers be given more say vis-a-vis civilians in the operations of the nation's military, but the Defense Agency chief has no plans to push for this option at present, agency officials said Friday.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jul 2, 2004

Don't expect Shaq deal to happen fast

NEW YORK -- So, Kobe Bryant finally has a start date (Aug. 27) for his Eagle scout trial. This gives him exactly two months from today to unite the community and divide community property.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2004

Japan's soaring debt now more than 700 trillion yen

Japan's outstanding debt rose 4.9 percent from a year ago to a record 703 trillion yen as of March 31, the government said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2004

Bringing science and society closer

The connection between science and technology, on the one hand, and our daily life, on the other, is growing closer and increasingly wide-ranging. To see that relationship, we have only to think of the example of advanced medicine, in which information and images obtained via cell phones or the Internet...
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2004

Toshiba develops miniature fuel cell

Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it has developed a prototype of the world's smallest direct methanol fuel cell that can power hand-held devices such as digital audio players and wireless headsets for mobile phones.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 25, 2004

Trying to pacify Kobe has caused chaos

NEW YORK -- In my concocted dictionary an enabler is someone who waters the weeds.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2004

South Korea, Japan agree to promote yen bonds

Japan and South Korea have agreed to work together toward the issuance of cross-border collateralized bonds denominated in yen to help South Korean small and midsize companies raise funds, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 19, 2004

Walt Disney 'imagineer' also promotes 52 virtues

It has taken John Kavelin 40 minutes to drive from his job as director of design and production at Tokyo Disneyland to his home in Minami Azabu. At least 20 minutes faster than if he took the train, he notes, pleased.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2004

DoCoMo to release smart cell phones

NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced Wednesday it will release next month smart cell phones with debit card, membership card and train ticket functions.
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2004

A crucial vote for Iraq

The United Nations Security Council's vote to formally end the occupation of Iraq is a crucial step toward the restoration of sovereignty and stability in that troubled country. The decision is a milestone, but it is by no means a solution to Iraq's woes. In many ways, the real work begins now, with...
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2004

Iraqi people's trust will be decisive

The people of Iraq may have mixed feelings about the interim government that came into existence last week, for it is an unelected government assembled ostensibly under the aegis of the United Nations but actually under the influence of the United States. Nevertheless, it is set to take over power from...
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2004

UFJ group to sell ailing Aplus to foreign firm

The UFJ group is in the final stages of talks with several foreign financial institutions, including Citigroup Inc. of the United States, to sell struggling consumer finance affiliate Aplus Co., sources close to the talks said Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2004

Haze of perpetual highway debt

The Diet has approved controversial legislation for privatizing the nation's deficit-ridden highway system. The need for privatization is widely recognized, yet doubts remain about the ways and means of achieving it. The fundamental question is whether the new system will really serve the purpose of...
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2004

Ishihara attacks government's reform blueprint

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday said the new government blueprint for economic management and structural reform places a burden on local governments.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.