Search - 2005

 
 
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Japan Highway chief sacked

Land minister Nobuteru Ishihara officially sacked Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii on Friday, calling him an obstacle to the government's plan to privatize the debt-strapped entity by 2005.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2003

Koizumi fails to evict LDP elder

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tried Thursday to persuade two octogenarian former prime ministers to retire from politics because of their age, effecting a quiet exit in the case of Kiichi Miyazawa but running up against a brick wall in the shape of Yasuhiro Nakasone.
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2003

Nissan, Renault say alliance is producing results

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- Nissan Motor Co. and French automaker Renault SA are reaping the benefits of their partnership in technological development and businesses in overseas markets, officials of the two companies said Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2003

Nobel laureate wants research facility built -- now

Masatoshi Koshiba, the astrophysicist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize, said Wednesday he has urged a government panel to reconsider its recommendation not to fund an advanced physics research facility.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2003

37th Tokyo Motor Show revs up for the media

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- The 37th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media Wednesday at the Makuhari Messe convention center, showcasing futuristic, environmentally friendly and concept vehicles, motorcycles and the latest technology.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Oct 23, 2003

No rush to judgment

In a meeting in Heidelberg earlier this month, science historians concluded that German science between 1933 and 1945 was exploitative and unethical. The organizer of the meeting, Wolfgang Eckhart, head of history of medicine at the University of Heidelberg, said in Nature last week: "We have proven...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

Japan slowly pulls head out of sand on smoking ills

During the five years since a landmark suit against tobacco manufacturers and the government was filed, slight but steady progress has been made in regulating cigarette sales and advertising.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2003

Japan set to lend Iraq $3.5 billion

Japan will provide Iraq with $3.5 billion in loans over the three years from 2005, which -- along with a $1.5 billion grant for 2004 announced earlier -- will bring total Japanese aid to Iraq to $5 billion, government sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Gifu gives Big Apple taste of local legend

If you mention the name Furuta Oribe, most Japanese will probably give you a blank stare.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2003

Suntory to build new soft-drink plant

Beverage maker Suntory Ltd. said Friday it will construct its second soft-drink plant in Shanghai in 2005 to meet growing demand.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2003

Japan eyes World Heritage listing for Shiretoko Peninsula

The Environment Ministry decided Thursday to recommend the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido for the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage List of 2004.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 17, 2003

New Komeito frets over lack of spotlight

Leaders of New Komeito feel a sense of crisis ahead of the Nov. 9 general election for the House of Representatives.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2003

Japan announces pledge of $1.5 billion to Iraq

Japan will provide Iraq with grants worth $1.5 billion in 2004 to support the country's reconstruction, the government announced Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2003

37th Tokyo Motor Show to feature hybrid, concept cars

Concept models of advanced hydrogen-powered vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrid cars are expected to dazzle visitors to the 37th Tokyo Motor Show beginning Oct. 25, Japanese carmakers said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2003

Fujii demands an open hearing

Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii has requested that an administrative hearing, scheduled for Friday, be opened to the public.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2003

Resona to post 1.76 trillion yen loss on writeoffs

Resona Holdings Inc. said Friday it will post a first-half net loss of 1.76 trillion yen, a stark reversal from originally projected net profits of 22 billion yen.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2003

Antiterrorism law extension OK'd

A House of Councilors committee endorsed a bill Thursday for extending a special law to allow the continued deployment of Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to the Indian Ocean until 2005 to support the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2003

Charming the IMF in Dubai

HONG KONG -- James Wolfensohn, the president of the World Bank, made the most powerful speech of his career at the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund in Dubai last month. It was full of sharp sound bites driving toward a vital central theme that Wolfensohn enunciated...
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2003

Japan Highway chief refuses to step down

Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii on Monday defied an order by transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara to resign, forcing Ishihara to begin the formal process of sacking him.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2003

Japan Highway president is sacked

Land, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Nobuteru Ishihara told Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii on Sunday to hand in his resignation Monday to take responsibility for the semigovernmental firm's controversial balance sheet.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2003

Japan to offer $5 billion over four years to Iraq

The government is considering a plan to provide around $5 billion, or about 550 billion yen, to help reconstruct Iraq in the four years beginning in fiscal 2004, government sources said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2003

Nippon Steel plots major complex

Nippon Steel Corp. said Friday it plans to create one of the world's largest commercial and amusement complexes on idle land currently occupied by its Sakai iron mill in Osaka.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2003

Cigarette packs to carry stern health warnings

The Finance Ministry will order tobacco companies to print stricter health warnings on cigarette packs beginning in July 2005, a ministry official said Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2003

Job security Rengo's No. 1 priority

The Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) presented a policy plan to its members Thursday that focuses on ensuring job security at annual wage talks with employers instead of demanding a uniform wage increase.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2003

Nissan Diesel restructuring plan calls for bailout worth 106 billion yen

Struggling truck maker Nissan Diesel Motor Co. announced Tuesday a new restructuring plan that calls on Nissan Motor Co. and its three main banks to provide a 106 billion yen bailout.

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.