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Japan Times
JAPAN
May 13, 2004

Pension scandal hits New Komeito

New Komeito sent further shock waves through the ruling bloc and the government Wednesday by announcing that 13 of its lawmakers, including party leader Takenori Kanzaki, had failed to pay obligatory pension premiums.
JAPAN
May 8, 2004

Fukuda resigns from Cabinet

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda shocked the political arena Friday by stepping down for mishandling the issue of public pension premiums that some Cabinet members -- including himself -- failed to pay.
JAPAN
May 3, 2004

Distrust in pension framework growing

The recent revelations that seven Cabinet ministers, as well as the current and former leaders of the largest opposition party, have been delinquent in paying their mandatory pension premiums have further fueled public distrust of the basic public pension framework.
JAPAN
May 3, 2004

Distrust in pension framework growing

The recent revelations that seven Cabinet ministers, as well as the current and former leaders of the largest opposition party, have been delinquent in paying their mandatory pension premiums have further fueled public distrust of the basic public pension framework.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2004

Key ministers admit ducking pension fees

Four more Cabinet ministers, including Chief Cabinet secretary Yasuo Fukuda, and opposition leader Naoto Kan said Wednesday they failed to pay mandatory premiums for the basic pension system.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2004

Pension reform bills driven past committee

Amid growing public distrust of the pension system, the ruling coalition rammed government-sponsored pension reform legislation through a House of Representatives committee Wednesday in the opposition's absence.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2004

Postal privatization might hurt Japanese government bonds: economists

Privatize post offices and you may risk damaging the most trusted financial vehicle in Japan: the government bond.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

Japan Post sees international business as cornerstone

Japan Post aims to beef up its international business to survive intensifying global competition ahead of its planned privatization beginning in 2007, according to Masaharu Ikuta, president of the government-owned entity.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Parties face off with competing pension plans

Pension reform proposals put forward by the Democratic Party of Japan set the stage for a political showdown with the ruling bloc over what figures to be a key issue in the House of Councilors election in July.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2004

Koizumi pledges passage of pension reform bills

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday reiterated his determination to have government-sponsored pension reform legislation enacted during the ongoing Diet session.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2004

Coalition irons out pension plan

The ruling coalition reached final agreement Wednesday on a pension reform program that includes a phased premium increase for salaried workers and benefit decrease to cope with the rapidly graying society.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2003

Ruling coalition agrees to hike pension premium to 18.35%

After a lengthy political tug of war, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito agreed Tuesday night that public pension premiums paid by the average salaried worker should be raised to 18.35 percent of annual income from the current 13.58 percent.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 28, 2003

Convicted Briton says he was drug run patsy

Most of us can name a time when our lives changed forever, but few can do so as precisely as Nicholas Baker: 11.30 a.m. on April 13, 2002.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2003

Outstanding JGBs forecast to hit 929.9 trillion yen

The outstanding balance of government bonds by March 31, 2017, the end of fiscal 2016, will amount to 929.9 trillion yen if deflation continues and economic growth remains sluggish through the end of fiscal 2006, according to a Finance Ministry estimate released Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2002

Study sees more elderly, more troubles

A recent study by a university research institute forecasts not only a more significant rapid aging of Japanese society than had initially been anticipated, but also an increase in the number of elderly people needing nursing care and assistance.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2001

Shinkansen tax break eyed for JR Tokai

The transport ministry may give tax relief to Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) in an attempt to reduce the financial burden stemming from the carrier's repairs to the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, ministry officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2000

Costly Kansai airport plagued by pullouts, rivals, debts, sea

OSAKA -- Six years after opening, Kansai International Airport is struggling to stay above water -- literally and figuratively.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 1997

Japan to finance Egypt bridge project with 12 billion yen

Japan will provide Egypt with about 12 billion yen in grant-in-aid to help the Middle East nation build a bridge across the Suez Canal as part of its efforts to develop the Sinai Peninsula, government officials said April 15.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 22, 2023

Gamers to receive education about doping rules during Olympic Esports Week

WADA said last month that the Global Esport Federation (GEF) approached it about putting together an education program, a potential first step toward embracing the global anti-doping code.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 21, 2023

Sumo needs to control its narrative as its popularity rises abroad

As awareness of the sport increases internationally and its global fanbase continues to expand, it’s important that sumo works hard to counter false information.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 21, 2023

Unlocking climate trillions with a global plan from a sinking island

A summit in Paris this week will bring together the heads of government from more than 100 countries to grapple with financial scarcity as the single-biggest impediment to climate action.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 21, 2023

Washington recruits dogs and cats in war on rodents

There were nearly 13,400 calls to a city hotline for rat issues in 2022, up around 2,000 on the year before, according to local media reports. Now, some residents are fighting back.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2023

Japan's law firms look overseas as competition heats up at home

Tokyo’s law firms have sought to tap into markets with a high volume of Japanese businesses, but competition and image issues remain a challenge.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jun 20, 2023

When is an esport not an esport? Olympic event puzzles gamers

The IOC officially recognized esports as a sport in 2017 and has been in discussions with industry players about inclusion on the most prestigious stage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Jun 19, 2023

Sendai protein producer leaps ahead by engaging people with disabilities

Behind its success is the company's vast product lineup, which comes in small lots, and its outsourcing of manufacturing to welfare facilities for people with disabilities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2023

Their parents made China the world's factory. Can the children save the family business?

Tens of thousands of young Chinese are inheriting businesses that can no longer rely on labor-intensive models that made China the world's largest exporter.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 19, 2023

Meeting showcases region’s progress in disaster recovery

The G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting in May put the spotlight on Sendai’s cutting-edge research and technology, its growing capacity to host world-class meetings, as well as milestones in its ongoing recovery from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. At the same time, delegations from...
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 18, 2023

How Japan's top soccer league is striving to become a climate leader

As the league continues to grow, and as climate change wreaks havoc on operations, its quest to bring healthier lifestyles to the Japanese public has expanded into environmental issues.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past