Search - about-us

 
 
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2001

Hansen's disease group to honor foundation chief

A union of 60 groups from 25 countries that have received financial aid to fight Hansen's disease will confer an award on Yohei Sasakawa, president of the Nippon Foundation, for his efforts in the battle against the malady.
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2001

Liabilities far exceed assets

The government's liabilities exceeded its assets by as much as 806.43 trillion yen in fiscal 2000, 28.49 trillion yen more than the year before, according to the national balance sheet released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2001

Draft solid reform plan, Koizumi tells Cabinet

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi instructed his Cabinet on Friday to devise concrete reform measures on priority areas such as education, urban renewal, job creation within the public sector and deregulation of health care.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 15, 2001

Finding market niches to make really good books

Ivan Vartanian makes books. He is not a publisher, nor a commonplace packager. Rather he identifies a niche in the market, lines up the most suitable backing, and then physically puts the book together himself under the company name Goliga Books. All within the constrains of a tiny apartment in Tokyo's...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2001

Number of elderly at record high

The number of Japanese age 65 or older stands at a record 22.72 million, accounting for a record 17.9 percent of the population, the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said in a report Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2001

Stricter security measures ground passenger flights bound for the U.S.

Airlines canceled all passenger flights Friday from Japan to U.S. airports in the face of stricter security requirements to prevent hijackings, Japan Airlines said.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Sep 15, 2001

Kazuko Ogawa

BRIDGEMERE, England -- The garden center in Bridgemere is said to be the largest of its kind in Europe. In the quiet of Cheshire's spreading plains, it is its own world of year-round flowers and plants, trees and garden ideas. It has greenhouses, fish in tanks and rustic furniture. Additionally, and...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2001

Mycal seeks bankruptcy protection after main creditor pulls the plug

Mycal Corp. filed for protection from creditors with the Tokyo District Court on Friday, after Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, its biggest creditor, decided to cut off further financial support to the supermarket chain.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 15, 2001

On flying futons and other mysteries

I've ushered enough tourists through Japan to become expert on answering strange questions about Japanese culture. Here are some of the most common:
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2001

Japan could be key to Asia recovery

Asian countries should cooperate in tackling a looming global recession, and Japan can play a key role in doing so, according to an executive of an international business organization.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2001

Koizumi, Arroyo condemn attack

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday jointly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in the United States, pledging their utmost cooperation in helping the U.S. to fight terrorism.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2001

37 lawmakers, including members of Cabinet, tied to illegal donations

Thirty-seven lawmakers received illegal political donations last year before punishments for corporate donations to individual politicians were enacted in April 2000, according to a government report released Thursday.
COMMUNITY / THE PARENT TRIP
Sep 14, 2001

Disney domination

I should have known that Disney characters would one day take over my home.
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2001

Flight ban having impact on trade: Hiranuma

Trade minister Takeo Hiranuma on Thursday voiced concern over collateral effects this week's horrific terrorist attacks will have on the 24.7 billion yen in goods Japan and the U.S. trade each day.
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 14, 2001

JAWOC mulls second round of World Cup tickets

The Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee said Thursday it may start the second round of ticket sales for next year's World Cup for residents in Japan shortly before the Dec. 1 draw for the tournament.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2001

Japan prompted to drop test-ban pact deadline

The government is expected to omit the 2003 deadline for ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty when it submits a new resolution to the U.N. General Assembly this year, well-placed sources said.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2001

SDF reinforces security at bases

The Defense Agency has reinforced security at Self-Defense Forces facilities nationwide, especially those used jointly with U.S. forces, agency officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2001

Brewers' shipments up 3.7 percent

Combined shipments of beer and "happoshu," a low-malt liquor, rose 3.7 percent in August compared to a year earlier to 654,050 kiloliters, according to data released Wednesday by the nation's five major brewers.
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Sep 13, 2001

A long hike but worth it to see yew again

Now that the oppressive summer heat has finally abated, hiking is much more comfortable. Earlier this month I went to Daisen in Tottori Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2001

Government, LDP at odds over bailouts of ailing firms

The government and tripartite ruling coalition are involved in a tug of war over a proposal to create a commission to help troubled but viable companies rebuild, with coalition lawmakers criticizing the government's noncommittal stance.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2001

Fear, shock push Nikkei below 10,000

Tokyo stocks fell sharply Wednesday, as shock and fear pushed the benchmark Nikkei average of 225 leading stocks below the psychologically sensitive 10,000 mark for the first time in 17 years, closing at 9,610.10.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan