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EDITORIALS
Aug 24, 2006

Plenty of room for other ideas

Foreign Minister Taro Aso became the second person to announce his candidacy for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election next month, following Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the front-runner in the race, is expected to throw his hat into the ring Sept....
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2006

BOJ Policy Board talks net no changes

The Bank of Japan decided Friday to maintain its 0.25 percent short-term interest rate as the central bank's assessment of economic and financial condition in the past month remained unchanged.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2006

Time for a new approach to Pyongyang?

HONOLULU -- Ever since the North Korean fireworks display of missile launches on July 4, the world has watched the spectacle of political leaders and diplomats of America, China, Japan and South Korea scurrying for a response to Pyongyang's leader, Kim Jong Il.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2006

BOJ terminates zero-rate policy

The Bank of Japan ended nearly six years of rock-bottom interest rates Friday, abandoning its "zero-interest-rate policy" and hiking the unsecured overnight call rate to 0.25 percent on the strength of Japan's steadily improving economy.
COMMENTARY
Jul 3, 2006

Regaining the spirit to build

I had thought that Japan's Internet mogul Takafumi Horie, arrested Jan. 23 by public prosecutors for allegedly violating the securities and exchange law, was likely to be the last person to "pay the price" for the excesses associated with the nation's bubble economy from 1987 to 1990.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2006

Trust banks should handle assets, new BOJ member says

Newly appointed Bank of Japan Policy Board member Tadao Noda said Monday that entrusting stockholdings with trust banks is one way to boost the transparency of senior BOJ officials' financial assets.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Singapore no 'heaven,' Yosano tells Murakami

Financial Services Minister Kaoru Yosano warned high-profile fund manager Yoshiaki Murakami on Tuesday against expecting to have free rein in Singapore, where his core fund recently relocated.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2006

E-mail alleges Livedoor told unit to make false purchases

Livedoor Co. asked an online marriage information company suspected of playing a part in its alleged accounting fraud to provide a fictitious profit of 120 million yen to a Livedoor group company in 2004, a Livedoor e-mail message obtained Tuesday by Kyodo News showed.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2006

Japan Post stock firm starts business

A new joint stock company set up by Japan Post began operations Monday in the leadup to privatization, which is scheduled to begin in October 2007.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2005

Dazed Meiji Yasuda seeks outside help

For scandal-hit Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co., the biggest task ahead is how to reflect outsiders' voices in management decisions, newly appointed President Kenji Matsuo said.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2005

MFG sees sharp rise in net profit

Mizuho Financial Group Inc., the country's second-largest banking group by assets, said Monday its group net profit for the first half of fiscal 2005 through September rose 44.7 percent from a year earlier, as the economic recovery boosted the financial health of its corporate borrowers.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2005

Ex-SMBC chief tapped to lead key postal firm

The government said Friday it has selected former Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. President Yoshifumi Nishikawa to run the holding company that will oversee the privatization of the postal system.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

Heads roll at Meiji Yasuda as severity of scandal sinks in

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. said Friday that 11 executives, including President Ryotaro Kaneko, will step down Nov. 30 to take responsibility for the company's repeated failure to pay legitimate insurance claims.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

FSA to make all bourses check systems

Trading on the Nagoya Stock Exchange was suspended Friday morning due to a system malfunction, prompting the Financial Services Agency to say it will order all six of the nation's stock exchanges to submit reports on their computer systems.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2005

FSA punishes Meiji Yasuda once again for unpaid claims

The Financial Services Agency on Friday ordered Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. to suspend part of its operations following the insurer's repeated failure to pay legitimate insurance claims.
Japan Times
Features
Sep 4, 2005

Nagano's champion of change

He is perhaps the most well-known governor in Japan, largely because he has been breaking with tradition ever since he took office in Nagano Prefecture in October 2000.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2005

All insurers told to probe payouts

The Financial Services Agency on Tuesday ordered all 39 life insurance companies operating in Japan to investigate and report by the end of September whether they failed to make due payouts to policyholders over the past five years.
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2005

Meiji Yasuda president to resign

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. President Ryotaro Kaneko announced his intention to resign at a representative members' meeting Tuesday because new cases of the company illegally withholding policy payouts have been discovered.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2005

Ultraloose monetary policy intact, for now

The Bank of Japan will keep its ultraloose monetary policy intact -- but may be inching toward tightening as concerns over the once-shaky financial system recede.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2004

FSA approves Jasdaq's graduation

Kyodo News The Financial Services Agency on Friday granted Jasdaq Market Inc., the operator of an over-the-counter stock market, a license to convert into a full-scale stock exchange.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2004

Mizuho, SMFG loan ills abating

Mizuho Financial Group Inc., the nation's biggest bank by assets, said Monday its first-half net profit fell 8.4 percent from a year earlier but its bad loans shrank due to improved earnings at borrower firms.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2004

Nippon TV corrects shareholding info

Nippon Television Network Corp. has announced a correction in its financial statements, saying shares that had been reported as held by Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman of Yomiuri Shimbun Group Honsha, actually belong to the group's holding company.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2004

UFJ first-half loss to hit 780 billion yen

Ailing UFJ Holdings Inc. announced Friday that it expects a net loss of 780 billion yen for the first half of fiscal 2004 amid pressure to speed up its bad-loan disposals before a planned merger with Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2004

UFJ quickly inks merger pact with MTFG, awaits funds

UFJ Holdings Inc. and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. signed a basic accord Thursday to merge their operations in October next year to create what would be the world's biggest banking group, with assets worth 189 trillion yen.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person