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JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 31, 2012

Passage hinges on Ozawa, opposition

Despite the Cabinet's approval Friday of a sales tax hike bill that sparked months of dissent and resistance from the ruling party's ranks, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda may find that in the deadlocked Diet, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2012

Cabinet OKs bill to double sales tax by '15

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his ruling Democratic Party of Japan-led government managed to submit the contentious bill to the Diet on Friday to double the consumption tax to 10 percent by 2015, while junior coalition partner Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) was on the verge of collapsing over...
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2012

Experts: 10% tax too minor to dent deficit

The Cabinet on Friday made good on its vow and moved forward on doubling the consumption tax by 2015, but some experts and lawmakers already see it as only a tiny step in cutting the ever-expanding fiscal deficit.
COMMENTARY
Mar 28, 2012

The symmetry of slaughter

After Mohamed Merah died in a hail of French police bullets last Thursday, people who had known him talked about "a polite and courteous boy" who liked "cars, bikes, sports and girls." His friends had trouble believing that he had murdered seven people, including three children, in a 10-day killing spree...
COMMENTARY
Mar 27, 2012

Bizarre logic of America's 'freedom' campaign

The Afghans are a proud people with a long and formidable history of resistance to foreign occupation. The fact that they have always prevailed should not distract from the horror they still routinely experience.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2012

JGBs, not tax hikes, way to go, Sakakibara says

Japan should issue more bonds to help boost the economy instead of attempting tax hikes, which might stifle a recovery, said Eisuke Sakakibara, a former Finance Ministry official.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2012

Foes to sales tax hike in DPJ impede bill

The administration and the Democratic Party of Japan failed again Thursday to form a consensus among party members on the contentious consumption tax hike, postponing until next week a planned Cabinet meeting to formalize the bill.
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2012

Copper producers eye boost in exports

Japan's copper producers may increase exports in the coming years to make up for shrinking domestic demand as manufacturers head overseas to avoid higher costs and the impact on sales of a stronger yen, according to Pan Pacific Copper Co.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2012

BOJ to beef up loan supply for prospective growth sectors

The Bank of Japan said Tuesday it will maintain its zero interest rate policy while enhancing its loan scheme for prospective growth industries to ¥5.5 trillion, up from ¥3.5 trillion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / SOUTH KOREAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Mar 9, 2012

Deeper cooperation urged for key East Asian powers to sustain growth

China, with its increasingly assertive diplomacy and rapid military buildup, is a common security threat for Japan and South Korea, but the two countries also need to work with China as a partner in East Asia's economic growth, veteran journalists from South Korea said in a recent symposium in Tokyo....

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji