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BUSINESS
May 25, 2004

Drugmakers ink merger accord

Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. said Monday they have signed a definitive agreement to merge April 1, 2005, to create the nation's second-largest drugmaker in terms of group sales.
JAPAN
May 25, 2004

Wrangling over new Kobe airport rumbles on

OSAKA -- Tension over the future of airports in the Kansai region boiled over recently, with politicians and business leaders in Kobe and Osaka engaging in public skirmishes with the central government and with each other.
MORE SPORTS
May 24, 2004

Daiwa el Cielo wins Oaks in big upset

The 65th running of the filly classic Oaks was the stage for a huge upset Sunday as Daiwa el Cielo handed the overwhelming favorite Dance in the Mood her first loss.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 24, 2004

Making the shift from 'defensive' to 'offensive' restructuring

Most of the major Japanese corporations have released their earnings results for the latest business year ended in March. Many of them reported brisk earnings, including Toyota Motor Corp., whose net profit topped 1 trillion yen for the first time. According to the Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey and...
COMMENTARY
May 24, 2004

Blowing smoke on tobacco

The government has begun belated efforts to restrict smoking in Japan, which has long been a smokers' haven. In May 2003, the government enacted the Health Promotion Law to reduce exposure to passive smoking. In March it signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control --...
JAPAN
May 23, 2004

Kanebo to seek 100 billion yen in aid

Struggling Kanebo Ltd. has decided to seek financial aid totaling more than 100 billion yen from financial institutions and other parties to help finance its restructuring, according to sources.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2004

Nonlife insurers record profit rise in fiscal 2003

The nation's seven major nonlife insurers on Friday reported an increase in net profit in fiscal 2003, with rising Japanese stock prices offsetting profit falls in their mainstay automobile insurance services.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2004

Sumitomo, UFJ trust units to merge

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. and UFJ Trust Bank said Friday they have agreed to integrate operations to create the biggest trust bank in Japan, eclipsing Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Corp.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2004

State in June to unload Japan Tobacco shares

The Finance Ministry said Thursday it will sell 289,334 shares in the government's holdings of Japan Tobacco Inc. in early June.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2004

Namco sees profit surge 83.3%

Namco Ltd., a maker of video game software and hardware, said Thursday that its group net profit jumped 83.3 percent to 7.55 billion yen in fiscal 2003.
JAPAN
May 21, 2004

Court sides with Mitsubishi execs over shareholder lawsuit

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday rejected a damages suit filed by three Mitsubishi Corp. shareholders against the trading company's executives over massive damages and settlement payouts made in the United States in connection with illegal price-fixing of graphite electrodes.
BUSINESS
May 20, 2004

Hino Motors to build new U.S. plant

Hino Motors Ltd. said Wednesday it will construct a new auto parts plant in the United States to meet growing demand from its parent company, Toyota Motor Corp.
BUSINESS
May 20, 2004

Firms seek help on next-generation DVD

A group of electronics manufacturers from Japan, the United States, South Korea and the Netherlands will ask firms from other industries to help them develop a next-generation DVD, officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2004

Pager service to end 35-year run

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday it will stop accepting new subscriptions for the nation's only nationwide pager service on June 30, marking the end of Japan's full-scale pager service that began more than 35 years ago.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2004

Dentsu's net profit up 35% in '03

Dentsu Inc., Japan's largest advertising agency, said Monday its net profit rose 35 percent to 30.88 billion yen for the year through March, thanks to a one-time gain from a change in the company's pension fund scheme.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2004

Major supermarkets' sales fell following price-tag change

Major supermarket chains saw their sales fall in April from year-before levels, thanks to a legal change in pricing that took effect April 1, company officials said Monday.
JAPAN
May 18, 2004

UFJ Holdings faces 100 billion yen net loss

UFJ Holdings Inc., one of Japan's top four banking groups, will probably book a net loss of some 100 billion yen for 2003, with its loan-loss charges having swelled to about 1 trillion yen, banking sources said Monday.
JAPAN
May 15, 2004

Ishihara didn't pay premiums

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said Friday he did not pay his National Pension System premiums for eight years and one month.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2004

NTT logs record profit; outlook seems less rosy

NTT Corp. said Friday its net profit jumped 2.8-fold to a record 643.86 billion yen for the year through March, helped by strong earnings at its mobile phone unit, NTT DoCoMo Inc.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2004

Sony Bank remains mired in the red

Sony Bank Inc. posted a net loss of 2.1 billion yen in fiscal 2003 for third consecutive annual loss since it started operations.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2004

Ripplewood expresses interest in MMC

Ripplewood Holdings LLC is interested in investing in troubled Mitsubishi Motors Corp., according to sources.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2004

Honda to build Ohio paint facility

Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday its U.S. subsidiary will spend $123 million to construct a new paint facility at one of its two plants in Ohio.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2004

Daiei, while still ailing, now deemed 'out of intensive care unit'

Once a month, bank officials in charge of struggling Daiei Inc.'s financial affairs hold a meeting to assess how well the leading supermarket chain is rebuilding.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2004

Daiei links up with other businesses to target niche customers

Daiei Inc. is collaborating with other businesses for the sake of its survival after nearly collapsing three years ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 11, 2004

Struggling Daiei adapts stores to suit local shoppers' needs

Debt-ridden Daiei Inc. has begun adapting its stores to suit the needs of local shoppers.
Features
May 9, 2004

Translators' icon with rhythm writ large in his lexicon

When people decide to read a book by a foreign author, they may be drawn by what they know of the writer, or by an intriguing title. But for many Japanese readers, the attraction is that a book was translated by Motoyuki Shibata -- and will therefore likely be to their taste as well as his.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami