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BUSINESS
Feb 27, 2004

Panel adopts 'portable' telephone number plan

A telecommunications ministry study panel adopted a draft proposal Thursday that the ministry introduce a system to enable mobile phone users to retain their numbers when switching from one service provider to another.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2004

Simmons marks 40th anniversary

Simmons Co., the Japanese partner of the U.S. bedding maker, unveiled on Wednesday a series of new bed models to commemorate the 40th anniversary of operations in Japan.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2004

'Portable' mobile phone numbers to receive boost

A study panel at the telecommunications ministry is set to propose a new system in which mobile phone users can retain their phone numbers when they switch from one provider to another, ministry sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2004

Yamanouchi, Fujisawa to merge

Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday they have agreed to merge in a bid to survive intensifying global competition.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2004

Cats files for bankruptcy amid management scandal

Pest-control firm Cats Inc. filed for bankruptcy Monday, saying it failed to obtain lenders' support after its executives were arrested for allegedly manipulating its share price.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2004

Nakata inks promotion deal with Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. said Friday it has agreed with Japanese soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata on a deal for commercial appearances and cooperation in the company's social action programs.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2004

MFG names new Mizuho Bank chief

Mizuho Financial Group. Inc. said Friday that MFG Vice President Seiji Sugiyama will become president of Mizuho Bank, the group's largest retail unit.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2004

Rakuten reports profit now in record territory

Rakuten Inc., Japan's biggest Internet shopping mall operator, said Thursday that its group pretax profit surged 97.9 percent in the year to Dec. 31 from the previous year to a record 4.44 billion yen on an increase in tenants at its mall.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2004

Chain turns to Aussie beef to keep 'gyudon' on menu

Kobe Lamptei Inc., a fast-food restaurant chain, said Thursday it will continue serving its main "gyudon" beef-on-rice dish beyond April by using Australian beef.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2004

DoCoMo may sell off 16% stake in AT&T

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Wednesday that it might sell its 16 percent stake in AT&T Wireless following an agreement by Cingular Wireless LLC to purchase the No. 3 mobile carrier in the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2004

E-money becomes smart way to pay

An increasing number of people are using e-money systems when paying for train tickets, shopping at stores and making other payments.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2004

The market for 'hot' underwear is heating up

"Heat-generating" fibers developed by Japanese textile manufacturers utilizing the water-absorbing, quick-drying functions of artificial fibers are warming up the underwear market.
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2004

Struggling Seiyu blames 7 billion yen loss on cold weather

Supermarket operator Seiyu Ltd. said Tuesday its group net loss for the 10 months ending in December came to 7 billion yen, blaming the red ink on the unseasonably cold summer.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2004

Kanebo eyes IRCJ instead of Kao deal

In a sudden turn of events, Kanebo Ltd. said Monday it has scrapped a plan to sell its core cosmetics business to Kao Corp. and instead will seek a government bailout.
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2004

TSE listing reflects Shinsei's return to viability

Demonstrating its successful revival, Shinsei Bank, the successor to the failed Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, will list its shares Thursday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
JAPAN / TALKING SHOP
Feb 16, 2004

Karaoke learning curve put telecom executive on right line

For Eric Gan, chief financial officer of broadband service firm eAccess Ltd., keeping up with the latest telecom technology terms in Japanese is not difficult. Coping with business customs here is.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2004

McDonald's Holdings posts 7 billion yen net loss

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Friday it posted a net loss of 7.12 billion yen for 2003, with weak sales and heavy restructuring costs forcing the company into its second consecutive losing year.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2004

NTT union opts against raise bid

The labor union of NTT Corp. formally announced its decision Monday not to seek -- for the fourth straight year -- an across-the-board pay-scale hike in spring wage talks.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2004

Shinsei Bank sets IPO price at 525 yen for listing on TSE

Shinsei Bank said Monday it will make an initial public offering at 525 yen per share when it lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Feb. 19.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2004

Japan Tobacco increases pretax profit forecast

Japan Tobacco Inc. said Monday it has raised its group pretax profit forecast for fiscal 2003 to 197 billion yen from 187 billion yen, due to cost cuts in its domestic tobacco operations.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2004

Don Quijote chief made loan to stock suspect

The Don Quijote Co. discount store chain disclosed Monday that its president, Takao Yasuda, provided loans to a former Cats Inc. executive who has been arrested on suspicion of manipulating that company's share price.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2004

Unison Capital eyes Kanebo cosmetics

Venture capital firm Unison Capital Inc. said Monday it has proposed taking over Kanebo Ltd.'s cosmetics operations, challenging Kao Corp.'s bid for the operations.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Takefuji drops lawsuits targeting magazine piece

Takefuji Corp. dropped its lawsuit against a freelance journalist and a major magazine publisher Friday, withdrawing its demand for 200 million yen in damages over reporting of the company's alleged collusion with police.

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