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JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

Pollen sufferers can thank cold summer for easier 2004

Tree pollen levels are expected to be lower than average in 2004 due to the cold summer last year, according to weather information provider Weathernews Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2004

100 yen video games score millions for software entrepreneur

At a time when playing just one game costs 200 yen on many arcade machines, a Tokyo company is bent on offering gamers a staggering value-for-money option via its 100 yen PC game software.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2004

Dollar now expected to hit 100 yen

The dollar fell to its lowest point against the yen in more than three years this week, prompting fast, sustained and solitary dollar-buying intervention by the Finance Ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Workplace nurseries finding fledgling footing

Decor fit for a trendy beauty salon. A breathtaking view of autumn leaves in a sprawling city park.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2004

Mobile phone giants strive for pre-eminence in 3G market

Anticipating that third-generation services will dominate the mobile phone market within a few years, NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp., and Vodafone K.K. are rolling out new handsets with a range of advanced 3G functions.
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2004

Move afoot for retaining phone numbers

Discussions have finally begun on allowing mobile phone users to keep the same number if they switch carriers, and thus avoid the hassle of having to inform all their contacts about a new number.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2003

Affluence of retirees makes them targets

After losing his wife six years ago, the retired realtor decided to spend the rest of his life in pursuit of his passions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Helper-dog law opening doors, minds

Dozens of new laws and amendments take effect in Japan every year, but only a few open up new worlds for people.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Bankrupt companies failed to disclose risk information

Seven of the 14 listed companies that have gone bust since April did so without previously disclosing information about their business risks, such as excessive debts and huge operating losses, according to a survey conducted by Kyodo News.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Koizumi's key 2004 worries: U.S. economy, yen, pensions

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is facing a number of challenges as he struggles to put the fledgling economic recovery on a more solid footing in 2004.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

DoCoMo to sponsor F-1 racing team

NTT DoCoMo Inc. has agreed to be a sponsor for the Renault Formula One auto racing team, looking to promote its i-mode Internet-accessible mobile phone service in the world market, company officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2003

Chip firms lose holidays to demand

Several major Japanese microchip makers have told staff to give up their New Year holidays to meet a surge in demand resulting from spirited sales of digital home appliances, according to company officials.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2003

Matsushita in China TV system deal

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday it has agreed with two Chinese companies to jointly develop a television broadcast production system based on its semiconductor memory card technology.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2003

New expressways to cost taxpayers 2.4 trillion yen

An advisory panel to the transport minister on Thursday approved construction of some 700 km worth of expressways at a cost of roughly 2.4 trillion yen.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Fujitsu set to forge chip alliance with Sumitomo Electric

Fujitsu Ltd. and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. will merge their compound semiconductor operations this spring in response to growing demand for chips used in digital products and communications devices, Fujitsu officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Ashikaga Financial seeks protection from creditors

Ashikaga Financial Group Inc., the holding company of recently nationalized Ashikaga Bank, said Thursday it has filed for court protection from its creditors with the Tokyo District Court under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Japan's eateries, stores in shock

Reports of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States dealt a blow Wednesday to Japan's food industry, which is still recovering from the fallout over the September 2001 domestic breakout of the fatal brain-wasting disease.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Dec 23, 2003

The sky is just one limit for Toray's foray into carbon fibers

Toray Industries Inc, a major maker of textiles and plastics, is expanding its carbon fiber line, wooing airplane and car manufacturers in the process.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2003

Convenience store sales down again

Sales at convenience stores in Japan dropped 0.7 percent in November from a year earlier on a same-store basis, marking a ninth straight monthly decline, the Japan Franchise Association said Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2003

Resona group nixes Saitama's offer

Banking group Resona Holdings Inc., now undergoing rehabilitation, will turn down Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda's offer to invest 1 billion yen in taxpayer money into the locally operating Saitama Resona Bank, Chairman Eiji Hosoya said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2003

Saitama governments to pump Resona with taxpayer money

The prefectural and municipal governments of Saitama are willing to use roughly 1 billion yen in local taxpayer funds to claim a stake in Saitama Resona Bank, the local arm of Resona Holdings Inc., Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2003

Hussein capture spurs Nikkei surge

Tokyo stocks surged Monday as investors welcomed the weekend capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by buying issues almost across the board.
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2003

Nissay Dowa ties with U.S. insurer

Nissay Dowa General Insurance Co. said Monday it has agreed in principle to form an alliance with U.S. insurer St. Paul Companies Inc. to better serve each other's customers.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2003

Prize curbs an own goal for lotto?

The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, which operates the J. League soccer lottery, is worried about poor ticket sales.

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