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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 8, 2002

Cashing in far away

Akihisa Fujita has always been a night owl. The 32-year-old former bartender spent much of his 20s serving drinks at high-end establishments in Tokyo's Ginza and Yoyogi-Uehara districts, all the while dreaming of owning his own.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 8, 2002

There's cows in them there hills

Even today, most of the "milk" in Japan is soymilk, eaten as tofu. The lactic sort, from cows, may be steadily growing in popularity, but consumption per person is still only around a liter a week, according to government data issued last year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 1, 2002

New ways to kei-mmunicate

"The day is coming when telegraph wires will be laid on to houses just like water or gas -- and friends will converse with each other without leaving home."
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2002

BOJ starts buying commercial banks' shareholdings

The Bank of Japan began buying shares held by banks Friday, taking on increased risk in a bid to help banks unwind cross-held shareholdings with borrowers.
EDITORIALS
Nov 28, 2002

Staving off banking disaster

The latest financial reports from Japan's major commercial banks tell more of the same story: The huge overhang of nonperforming loans continues to block a return to health. To be sure, banks made a profit in their main lines of business in the first six months of fiscal 2002, as they did in previous...
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Takeda signs R&D pact with Albany Molecular

Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd. said Wednesday it has signed an agreement to conduct joint research and development on new pharmaceuticals with New York-based biotechnology venture Albany Molecular Research Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2002

Game software firms Enix, Square to merge on April 1

Game software makers Enix Corp. and Square Co. said Tuesday they have agreed to merge on April 1 to bolster their earnings base and development capacity.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2002

Pokka to sell stake in U.S. unit

Soft-drink maker Pokka Corp. said it will sell all of its equity holdings in a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary to Coca-Cola Co. in December.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2002

Seiyu to sell financing unit to Lone Star

Major supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd. said Monday it will sell Tokyo City Finance Co. to the U.S. investment fund Lone Star Group on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2002

Mizuho restructuring program to include 10% wage cut

The Mizuho Financial Group has worked out a restructuring program, which includes an average salary cut of more than 10 percent from fiscal 2003, sources close to the program said Sunday.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2002

Towa Real Estate reports big losses

Towa Real Estate Development Co., which has requested a huge debt waiver, reported on Thursday net losses of 82.51 billion yen for the fiscal first half through September.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Nov 22, 2002

A taste of theater with a twist

There's about to be a hanging at Tokyo's Hibiya High School -- and the auditorium is packed with students who've come to see it.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2002

Mitsui ties with Yoshimoto Kogyo

Trading house Mitsui & Co. said Thursday it has tied up with Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., a leading entertainment production group, to produce and sell "shochu" distilled spirits.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2002

Plunging ad revenues hit Nippon Television profit

Nippon Television Network Corp. said Thursday its group net profit for the first half to Sept. 30 plunged 45.3 percent from a year earlier to 10.87 billion yen. Group pretax profit fell 35.9 percent to 23.1 billion yen on a 9.3 percent drop in operating revenues to 170.37 billion yen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2002

Daiei kicks off crucial nationwide sale with help from Oh

Struggling supermarket chain Daiei Inc. started Thursday a crucial yearend sale at its 271 stores across the country.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2002

Wowow maneuvers into the black

Satellite broadcaster Wowow Inc. said Thursday it swung back into the black in the fiscal first half to Sept. 30 due largely to cost cuts.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2002

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi to cut benefits

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi will cut its employee pension benefits by up to 20 percent in an effort to reduce costs and bolster its financial position, a bank spokesman said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2002

JT seeks discount on leaf tobacco

Japan Tobacco Inc. said Wednesday it has sought the first reduction in the purchasing price of leaf tobaccos in seven years.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2002

DVD group to license audio patents

An industry body representing seven developers of DVD technology and formats said Tuesday it will start global licensing of patents for DVD-audio and recordable DVD products in early January.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2002

UFJ may integrate bank operations

The UFJ financial group may integrate the banking operations of UFJ Bank and UFJ Trust Bank by around January 2005, group officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2002

Asia Global Crossing selects buyer

Financially troubled Asia Global Crossing Ltd. will sell its business and assets to Asia Netcom Corp., a planned joint venture to be set up by a group of investors, Asia Global Crossing's Japanese unit said Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2002

Air-cleaner maker just blowing smoke

The Fair Trade Commission has warned air-cleaner maker Tornex Inc. about misleading consumers, sources close to the case said Monday.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2002

Snow Brand to partially sell stake in Yukijirushi Access

Snow Brand Milk Products Co. said Monday it will sell part of its stake in Yukijirushi Access Inc. to transport equipment maker Toyota Industries Corp. and four other firms later this month.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2002

NTT posts first-ever fall in consolidated revenues

Telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. reported Monday that its consolidated sales fell 1.7 percent to 5.37 trillion yen in the fiscal first half to Sept. 30, marking the first-ever decline in revenue since the firm's privatization in 1985.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2002

Debt waivers give builder Daikyo healthy profit

Daikyo Inc., a leading condominium builder known for its Lions Mansion condos, said Friday it posted a 383.74 billion yen group net profit in the six months to Sept. 30 due to debt-waivers by four banks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Nov 16, 2002

'Oden' is secret weapon in 24-hour stores' war for customers

For many modern urban residents, the typical harbinger of winter is the smell of "oden" steaming on the convenience store counter.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 16, 2002

East meets West moves over for East meets East

While accepting that cultural exchange is hardly a new concept, Astrid (de los Rios) Nishimaki has her own very individual slant on the subject. "My aim is to bring Latin America, Arab countries and Japan closer together through the lingua franca of artists and creators."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 16, 2002

Michiko Mitarai

This week has seen ceremonies setting up a new relationship between Goucher College, Baltimore, and Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo. An agreement reached for cultural and educational exchange between the two institutions represents, in fact, a rediscovery of an old, essential connection. For Michiko...
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Nov 15, 2002

University-business tieup breathing life into crafts

KYOTO -- Kimiko Oike, a professional maker of "mizuhiki," or decorative strings, knows she has a lot to learn from amateurs.

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