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JAPAN
Aug 14, 2002

Child-care service company offers peace of mind for working mothers

OSAKA -- Rieko Ueda started her own business a year ago and expects it to turn a profit early next year, and yet part of her wishes it will someday go bankrupt.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2002

'Structured finance market' to swell to 5 trillion yen: S&P

The active flotation of mortgage-backed securities and securities backed by loans to businesses is likely to expand the size of Japan's "structured finance market" to 5 trillion yen in 2002, a U.S. credit-rating agency has said.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2002

Sky Perfect scores World Cup own goal

Sky Perfect Communications Inc. said Tuesday its group net loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2002 grew more than sixfold from the year before to 19.36 billion yen due to huge costs related to its broadcasting of the World Cup soccer finals.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2002

Indian software services firm seeks to defy recession

Despite a prolonged recession in Japan and a language barrier, Wipro Ltd., a major Indian software services firm, is moving aggressively to take a bigger bite of the market here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CLOSE NEIGHBORS
Aug 10, 2002

Japanese firms fight back against Chinese copies

A Panasonic CD player, Sony headphones, Toshiba batteries. An extensive array of well-known, Japanese-made products is displayed at an office in Beijing, giving the impression that they are designed to promote imports.
EDITORIALS
Aug 9, 2002

A setback in fiscal reform

Earlier in his administration, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi projected an image of aggressive leadership as he called for "no pain, no gain" structural reform. His bold plans included streamlining the bloated government budget. With the economy still struggling to recover, however, he seems to have...
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2002

Shiokawa wary of corporate tax cut

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Thursday it would be "extremely difficult" to carry out permanent tax cuts as part of proposed reductions of more than 1 trillion yen for fiscal 2003.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2002

Yamato Kogyo to acquire Korean steelmaker Hanbo

Yamato Kogyo Co., the nation's major electric furnace steelmaker, said Wednesday it has agreed to buy South Korean electric furnace steelmaker Hanbo Corp. in late October.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2002

Snow, Otsuka in baby-products deal

Snow Brand Milk Products Co. announced Wednesday it has abandoned talks with Nestle Japan Holding Ltd. over a baby-care products alliance and has instead reached an agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2002

Wireless LAN services untether Internet surfers on the go

With high-speed wireless Internet connection points springing up at retail businesses in Tokyo and other cities, Kazuhiko Sekimoto has become one of many a mobile Internet surfers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 7, 2002

Artists of the Sun King eclipsed

Even as art galleries and museums around the world contend with falling visitor numbers, stepping inside a Japanese museum can feel more like braving Mitsukoshi on the first day of the summer sales.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2002

Mitsui sees group profits fall 24.6%

Trading house Mitsui & Co. said Tuesday its group pretax profits for the April-June quarter fell 24.6 percent from a year earlier to 22.16 billion yen, while revenues slipped 7.9 percent to 2.92 trillion yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2002

New rules unveiled to revitalize trading on stock markets

Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa on Tuesday unveiled a package of measures intended to ease regulations on stock transactions and lure more individual investors into the market.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Key gauge shows continuing expansion

Japan's key gauge of the economy stayed above the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the fifth month in a row in June, thanks to continued robustness in output-related indicators, the government said Monday in a preliminary report.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2002

Suzuki allegedly helped contractor by limiting competition on projects

Arrested lawmaker Muneo Suzuki attempted to ensure that a favored contractor won bids on public works projects by excluding competitors, sources said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2002

S&P lowers credit ratings of Fujitsu and Toshiba

Standard & Poor's Corp. said Friday it has cut the corporate credit rating of electronics maker Fujitsu Ltd. to BBB minus pi from BBBpi, citing weak earnings from sluggish sales of telecommunications equipment and semiconductor products.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Aug 1, 2002

Time for Japan to face up to AIDS threat

KOBE -- For many Japanese, AIDS has long been regarded as someone else's problem.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Tax revenue shortfall puts general account in the red

The main budget for government operations posted a 500 million yen deficit in fiscal 2001, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Aug 1, 2002

Dollar selloff takes breather

The dollar, on the sell side for 3 1/2 months, sank to the 115 yen level a fortnight ago and hit parity with the euro.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 1, 2002

Support groups for foreign spouses and kimono essentials

Since it's too hot to hang around chatting, let's plunge straight in.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Sharp bucks trend with plan to hire 130 midcareer staff

Sharp Corp. will hire 130 midcareer workers this year, despite a general trend among consumer electronics companies to downsize amid stagnation in the information technology sector, company officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Nissan launches new model of Fairlady Z sports car

In the latest attempt to revive its name, Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday launched the new version of its flagship Fairlady Z sports car -- two years after production of the vehicle was terminated.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

Daiei unsure if first-half targets can be achieved

Struggling retail giant Daiei Inc. is uncertain if it can achieve its business targets for the first half of this business year, Daiei President Kunio Takagi said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

Tokyo price index falls for 34th straight month

The key gauge of consumer prices in Tokyo dropped 1 percent in July from a year earlier, for a record 34th straight monthly fall, the government said Friday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

Nomura sees pretax profits decline 65.3% in first quarter

Brokerage giant Nomura Holdings Inc. said Friday its group pretax profits for the April-June quarter plunged 65.3 percent from a year earlier to 18.37 billion yen.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2002

Mobile security standard developed

Three Japanese and two foreign electronics firms announced Thursday the creation of a mobile commerce extension standard that will enable flash memory cards to be used for secure shopping and banking via mobile devices.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2002

METI to OK excess energy sales by private power facilities

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to lift the ban on the retail supply of electricity generated at small private power facilities, METI officials said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 23, 2002

Invisible hand vs. sleight of hand

During the past few weeks, the world has rendered a verdict on U.S.-style capitalism and the results are not pretty. Markets are plunging, the dollar is shedding value against major currencies and executives have been thrown to the lions. There is a crisis of confidence in U.S. business, and rightfully...

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