Search - 2000

 
 
BUSINESS
May 8, 2001

Komatsu profits halve on slow domestic sales

Komatsu Ltd. on Monday reported a consolidated net profit of 6.91 billion yen in fiscal 2000, down 48.4 percent from the previous year.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2001

Nagasakiya gets breathing room

Supermarket chain operator Nagasakiya Co., which is currently protected from creditors under the corporate rehabilitation law, said Monday it has been granted six more months to compile a business rehabilitation plan, due partly to the large number of its creditors.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2001

DoCoMo's 3G service delay raises more questions

Last week's decision by NTT DoCoMo Inc. to scale back the introduction of third generation (3G) mobile phone services confirmed the skepticism of many observers about its launch date. But it proved the company was willing to cut prices to allow more consumers to access its richer, higher-speed content....
JAPAN
May 4, 2001

Humanitarian groups yet to hit their stride

Staff Writer When the Diet was immersed in heated debate in 1992 over whether to send Self-Defense Forces troops to Cambodia for U.N. peacekeeping operations, Toshihiro Shimizu thought that something very important was missing from the discussions.
BUSINESS
May 2, 2001

REITs banked on to ease market fears

As stock market woes and asset deflation continue to cast a cloud over Japan's economic recovery, a new type of investment trust will be introduced this month in a bid to solve these problems in one fell swoop.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2001

Major retailers strive to form new identity

One of the most popular areas on the food floor at Isetan's Tachikawa branch offers not groceries, but quick recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Honda sales soar but profit takes 7.5% dive

Honda Motor Co. posted a record 6.46 trillion yen in consolidated sales in fiscal 2000, but its profits fell mainly due to a rise of the yen against the euro and in expenses, according to the automaker's earnings report released Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Companies predict 1.3% economic growth: survey

Major Japanese companies have predicted 1.3 percent real growth for the economy in fiscal 2001, topping 1 percent for the first time in four years, the government said Friday in releasing results of an annual survey.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2001

Jobless rate held at 4.7% in fiscal '00

The average jobless rate in fiscal 2000 remained unchanged from the previous year at 4.7 percent, the highest since comparable data on an annual basis became available in 1953, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Household spending marks record decline

Salaried workers' households spent less in fiscal 2000 than the previous year for a record fourth straight yearly fall, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2001

Construction orders fell 6% in '00

Construction orders received by Japan's 64 major contractors in fiscal 2000 fell 6 percent from the previous 12 months to 15.37 trillion yen, the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors Inc. said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

'00 yearend growth cut down to 0.7%

Economic growth for the October-December quarter has been revised to a real 0.7 percent from the previously reported 0.8 percent, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

Auto output tops 10 million

Auto production in Japan topped 10 million vehicles in fiscal 2000 for the first time in three years, helped by favorable sales at home and overseas, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Skiing visits to Hokkaido go downhill

The number of skiers who hit the slopes in Hokkaido last winter fell 10.7 percent from a year earlier, according to a local resort group.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2001

Daiei's operating revenue falls below 2 trillion yen

Ailing supermarket operator Daiei Inc. said Tuesday it suffered a 10.2 percent year-on-year decline in fiscal 2000 operating revenue on a parent-only basis, bringing in 1.98 trillion yen and falling below 2 trillion yen for the first time in a decade.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2001

Small firms failing to expand through IT

Despite the steady spread of information technology among smaller companies, firms are failing to utilize IT to expand their business and create new opportunities, according to a government report released Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2001

Police arrest suspected chief of car-theft ring

A man thought to be a member of a car-theft ring in Hachioji has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the theft of 400 cars, police said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2001

Mr. Mori's year in review

A new prime minister of Japan will take office later this month, following the election of a new Liberal Democratic Party president next Tuesday. It does not matter that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has not yet publicly announced his resignation. His exit has been a foregone conclusion for some time....
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2001

Securities firm's failure scorches investors

OSAKA -- The Financial Services Agency on Monday declared an Osaka-based mortgage-backed securities company insolvent, sending shock waves across the country as 20,000 investors saw their principals suddenly vanish.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

Workers to get more days off for Golden Week

Employees of major companies in Japan will get an average of 7.3 consecutive days off work during the Golden Week holiday season, according to a Labor Ministry survey released this week.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2001

FSA eyes strict rules on rescued banks

The Financial Services Agency will require banks to take drastic restructuring plans, including changes in top management, if they fall into the red and skip dividends after receiving public funds, according to a draft of guidelines obtained by Kyodo News.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 11, 2001

So far, so good for Tigers' foreign contingent

Most everyone (including this writer) picked the Hanshin Tigers to finish last in the Central League standings in 2001 for the third straight season. However, nine games into the schedule, the team does not look so bad. There are some good looking young players (rookie shortstop Yoshinori Okihara, for...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 11, 2001

Signs of an artistically lived life

Living in a country where reading involves interpreting thousands of characters from four different writing systems, it is interesting to reflect on the economy of the English-language alphabet. Isn't it just a little amazing that everything from Shakespeare to the newspaper you are holding in your hands...
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2001

ID system keeps alcohol vending machines handy

It means an additional search through your wallet before cracking open a cold beer from the liquor vending machines most of us take for granted. But rest assured, it's for a good cause.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2001

Space agencies agree to unite rocket efforts

Three government-affiliated space agencies signed an agreement Friday to cooperate in technological development following mishaps with the government's launch of rockets in 1999 and 2000, officials said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2001

A view of the world from sidewalk level

Nami Kawase finds it hard to sit down. The world is too exciting. There are too many people to talk to, even if she can't speak their language.
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2001

UFJ to detail extra measures for restructuring this month

UFJ Holdings Inc. is to announce further bold restructuring programs later this month, in addition to those unveiled in March.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?