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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 1, 2001

Ohkura brings kabuki to life

KABUKI TODAY: The Art and Tradition. Photographs by Shunji Ohkura, text by Iwao Kamimura, translated by Kirsten McIvor. Introduction by Donald Keene. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2001, 194 pp., profusely illustrated. 5,800 yen. This lavish volume, as extravagant as the kabuki itself, is devoted to...
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2001

Mitsui Construction gets 142 billion yen debt waiver

Mitsui Construction Co. said Thursday its nine main creditors have agreed to waive 141.97 billion yen in claims on outstanding loans to the financially troubled construction company.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2001

With budget passed, focus turns to Mori

The 82.65 trillion yen fiscal 2001 state budget, featuring a record-high 48.66 trillion yen to fund policies to bolster the economy, was enacted Monday evening.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2001

Mori arrives in Russia for talks with Putin over isles

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Saturday started a two-day visit to Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over a territorial row that has prevented the two nations from signing a peace treaty.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 23, 2001

'Little' Matsui sets sights on quadruple crown

Now that seven-time Pacific League batting champion Ichiro Suzuki has left the Orix BlueWave for the Seattle Mariners, this year's PL hitting title will be up for grabs.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2001

NPA targets rise in crimes by Chinese

Despite a 10 percent drop in crimes by foreigners in Japan in 2000, those committed by Chinese rose by 9 percent, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 22, 2001

Toshiba drives up its sales targets

Toshiba Corp. said Wednesday that it has set its consolidated sales target for fiscal 2003 at 7.9 trillion yen, up more than 30 percent from fiscal 2000.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 22, 2001

What's in store for the third Musketeer?

By now Ichiro Suzuki is making a name for himself in America. The only question is what that name is. When The Associated Press and some other news organizations report on the former Orix BlueWave star, they refer to a player named "Suzuki." But back here in Japan he's always been known as "Ichiro."...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2001

Officials reprimanded for accepting KSD treats

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Wednesday reprimanded eight senior officials who were treated by scandal-tainted mutual aid organization KSD to meals and games of golf.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

Mitsui Construction plans 20 billion yen share issue

Financially troubled Mitsui Construction Co. decided at an extraordinary board meeting Tuesday to issue 20.4 billion yen worth of new shares late this month to 11 creditor financial institutions and its mercantile arm, Sanken Corp., the company announced.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

October-December GDP grew 0.8%

Japan's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent during the October-December period, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2001

History will affirm Kim's heroism, vision

SEOUL -- A classical drama consists of five acts. Usually, the key part occurs in the third act. In this regard, the North Korea policy of South Korean President Kim Dae Jung may have something in common with classical theater.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 10, 2001

Timetable for a departure

On March 5, the Lower House voted down an opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. Theoretically, the apparent vote of confidence for the Mori Cabinet should have restored a semblance of political stability, but things do not work that way in Japanese...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

A big year for the J. League

Japanese soccer made a significant step last year with victory in the Asian Cup. For me, it was like the halfway point to the World Cup and it really represented a victory for the J. League clubs and the work they have put in.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Ministry white paper urges clarification in aid policies

Japan should clarify its priorities regarding foreign aid to China, the Foreign Ministry said in a draft annual report on aid presented Thursday to a ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2001

Hitachi Chemical sees profit rise

Major synthetic resin maker Hitachi Chemical Co. said Wednesday it has revised upward its parent-only net profit projection for fiscal 2000 to 7.9 billion yen from the 6 billion yen forecast earlier.
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Mar 8, 2001

Business law changes just scratch surface

Satoshi "Sonny" Koike believes Japan's commercial laws are rigid and inhibitive. Instead of accepting the status quo, however, the 41-year-old entrepreneur has used loopholes in vaguely worded legal terms to stake a claim in the fast-changing world of the Internet.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2001

State may redefine 'deflation'

The central government is considering relaxing its definition of deflation amid continuing falls in consumer prices, government sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2001

Moody's expects securities to grow

Moody's Investors Service Inc. said Wednesday that Japan's securitization market is expected to grow 20 percent to 40 percent in 2001 from the previous year to be worth between 3 trillion yen and 3.5 trillion yen.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2001

Cheap burgers add sauce to McDonald's sales

Favorable sales of half-priced hamburgers boosted earnings of McDonald's Co. (Japan) last year, with its sales for 2000 expanding 9.3 percent to a record high of 431.1 billion yen for the seventh straight year-on-year rise, the company said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2001

Effect of Nissan factory closure to linger

Kazuko Shimoda, 62, wasn't surprised when she heard in October 1999 that the Nissan Motor Co. plant across the street from her tobacco store in Musashi-Murayama, western Tokyo, was to close by the end of March.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2001

Effect of Nissan factory closure to linger

Kazuko Shimoda, 62, wasn't surprised when she heard in October 1999 that the Nissan Motor Co. plant across the street from her tobacco store in Musashi-Murayama, western Tokyo, was to close by the end of March.
BUSINESS
Feb 27, 2001

FamilyMart to close 500 shops

FamilyMart Co., the third-largest convenience store chain operator, will close some 500 unprofitable shops during fiscal 2001, the company announced Monday.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 22, 2001

Internet auctions boom

Kazutoshi Kitazawa, a 37-year-old university professor, has been bidding and selling in online auctions for two years. When he feels like upgrading his computer, he browses through Yahoo! Japan's auction Web site to buy memory cards and other computer components at bargain prices. When he decides the...
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2001

Osaka budgets 3.8 trillion yen for 2001

OSAKA -- The Osaka Prefectural Government announced a 3.8 trillion yen budget plan Tuesday for fiscal 2001 that will reduce personnel costs for the third consecutive year.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2001

Osaka budgets 3.8 trillion yen for 2001

OSAKA -- The Osaka Prefectural Government announced a 3.8 trillion yen budget plan Tuesday for fiscal 2001 that will reduce personnel costs for the third consecutive year.

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?