Search - 2005

 
 
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2002

Ministry to seek more funds to deal with packed prisons

The Justice Ministry will seek a sharp increase in its fiscal 2003 budget to address the problem of overcrowding in Japan's prisons and request a "research budget" to build the first new prisons in about 20 years, ministry sources said.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2002

English school exec sees kids as growth market

English-conversation schools in Japan are facing a major business opportunity as demand for their services for children increases, according to a senior local official of a top chain of foreign-language schools.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Textbook makers given freer hand in curricula

The education ministry announced Wednesday that it will allow textbook publishers to stray from its guidelines under certain conditions beginning next year.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2002

FTA with Chile just isn't in the cards

Widely known as a feverish operagoer, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may politely but disappointingly tell an exasperated Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, "Please wait patiently until the fat lady sings."
Japan Times
JAPAN / CLOSE NEIGHBORS
Jul 11, 2002

Japan's carmakers tooling up for China

BEIJING -- Zhao Xue Bo, an international relations researcher at Beijing Broadcasting Institute, a national university, has been saving money for some time to buy a new car.
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2002

BTM to lend 1 trillion yen by '05

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi plans to make 1 trillion yen in new loans to corporate and individual customers by March 2005, bank officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2002

Honda, Nissan increase sales as rivals' pace slows

Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. posted increases in domestic auto sales in May, while the three other major Japanese automakers saw their sales slip, according to data released Friday by the carmakers.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2002

Project team proposes early implementation of fuel cells

A project team working to promote the development of fuel cell technology on Monday proposed that the deadline for easing and abolishing regulations related to the cells be moved forward to 2005 from 2020.
COMMENTARY
May 1, 2002

Economic sense clashes with security concerns

HONG KONG -- Taiwan is coming to grips with a paradox: China is both its best friend and its worst enemy. In recent weeks, the island has been debating what its priority should be -- to enhance its economy by taking advantage of what China has to offer, or to safeguard its political security by restricting...
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2002

FTC gives JAL-JAS integration the green light

The Fair Trade Commission on Friday gave its final seal of approval to the planned integration between Japan Airlines Co. and Japan Air System Co.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2002

FSA panel eyes new property rules

An advisory panel to the Financial Services Agency has unveiled a set of draft rules for accounting that would oblige businesses to book latent losses on fixed property holdings, starting in fiscal 2005.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2002

Costs swell at nuclear reprocessing plant

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. will need 1.76 trillion yen in additional funds to meet overhead costs related to a new nuclear reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2002

Tepco plans 7% rate cut

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday it will cut electricity rates by an average of 7.02 percent in April under a three-year business plan aimed at bolstering its competitiveness.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2002

Haseko calls on major banks for 150 billion yen in support

Struggling condominium developer Haseko Corp. unveiled a sweeping restructuring plan Thursday, calling for 150 billion yen in financial support from major creditor banks and a 10 percent cut in personnel expenses in three years.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2002

Shokusan Jutaku seeks protection from creditors

Shokusan Jutaku Sogo Co., a leading builder of custom-made houses, on Sunday filed for court protection from creditors with liabilities of 13.5 billion yen, the company said.
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2001

BTM to close 50 outlets, lay off staff

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi plans to close around 50 of its 310 outlets nationwide -- some 15 percent of the total -- and lay off 3,500 staff by the end of March 2005 to cut costs, bank sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Sax player to oversee pavilion at World Expo

World-renowned jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe was appointed Wednesday to oversee the Japanese government pavilion during the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture, government sources said.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2001

Alternative energy empowering consumers

With increasing demand for cost-efficient and environment-friendly energy, a growing number of hotels, hospitals and major industrial facilities are adopting cogeneration -- a system that makes more efficient use of heat and electricity generated from the same source.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2001

Maglev project OK'd for Aichi

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry on Wednesday approved a third-sector company project to build a commercial maglev train line in Aichi Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2001

Uniting to wage war on AIDS

In a declaration issued by the United Nations General Assembly this week, the nations of the world have committed themselves to wage war in earnest against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As the U.N. member-states are pledged to reach targets by specific dates to drastically reduce the incidence of the disease...
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2001

Sakaiya resigns as top expo adviser

Taichi Sakaiya, a writer and former director general of the then Economic Planning Agency, will step down as chief executive adviser of the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition later this month, the association's chairman said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Teachers brave frontline of national IT offensive

SHIKI, Saitama Pref. — Sitting in pairs behind computer screens, 30 fifth-graders at Muneoka No. 3 Elementary School here try to catch an English word spoken by computer and select the corresponding picture by mouse.
SOCCER / World cup
May 30, 2001

Blatter: ISMM trouble won't affect World Cup

SEOUL -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter put a positive spin on the problems surrounding the collapse of its marketing partners ISMM/ISL on Tuesday to emphasize the positive aspects of a big year ahead in the world soccer calendar.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2001

Youth favors new Fuji chief

Kyoji Takenaka, the incoming president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., is determined to make the company a full-fledged global player with "premium brand" vehicles.
JAPAN
May 13, 2001

Maglev link between Osaka, Tokyo starts to move forward

A plan to operate magnetically levitated -- or maglev -- trains between Tokyo and Osaka in one hour at speeds of up to 500 kph is moving ahead, with the government starting a feasibility study.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2001

Electric Power Development eyes 25% cut to workforce

Electric Power Development Co. on Monday released a management plan for fiscal 2001-2005 that calls for a 25 percent cut in its workforce.
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....
EDITORIALS
Apr 25, 2001

A new era for the Americas

That is the best way to describe the decision reached last weekend by 34 Pan-American leaders. Gathering in Quebec City, they defied thousands of violent protesters and agreed to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The removal of trade barriers from the Arctic to the southern tip of Argentina,...

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight