search

 
 
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2002

J-Phone to launch 3G service in June

Mobile phone company J-Phone Co. said Friday it will start a third-generation mobile phone service June 30.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Obituary: Naokazu Takeuchi

Naokazu Takeuchi, founder and former representative of the Consumers Union of Japan, died Dec. 16 of a ruptured aorta, acquaintances said Wednesday. He was 83.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

NPOs make mark by preserving the past

Kyodo News Members of nonprofit organizations are making strenuous efforts to preserve traditional Japanese structures and townscapes and develop regional communities.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 11, 2002

Taguchi to join Cardinals

OSAKA -- Free-agent So Taguchi, regarded as one of the finest-fielding outfielders in Japanese baseball, turned down an offer from the Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday and opted to join the St. Louis Cardinals.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Imperial Couple attend lecture

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended an annual lecture to mark the new year, which this year covered such topics as administrative law, material science innovations and plant genetics research, at the Imperial Palace on Thursday, the Imperial Household Agency said.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Cigarettes, sweets from North Korea found after sinking

The Japan Coast Guard released photographs Thursday of a box of high-quality cigarettes and a bag of candy, both bearing hankul characters, retrieved from the sea off Kyushu where an unidentified ship sank last month after a fierce firefight with coast guard vessels.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Foreign investors do U-turn

Foreign investors remained net buyers of Japanese stocks in 2001, but their buying excess visibly tapered off in the second half of the year.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

METI to submit bill to regulate spam

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will submit a bill, possibly next month, proposing legal revisions to regulate unsolicited e-mail advertisements sent to consumers, ministry officials said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2002

How to spell recovery

This is an important year for the international economy. Most crucial will be its path after the worst slump in decades. That trajectory depends, in large part, on developments in the United States. Initial signs are promising: The U.S. looks poised to recover, but the strength and durability of the...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2002

Populist politics behind Argentine crisis

Those who would blame Argentina's economic woes on free-market policies or pegging the peso to the U.S. dollar choose to be willfully blind to reality. Although the most evident and most disastrous results are economic in nature, the bases of the problems are political.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Fujimori gives lecture at university in Tokyo

Alberto Fujimori, Peru's disgraced former president, made his first public appearance in 14 months Thursday, delivering a lecture at Takushoku University in Tokyo.
SUMO
Jan 11, 2002

Konishiki making impact after sumo

Hollywood, home to some of the biggest stars on earth, soon may have to make room for the biggest star of all. Former sumo wrestler Konishiki on Thursday revealed his plans to make it big in Tinseltown.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Ex-tax chief arrested for evasion

Public prosecutors Thursday arrested a former head of the Sapporo Regional Taxation Bureau who advises a talent agency managing pop singer Namie Amuro, for allegedly evading 250 million yen in income tax.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Kansai Electric to slash jobs, investment

OSAKA -- Kansai Electric Power Co. said it will slash 3,000 jobs -- more than 10 percent of its workforce -- by the end of fiscal 2004.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Prepared foods seen growing in popularity

The popularity of prepared food, known as "sozai," is rocketing in Japan, with an increase in working women apparently helping to boost sales of the food.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

METI tells Daiei to take new steps to avert crisis

The economy, trade and industry vice minister on Thursday called on troubled Daiei Inc. to compile an effective new restructuring plan as it concurrently seeks a bailout to avert a financial crisis in March.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Stock surge euphoria may yield to hangover

Although the Tokyo Stock Exchange ushered in 2002 on a positive note, a long lasting surge appears unlikely. The outlook remains bleak for the year ahead and beyond.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Shiokawa anxious over yen's sharp decline

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa expressed concern Thursday over the yen's rapid decline recently against the U.S. dollar.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 11, 2002

Northern fur seal

* Japanese name: Kita-ottosei * Scientific name: Callorhinus ursinus * Description: Fur seals have bodies streamlined for life in the sea. They have four limbs (unlike dolphins and whales, which have only two), but the arm and leg bones are relatively short and are contained within the body. The hand...
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Jan 11, 2002

Getting into the rat race in middle school

My children are back in school after two weeks of winter vacation. We went skiing and took a few day trips around Tokyo, but the boys spent most of their vacation playing, reading and relaxing. Some of their school chums, however, had no break at all. They spent the entire "holiday" studying for middle-school...
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Okayama city sets sights on nation's first electronic ballot

Niimi, in Okayama Prefecture, is aiming to use the nation's first electronic voting system in its mayoral and municipal assembly elections in June.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji