The Tokyo Times Online : Items

Greece and Japan: The same, but different

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:55:00 +0900

Greece’s woes are acute, while Japan’s are chronic. Who’s going to do better on the long run? Both Greece and Japan are trapped in political deadlock, face higher taxes while cutting public spending,...

Gaming market revenue down 16 percent

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:00:00 +0900

The console and portable gaming market in Japan dropped by 16 percent in the first six months of the year, to ¥192 billion ($2.4 billion), due to unimpressive game titles and lower hardware sales, a r...

Musicians rile against nuclear power

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:05:57 +0900

Anti-nuclear music is creating excitement on the Japanese internet. Mainstream radio and television refuse to give play to these musicians seeking to express their distaste for the nuclear power compa...

Rare earths imports from China down in May

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:30:00 +0900

Imported rare earths from China dropped from 1,646 tonnes in April to 1,592 tonnes in May. China makes up 79 percent of Japan’s rare earth imports. Rare earth is imported at a smaller rate from Kazakh...

Gree gets aggressive with mobile gaming

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:55:00 +0900

Harnessing the power of its new U.S based mobile social gaming platform OpenFeit, Gree is set to aim for 500 to a billion users worldwide. OpenFeit serves 90 million users worldwide and adds about 2.8...

Impending sales tax Increase on hold

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0900

A proposed sales tax hike has been put on the backburner as ruling party politicians fear the economy may not be able to manage the increase. The government’s previous goal to double the sales tax to...

Japanese industry reports sharpest increase in nearly 60 years

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:41:13 +0900

Japan’s economy is heading for a “V-shaped” quick recovery after the March natural disasters, with factory output jumping by 5.7 percent in May, the biggest increase since 1953. The market was expect...

Hawaii awaits 60 tsunami survivors

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0900

The Aloha Initiative is a program will host victims from the tsunami in the coming months. The host families in Oahu will welcome 20 visitors and Maui will take in 40. The visitors are able to stay up...

U.S. spends $11.7 million on military disaster evacuees

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:00:00 +0900

The U.S. military spent $11.7 million dollars flying family members out of Japan on chartered flights. The evacuation took place in response to the March 11 disaster. The figures were released by the...

Nissan’s Ghosn, best paid executive in Japan

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0900

Nissan Motor’s CEO Carlos Ghosn is the highest-paid top executive in Japan, earning ¥982 million ($12.1 million) last year, more than his Sony Corp counterpart Howard Stringer, who only made ¥863 mill...

Radiation monitors for 34,000 Fukushima kids

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:00:00 +0900

About 34,000 children living in Fukushima city, nearby the crippled nuclear plant, will receive radiation meters to monitor their exposure levels, according to city officials. The plan, which will see...

Japan supply chain back on track

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:59:47 +0900

Gartner, a technology, research, and advisory company reported that the semiconductor sector is expecting growth at a rate of 5.1 percent this year creating $315 billion in global revenue. The rate of...

AKB48 opens first cafe overseas

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:00:00 +0900

Japanese pop-band AKB48 has launched its first cafe outside the home market, in an attempt to extend the group's success overseas. Three members of the all-girl group were present Saturday on Singapor...

Tepco shareholders vote to keep nuclear power

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:15:00 +0900

A record number of shareholders of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) gathered Tuesday in Tokyo for the annual meeting and voted in favor of nuclear power. The proposal to give up nuclear power was noth...

Japan disaster closes 62 beaches

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:26:06 +0900

Just two out of the 64 beaches in the area that was the most affected after the March quake and tsunami plan to open this summer, a survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper showed. Funado and Jodogaham...