Asia Times - Japan

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valign="top" width="510"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="64%" valign="top">Japan</td> <td width="36%"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td height="51" align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="right"> <script language="javascript"> function showDate(){ var monthArray=["Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"] var days=["Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"] var d=new Date(); var month=d.getMonth() var day=d.getDate() var year=d.getYear() // document.write("Today is " + days[d.getDay()] + " ") document.write(monthArray[month]) document.write(" ") document.write(day) document.write(", ") if(d.getYear()<2000){document.write(year+1900)} if(d.getYear()>2000){document.write(year)} } </script> <script language="javascript">showDate()</script> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="64%" valign="top"> <table width="307" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="307"> <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/ED02Ag02.html">Russia eyes new oil markets in Asia-Pacific</a> In a bid to develop new markets for its crude oil and become an alternative to the volatile Middle East, Moscow has proposed two major pipelines to serve, in particular, China and Japan. Torn between difficult choices, though, it has been forced to compromise. - Sergei Blagov (Apr 1, '03) <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/ED02Ad02.html ">Japan strives to adapt to a strong China</a> Now that China has edged out the US as Japan's top trading partner, Japan is trying to adjust to playing second fiddle to a country with which it has a long history of conflict. The challenge facing Japan and China now is to nurture a relationship that extends beyond trade and promotes regional stability. (Apr 1, '03) <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC29Dh01.html ">Japan: Deputy superpower</a> While Japan's most important ally, the United States, leads an invasion of Iraq, its close neighbor North Korea is busy striking threatening poses toward Tokyo. Not for Japan to worry, for it has quietly built a world-class military, secured its position as the world's No 2 power and has ensured Washington's assistance in any crisis. - Richard Hanson (Mar 28, '03) <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC28Dh01.html"> Japan plans for postwar Iraq </a> While the Japanese public, according to most polls, remains opposed to the US-led war in Iraq, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is forging ahead with plans to help Washington pay for the war and to deploy peacekeeping troops after Saddam Hussein is ousted. It's far from smooth sailing, though, as long as the United Nations is out of the picture. - Axel Berkofsky (Mar 27, '03) <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/EC21Ad04.html">Markets jump as shooting starts </a>Uncertainty over war in Iraq has had East Asian stock markets in a state of paralysis, but after the first cruise missile hit Baghdad on Thursday, the markets came to life. But fortunes are changing by the hour, and for traders, "this is not the time to go on holiday". - Alan Fung (Mar 20, '03) <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC20Dh01.html "> </a> <hr color="darkorange"> (Advertisement) Investment Property / Real Estate Business hotel 47 kilometers from Frankfurt Airport, Germany, for sale. 40 rooms, restaurant and conference rooms for 200 people. Built in 1997. Price 2,500,000 euros including tax. Please contact <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/mailto:MichaHeuser@yahoo.de"> MichaHeuser@yahoo.de</a> or 00-49-172-268-8444.   <a> Visit our site online</a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.hotel-wasseruhr.de/"> at  </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.hotel-wasseruhr.de/">www.hotel-wasseruhr.de</a> <hr color="darkorange"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC20Dh01.html">Koizumi: US ties beat out public opinion</a> More fearful of an angry Bush administration than an angry Japanese public, President Junichiro Koizumi has officially supported the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq - but sorry, no logistical support. Oh, and don't ask Japan to help foot the bill this time, he has told the US. Axel Berkofsky doubts Washington will listen. (Mar 19, '03) JAPAN'S GRAND GAME About 80 percent of Japanese oppose war in Iraq, but about 100 percent are worried about North Korea. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is hoping to turn those numbers to his advantage, by siding with US policy in both areas. Purnendra Jain reports that Tokyo is missing an opportunity to enhance its status as a diplomatic force in the region, and J Sean Curtin notes that while Koizumi has indeed bought into a high-stakes poker game, the Japanese PM is a shrewd and seasoned player. (Mar 17, '03)      <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC18Dh01.html">Japan's wrong-headed Korea move</a>  <link jain to>   <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC18Dh02.html">Koizumi trades Baghdad for Pyongyang</a> <link to curtin-csis> FOLLOW THE YEN The overseas financial press was unimpressed when supposedly reform-minded Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appointed as the central Bank of Japan's new governor Toshihiko Fukui, who has had a long association with BOJ's often unenviable history. In a two-part series, Richard Hanson examines that move and how power among Japan's financial institutions could be shifting.    <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"> <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC04Dh01.html">Part 1: BOJ's five-year itch</a>     <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"> <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EC12Dh02.html ">Part 2: Koizumi's policy squad</a>   </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="36%" valign="top"> <table width="184" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td height="51" align="middle" valign="center"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//Others/Hanson.html"><img border="0" height="79" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/hansons_banner.gif" width="185"></a> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="184" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#ff9900"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" bgcolor="#fdf0c6"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div align="center"><img border="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/Business-in-Japan.gif"></div> </td> </tr> </table> <div align="center"></div> <table width="174" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="174"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ED03Ae03.html">Money for infrastructure</a> The Japanese government will provide preferential credits worth US$668 million to implement six infrastructure projects in Vietnam. <a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/ED03Dh01.html">Fujitsu to restructure</a> Fujitsu Ltd's decision to merge its flash memory operations with US firm Advanced Micro Devices Inc may open a path out of the red, but the company still needs to restructure many of its unprofitable hardware business operations. </td></tr></table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="174" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tr> <td> <table class="" id="table1" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" width="100%" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="navajowhite" height="0"><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/deflation-3.gif"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="navajowhite" height="0"> By Richard Hanson (July, '02) <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/DG09Dh03.html">Part 1: Learning by doing</a> <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/DG10Dh01.html">Part 2: Uncharted territory: Bubble to bust</a> <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/DG11Dh06.html ">Part 3: Stalking the east, tilting at windmills</a> </td> </tr> </table> <table class="" id="table1" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" width="100%" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="navajowhite" height="0"> <img border="0" height="17" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/Banking-Crisis.gif" style="HEIGHT: 17px; WIDTH: 159px" width="163"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="navajowhite" height="0"> By Richard Hanson (Mar  '02) <img border="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/japan-econ/DC28Dh02.html">Part 1: The buck once stopped here <img border="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"></a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/japan-econ/DC29Dh01.html">Part 2: Where's the beef?</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/japan-econ/DC28Dh02.html"><img border="0" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"></a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402121036/http://www.atimes.com/japan-econ/DC30Dh02.html">Part 3: Being a real banker </a> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <div align="center"> <table align="left" border="3" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="" id="table1" style="HEIGHT: 302px; WIDTH: 186px" width="191"> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" bordercolor="darkorange" class="" height="0" valign="top"> NOTES and QUOTES Reports of the test-launch of a North Korean cruise missile contradicted one another, with the United States saying it happened, South Korea saying it didn't, and Japan saying it wasn't sure. "We are aware that North Korea launched an anti-ship cruise missile from its west coast. While we are not alarmed by this, it is not particularly helpful, either."  - Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Jeff Davis "We are still trying to confirm information including whether or not a launch took place." - Japanese Self-Defense Force official Shoei Yamanaka "This just proves that Japan's ability to verify data isn't reliable." - Tetsuya Ozeki, director of ATWI research institute</td></tr></table></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="10" valign="top" background="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/line.gif"><img height="1" src="/web/20030402121036im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="9"></td> <td width="130" align="left" valign="top"> <table width="117" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><a 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