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JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Sales of imported vehicles fall again

The prolonged impact of the April consumption tax hike continued to dampen sales of imported vehicles in July, which dropped 25.6 percent to 31,354 units to mark a fourth consecutive monthly fall, an industry association said August 6.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Japan, China open fisheries negotiations

Japan and China started three-day fisheries talks August 6 in Tokyo in a bid to conclude a new pact between the two countries, Foreign Ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

No response from North Korea on high-level talks

Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama admitted August 6 that North Korea has yet to reply to a proposal to hold high-level bilateral talks this weekend, but he would not comment on speculation that Pyongyang has been angered.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Police seize more counterfeit $100 bills

Police in Tokyo said August 6 that they have recently confiscated 500 false $100 bills that are believed to have been produced outside Japan.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

'Informal talks' on NTT procurement extension scheduled

Japan and the United States will hold "informal talks" August 6 in San Francisco to exchange views on the possible extension of the 1994 NTT Procurement Agreement, set to expire Sept. 30, a Tokyo government official told reporters.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Hiroshima observes anniversary of atomic bombing

HIROSHIMA -- Beneath cloudy skies August 6, Hiroshima marked the 52nd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb with condemnations of a recent U.S. subcritical nuclear test and calls for a global ban on nuclear weapons, as the number of officially recognized victims has now surpassed 200,000.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

In with a Bang: Foreign financial firms eye deregulation

Japan's so-called Big Bang financial reform is a long time in coming, but foreign financial institutions are well prepared to meet the challenge, according to the head of the Tokyo office of ING Barings Securities Japan.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Elderly population rises to new record

People aged 65 or older now make up 15.43 percent of Japan's total population, topping the 15 percentage mark for the first time, the Home Affairs Ministry said August 6.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Little progress made in U.S.-Japan air talks

Three days of vice-ministerial-level air talks ended in Tokyo on August 6 with the United States and Japan unable to produce signs of progress over expanding air services in the Asia-Pacific region, one of the most lucrative markets in the world.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Yamaichi chairman quits top industry post

Tsugio Yukihira, chairman of Yamaichi Securities Co., officially stepped down August 6 as head of the Securities Dealers Association of Japan to take responsibility for alleged illegal payoffs to a "sokaiya" corporate extortionist.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Soubert opposes Ung Huot as Cambodian prime minister

The selection of Ung Huot as Cambodia's first prime minister is not acceptable, according to Son Soubert, Cambodia's second vice president of the National Assembly and a close ally of ousted First Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

PC sales, exports remain at last year's levels

Domestic shipments and exports of personal computers by the nation's 23 major PC manufacturers totaled 2 million units in the April-June period this year, unchanged from the same period last year, an industry group reported August 6.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1997

Japan to offer massive aid to assist Thai economy

Japan indicated August 6 that it is ready to extend the greatest amount of financial assistance in a multilateral effort to support Thailand's flailing economy.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

Poll reveals a sleep-needy populace

If you had one extra hour a day, how would you spend it?
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

TSE criticized for computer crash

Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said August 5 that his ministry will soon send a "strong request" to the Tokyo Stock Exchange to smooth out its operations and avoid a repeat of the August 1 trading hours computer crash.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

DKB, Nomura penalties take effect today

Administrative penalties against Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Nomura Securities Co. for their payoffs to a "sokaiya" corporate extortionist take effect August 6.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

Korean victims of A-bomb remembered

HIROSHIMA -- Nearly 60 people gathered in the rain here August 5 at a small cenotaph dedicated to Korean victims of the atomic bombing in a ceremony to mark the 52nd anniversary of the attack.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

Debate over youth law upsets Justice minister

Justice Minister Isao Matsuura expressed displeasure August 5 over ongoing public debate on revising the Juvenile Law, saying it focuses too much on whether lawbreakers under age 16 should be subject to criminal punishment.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

Koga glum over progress of air talks

Transport Minister Makoto Koga expressed disappointment August 5 over the progress of U.S.-Japan civil aviation talks currently under way in Tokyo, saying negotiations seems to be moving backward.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

Typhoon 11 heads toward Okinawa

A medium-size but powerful typhoon is moving north over the Pacific just south of the Okinawa island chain, and the Meteorology Agency has warned that it may approach the prefecture's main island early August 7.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

EPA leader hints at yearend rise in discount rate

Japan's official discount rate, the world's lowest at a mere 0.5 percent, may rise by the end of the year, Shinpei Nukaya, the Economic Planning Agency's vice minister, implied August 5.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

China's WTO proposals called subpar

Trade chief Shinji Sato on August 5 urged China to improve its market liberalization proposals if the nation wants to be accepted by the World Trade Organization.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1997

Man admits harassing female Diet member

A 54-year-old man from Sapporo was arrested August 5 on suspicion of making repeated harassment calls to a Lower House lawmaker, police said.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

3-year-old hurt in crane accident

OSAKA -- A 3-year-old boy was in critical condition August 4 after a crane toppled over and knocked down a utility pole onto a car he was in, police said.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Framework for UNSC reform urged

A framework for reform of the U.N. Security Council should be drawn up as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda and former U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali agreed August 4, according to ministry officials.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Thailand need only seek help: Finance Ministry

A top Finance Ministry official on August 4 repeated the oft-used refrain that Japan stands ready to cooperate if Thailand makes a formal request for financial assistance.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Incinerator waste has locals fuming with dioxin

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- When Eiko Kotani, 47, moved with her husband to the suburbs of Tokorozawa's Shimotomi district 19 years ago, she thought the forest sprawling behind their new home would make a perfect playground for their young son and future children. It did, at least for a while.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Interest rates on new loans declined in June, BOJ says

Short-term and long-term rates on new loans by domestic banks fell by 0.016 and 0.14 percentage points in June from the previous month, the Bank of Japan said August 4.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Kobe youth must undergo psychiatric testing

KOBE -- The 15-year-old Kobe boy being held in the grisly decapitation of Jun Hase and the attempted murder of three other elementary school children must undertake a psychiatric test, the Kobe Family Court stated August 4.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Youths learn about horror of nuclear war

HIROSHIMA -- Although the world has become more aware of the dangers of atomic weapons, nuclear testing continues, Tatsuya Hayashi of the Hiroshima YMCA said August 4 at the opening of the three-day 1997 Youth Peace Seminar.

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