search

 
 
EDITORIALS
Feb 4, 1999

Still waiting for a real defense debate

The debate in the current Diet session, unlike previous sessions that focused on economic problems, highlights security issues. Among the key subjects of discussion are the bills to implement the new guidelines for Japan-U.S. defense cooperation and the participation and cooperation of the Self-Defense...
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

21st century Japan plan means overhaul: Shingu

KYOTO — The government has done all it can to bring the nation out of its economic slump and now everyone else has to pitch in, Yasuo Shingu, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

PC shipments up 16% for second quarter in row

October through December domestic shipments of personal computers grew 16 percent from the same period the previous year, marking the second consecutive quarter of a year-on-year increase, an industry association said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Fight cartels to curb 'meth' use: U.N.

Japan should crack down on international crime syndicates if it wants to curb the recent wave of methamphetamine consumption spreading through the country, a top United Nations drug control official said Thursday in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 1999

NATO's call to arms in Kosovo

The six nations that make up the Contact Group on Kosovo have demanded that the parties to the conflict attend a peace conference in Rambouillet, France this weekend. They have backed up that summons with the threat of NATO military intervention in the troubled province if the combatants fail to stop...
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Ando arch to honor writer Shiba

In commemoration of the late author Ryotaro Shiba, a memorial hall designed by architect Tadao Ando will be built adjacent to the noted history writer's house in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, according to a foundation established in his honor.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Finance outlook for regional economies flat

The nation's regional economies generally remain sluggish, although there are signs of improvement in some areas and sectors, Finance Ministry bureau heads reported Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Travelers left stranded as blizzards hit nation

Heavy snow hit wide areas along the Sea of Japan coast and western Japan from Tuesday through Wednesday, disrupting land and air traffic.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

French school to offer MBA in Tokyo

Students in Tokyo will be able to attain a master's degree in international business from France's Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees starting in April.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Feb 3, 1999

Easy money?

Have you got Net fever yet? It's hard to resist.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Komura considers Cuba visit by May

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura is considering visiting Havana as early as May as part of diplomatic efforts to improve the hitherto estranged relations between Japan and Cuba, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Coalition looks past budget, peers at defense

The LDP-Liberal Party coalition on Wednesday proposed a special Diet committee to discuss bills covering the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Chuo Trust mulls overseas withdrawal to restructure

Chuo Trust & Banking Co. is considering withdrawing from most of its overseas operations to aid restructuring, a spokesman for the bank said Wednesday. However, the move is still being discussed and no decision has been made, he said.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Sumitomo, Goodyear link to retread tire industry

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. of the United States, the world's third-biggest tire maker, has agreed with Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. to participate in a capital and business alliance that will be the largest in the industry, Sumitomo announced Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Nippon Life offers one-account plan

Nippon Life Insurance Company announced Wednesday it will introduce a new business scheme April 2, offering life insurance and other services under one account.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

LDP may field joint candidate in Tokyo election

The Liberal Democratic Party should cooperate with other parties to field a joint candidate for the Tokyo gubernatorial election in April, rather than nominate one from its own ranks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 2, 1999

Giving power to the politicians

The government's top priority at the moment is to resuscitate the Japanese economy by stabilizing the shaky banking sector and pushing domestic business recovery through expanded governmental and consumer spending. At the same time, as the nation is poised to enter the 21st century, the urgent need to...
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Fukushima urges Japan, U.S. to talk over trade differences

Now that Washington has decided to revive the controversial "Super 301" procedure, Japan should start market-opening discussions with the U.S. to prevent trade conflicts, according to Glen S. Fukushima, a former deputy assistant U.S. trade representative for Japan and China.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

JR Tokai coughs up 20.5 billion yen for JNR burden

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) officially announced Tuesday that it will accept the additional financial burden imposed by the government in a scheme to repay about 28 trillion yen in debts left behind by the former Japanese National Railways.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Dentsu to acquire stake in Nomura IR

In a bid to move into the potentially lucrative investor relations business, Dentsu Inc. announced Tuesday that it will acquire a 10 percent equity stake in Nomura Investor Relations Co., an affiliate of Nomura Securities Co.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Koike defense team requests suspended sentence

Defense lawyers for "sokaiya" corporate racketeer Ryuichi Koike, charged with receiving illegal payoffs from four securities firms and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, asked for leniency Tuesday in his final trial hearing before the Tokyo District Court, claiming their client did not play a major role in the crimes....
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Agency adds three pollutants to water-quality test

The Environment Agency will add three substances to a list of water quality standards, expanding the number of pollutants monitored to protect human health and the environment, the agency said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Crisis may end in two weeks: Sakakibara

Japan's financial crisis will be over in a week or two if prospects for the planned bank recapitalization become solid, Eisuke Sakakibara, vice finance minister for international affairs, said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Credit-rating agencies, critics defend their views

Tokyo-based media recently met with rare opportunities to hear countering views on how credit-rating agencies operate and how they should operate, when officials from Moody's Investors Service defended their business and the head of a Japanese research institute detailed how it "rated" such agencies....
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

DPJ backs Hatoyama as candidate for Tokyo governor

Kunio Hatoyama, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, received his party's backing as an independent candidate Tuesday for April's Tokyo gubernatorial race, following Tokyo Gov. Yukio Aoshima's surprise announcement the previous day that he would not seek re-election.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 1999

Moroccan legislator visits Tokyo to improve ties

Morocco's success in balancing its monarchy with democracy has firmly planted a seed of full-fledged democracy and built a basis for a new stage of economic development, said the country's senior legislator, who is currently visiting Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 1999

First Moldovan visit enhances relations

Visiting Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicolae Tabacaru and Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura signed a communique Monday pledging to further enhance bilateral ties based on universal values such as democracy and basic human rights.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 1999

Businessman survives Yamanote jump

A 46-year-old salaried worker was seriously injured after jumping off a Tokyo train platform in an apparent suicide attempt Monday morning.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 1999

Zen cowboy longs to be one with bulls

They say that in life you get 15 minutes of fame, but all Jin Shibahara needs is eight seconds — on the back of an angry, bucking bull.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 1999

NCB concealed problem loans from BOJ

In its September 1997 report to the Bank of Japan, the now-nationalized Nippon Credit Bank pretended to have fewer bad loans than it actually had, it was learned Monday.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear