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JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

LDP, New Komeito reach accord on five policies

The Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito reached policy agreements in five key areas Friday, bringing the second-largest opposition party a step closer to the coalition government, officials of the two parties said.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

Tokyo government proposes 4% pay cut for all staff

Trying desperately to pull itself back from the brink of bankruptcy, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government proposed Friday that salaries for all 180,000 city employees be cut 4 percent for three years starting in fiscal 2000.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

Early-model bullet train faces last run

OSAKA -- Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai) officials Friday conducted their final monthly inspection of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line's "zero-series" bullet train before its retirement from service at the end of the month.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

Chairman's tight control choked off Tokyo Sowa

The collapse of Tokyo Sowa Bank was caused in part by the autocratic management of former chairman Shoichi Osada, the bank's administrators concluded in their report to financial authorities Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

Fix conscience with Article 9: Hatoyama

Japan should send a clear message of soul-searching over the war it waged with Asia when it reviews the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9, said Yukio Hatoyama, deputy secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, on Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

Narita airport submits runway plan to state

The New Tokyo International Airport Authority applied Friday for government approval of its plan to build a shorter-than-planned second runway at the airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Sep 2, 1999

Another stab at peace in Congo

One month after six of the seven parties fighting in the Congo signed a peace agreement, the remaining holdout has joined the ceasefire. Peace is desperately needed in the long-suffering nation, impoverished by decades of looting by former strongman Mobutu Sese Seko and then wracked by civil war after...
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Mitsubishi Motors unveils new Pajero

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. on Thursday unveiled the third generation of the Pajero, the automaker's popular sport utility vehicle, for the first full update of the core product in eight years.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Kobe airport too pricey, suit claims

KOBE -- With only a few weeks to go before construction officially begins, the first of what opponents say will be a string of lawsuits has been filed in hopes of halting the Kobe airport project.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Courts resume Asahara trials

After a monthlong summer recess, the trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara resumed Thursday at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

DKB loans to 'sokaiya' result in suspended terms

Three former Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank executives were given suspended eight-month sentences Thursday for extending illegal loans to a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Abduction probe focusing on autos

Several hundred vehicles that traveled from Tokyo to Nagoya on expressways Aug. 24 are being looked at as part of investigations into the abduction of a 19-year-old woman, informed sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Disabled ask Tokyo to reconsider cuts to aid program

A group of disabled people and members of citizens' groups supporting them petitioned the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Thursday to withdraw its plan to cut financial assistance to people with heavy disabilities.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

New Komeito drops donations plank in LDP deal

New Komeito's bid to ban political donations from companies will be excluded from its policy agreement with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is due out today, officials of the two parties said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

MITI spells out strategy for 1 million new jobs

The government will implement measures to increase business startups to generate 1.32 million jobs over the next five years, officials at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Low-dose birth control pill makes debut

Staff writer
EDITORIALS
Sep 1, 1999

A peace process without peace

There are very good reasons to be deeply concerned about the Northern Ireland peace process. The first reason is that it looks to be breaking down. Disputes over the decommissioning of weapons by the Irish Republican Army and the seating of Sinn Fein representatives on the executive council established...
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Komura, Khristenko set protocols for visiting disputed isles

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and visiting Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko agreed Wednesday on protocols for visa-free visits to a chain of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido by former Japanese residents and their families.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Product-trashing consumer book enjoys sizzling sales

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Fujitsu, Orient plan credit venture

Fujitsu Ltd. and Orient Corp. will set up a joint venture later this month to develop a computer system for credit services, top officials of the two firms announced Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Six years sought for deeds of ex-labor minister

Prosecutors demanded a six-year prison term Wednesday for former Labor Minister Toshio Yamaguchi, who is accused of breach of trust and other charges in connection with illicit lending by two failed Tokyo-based credit unions.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Maizuru in Pyongyang's sights?

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Japan may host U.N. environment summit in 2002

Staff writer
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Sep 1, 1999

Walking into the millennial sunrise

If you still haven't made up your mind about where you're going to be come sunrise of the year 2000, here's one to contemplate. How about Barrow, Alaska followed by a leisurely stroll 14 km to Point Barrow at the utmost north of the Americas?
LIFE / Travel
Sep 1, 1999

Eyes wide shut in North Korea

It's late afternoon in Beijing. Beside a gloomy, concrete platform an antiquated train lumbers into place. In the dim light, people scurry about looking for the right car. This is, in fact, important. The first four carriages are bound for Dandong, a small Chinese border town, but the last two will continue...
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Sep 1, 1999

Soul searching with yamabushi of Dewa Sanzan

MOUNT HAGURO, Yamagata Pref. -- Three days trekking deep into the mountains with no money, makeup, jewelry, bath, toothbrush or razor is definitely not your average walk in the hills. Add on agreeing to endure a grueling series of self-suffering ancient rituals and sacred rites, and obey every utter...
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Post offices try hand at electronic sales

The nation's 100 major post offices launched a new automated shopping service Wednesday for products ranging from airline tickets to game software, entering yet another new business.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 1, 1999

The water is wide, I cannot get o'er

The mammals of the Nansei Shoto may be inconspicuous and difficult to observe, but their distribution, and the relationships between the different species and populations in these islands, provides insight into the past history of the archipelago. This interesting mixture of animals has links in the...
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Asahi to close Tokyo brewery, trim workforce

Asahi Breweries, Ltd. will close its aging brewery in Tokyo's Ota Ward and transfer production to a new plant in Minami-Ashigara, Kanagawa Prefecture, President Shigeo Fukuchi told a Tokyo press conference Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

New car sales down for 29th month in row

Domestic sales of new cars, trucks and buses slipped 0.8 percent in August from a year earlier to 233,418 units, marking the 29th straight monthly decline, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association reported on Wednesday.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb