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JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

BOJ remains optimistic in economic report

The Bank of Japan is sticking to a slightly upbeat assessment of the economy, reiterating in a report released Tuesday that economic conditions appear to have stopped deteriorating at present.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

Japan thanked for Antarctic rescue

Australian Ambassador Peter Grey on Tuesday presented Education Minister Akito Arima and two Self-Defense Forces captains with photographs of the Shirase, a Japanese observation ship, during its rescue of Australian Antarctic research ship Aurora Australis in December.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

Hayami urges new deposit insurance plan

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami said Tuesday that a new depositor-protection system should replace a "payoff" plan scheduled to begin in April 2001.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

Safety net too tempting for ailing banks: Yanagisawa

Financial Reconstruction Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa said Tuesday that he is worried that some small regional banks may lose their sense of survival management and depend too much on what he considers a "perfect" safety net set up by the government.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

JAS crew members poised to strike

The crew members' union of Japan Air System notified JAS management Tuesday of its plan to conduct strikes on some domestic flights starting today over its dissatisfaction with pay increase offers, the union said.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 1999

Death and the maiden filmmaker

Death can do wonders for one's reputation. James Dean was a hot young actor with one hit -- "East of Eden" -- when he crashed his Porsche on a California back road and became an instant legend.Would his admirers have become so devoted -- and in some unfortunate cases, suicidally deranged -- if he had...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

DDI, IDO mulling cell phone integration

Top executives of DDI Corp. and IDO Corp. indicated Tuesday that they are considering integrating their cellular phone operations to compete against cellular giant NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc., known as NTT DoCoMo.
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Apr 13, 1999

A Japanese musician's songs in 'The Homes of Donegal'

Hiroshi Yamaguchi of the group Heat Wave looks like any other worker at his manager's office. He sits at a desk, busily working away on a computer. After a few words, however, it's clear he could never be just any other worker. "I hate it here," he half confesses, half jokes. "I've never had to come...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

Public debate on defense guidelines set for April 21

The Lower House Special Committee on the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation on Tuesday set the date of a public hearing in the Diet for April 21, paving the way for the chamber's passage of bills related to the nation's new defense role before Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's scheduled departure...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

Djibouti ambassador sees chance to improve ties

Staff writer
CULTURE / Books
Apr 13, 1999

Despair and disillusionment, after the revolution

SPIDER EATERS, by Rae Yang. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1998, 296 pp. w/ 10 pp. photos, $16.95 (paper). In her memoir "Spider Eaters," Rae Yang writes about how she wasted years of her life in China's northern countryside during the Cultural Revolution. She was an educated youth who,...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

DPJ drafts changes to SDF guidelines

The Democratic Party of Japan finished its proposals Tuesday for revising bills covering updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines, including the requirement of advanced Diet approval for plans involving the Self-Defense Forces.
COMMUNITY
Apr 13, 1999

Dancing to make the world keep turning

Excuse me, has anyone seen Steven A. Haynes today? No? That's funny, he seems to be everywhere: on TV, on posters, in the papers, and in plays, movies and discos -- even on cruise ships. He acts, sings and dances his way around Japan, as if he's afraid the world might suddenly stop turning.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

Osaka police work to get rape victims counseling

OSAKA -- Osaka Prefectural Police, in cooperation with a nonprofit organization, will on Thursday debut on a trial basis a program to introduce victims of rape to professional counselors.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 13, 1999

Writer forever true to himself

THE LEGEND OF GOLD and Other Stories, by Ishikawa Jun. Translated by William J. Tyler. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1998, 300 pp., $46 (cloth), $27.95 (paper). Jun Ishikawa (1899-1987) remains less known in the West than other Japanese writers of equal stature. With the publication of this...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1999

State accepts prosecutor's resignation

The resignation of the nation's No. 2 prosecutor, Mamoru Norisada, was accepted by the government Tuesday in connection with his affair with a 28-year-old former bar hostess.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Keidanren backs off debt-equity swap scheme

Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), on Monday turned cautious on a debt-equity swap scheme proposed to save manufacturers from folding under mountains of debt.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

'Knock' named in staffer's sex harassment suit

OSAKA -- A female university student has filed a complaint with the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office alleging that she was sexually harassed by Osaka Gov. "Knock" Yokoyama.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Emergency meeting targets joblessness

The Labor Ministry held an emergency meeting Monday of employment security division chiefs for local governments to try to find ways to curb the rise of unemployment.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Airport foes gain ground in Kobe assembly race

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

MITI pledges aid for Egyptian exports

Trade chief Kaoru Yosano and visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed Monday to step up joint efforts to boost Egypt's exports to Japan and develop social infrastructure in the region, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Kofuku Bank faces capital shortage

OSAKA -- Kofuku Bank said Monday that its capital-to-asset ratio may have fallen below the government-prescribed level of 4 percent when it closed its books at the end of March.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Kokumin's capital deficit about 71.2 billion yen

Kokumin Bank, which was declared insolvent Sunday, had a 71.2 billion yen capital deficit as of Sept. 30, 1998, the Financial Supervisory Agency revealed Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Talks vital to peace , Obuchi, Mubarak say

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed Monday on the need for talks on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to be resumed as swiftly as possible in order to secure fair and solid peace in the Middle East.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 1999

Ishihara takes aim at Yokota

As the Liberal Democratic Party scrambled to squelch any finger-pointing over the poor showing of its candidate, Shintaro Ishihara took his first stab Monday at the U.S. following his election to the Tokyo governorship, saying bilateral ties will improve if the U.S. Yokota Air Base is returned or used...
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 1999

Spring, the sweet spring

"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring," declared a poet looking about him at this time of year more than 120 springs ago. He wasn't a Japanese poet; he was an English one. Still, he seems to have grasped the essence of the season pretty well, even though in this particular sonnet he was recommending the...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Apr 11, 1999

Along the way

When we think about takeout lunches in Japan, we must go back a long way. Surely you have seen in museums the beautiful lacquer lunch boxes the nobility used when they went to the countryside on excursions. These picnics were quite elegant occasions with poetry writing and incense ceremonies. But long...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 11, 1999

Kindergarten graduation: the great transformation

There's no escaping the formalities of spring in Japan: graduation ceremonies, entrance ceremonies, retirement parties, etc. And each of these events is orchestrated as if it was the Academy Awards. If you've ever wondered where all the pomp and circumstance comes from, it starts in kindergarten, when...
COMMENTARY
Apr 11, 1999

Shadows of Vietnam in Europe

The shadow of Vietnam hangs heavily over events in Yugoslavia. Once again Western policymakers have proven unable to grasp the reality of events in distant lands with complex backgrounds.
EDITORIALS
Apr 10, 1999

Key defense questions need answers

The House of Representatives Special Committee on Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation is winding down its deliberations on the guidelines legislation. Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is eager to secure passage of the bills in the Lower House before he leaves for the United States later this month...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji