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JAPAN
Jun 13, 1997

Reports just beginning of road to deregulation

Reports released June 13 on financial deregulation should only be seen as the start, rather than the culmination, of the government's efforts to ignite a "Big Bang" in the domestic financial market.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 1997

Land Agency warns Tokyo about overpopulation problem

Overpopulation is hindering the Tokyo area from protecting itself from natural disasters and is causing other serious problems, a National Land Agency report warned June 13.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 1997

Eerie quiet descends on site of Kobe boy's slaying

KOBE -- Almost three weeks after the mutilated body of an 11-year-old boy was found here, an eerie quiet has descended on Suma Ward and the neighborhood of Tomogaoka.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 1997

Taunting killer's note linked to word processor

KOBE -- Investigators have pinpointed the maker of a word processor believed used by the killer of an 11-year-old Suma Ward boy last month to write a message sent to the daily Kobe Shimbun, informed sources said June 13.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Hashimoto to announce environment plan at U.N.

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will formally announce an "Initiative for Sustainable Development" aimed at boosting Japan's assistance in environmental protection in developing nations, government sources said June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Ambassadors issue call to ban land mines

Japan should join with the 100-plus nations that have agreed to back a Canadian initiative to ban antipersonnel land mines, the ambassadors to Tokyo from Canada, Belgium, Austria, Norway and the Philippines said in a joint news conference June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Sakakibara sparks dollar's advance toward 116 yen

The dollar nearly reached the 116 yen level in Tokyo trading June 12 after remarks made by a senior Finance Ministry official triggered massive short-covering.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Catalina Marketing banks on tailored coupon system

Catalina Marketing Corp. is introducing to Japan a new marketing system it claims is more cost-effective than existing methods, officials of the U.S. consumer promotion company announced June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Japan joint defense plan with U.S. considered

The government may draw up de facto rules of engagement so the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military can jointly repel an attack on Japan, a senior Defense Agency official told the Diet on June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

U.S. awaits okay for live-fire drills at Mount Fuji

Japan and the United States will decide by the middle of next week to let U.S. Marine Corps based in Okinawa conduct live firing drills at the foot of Mount Fuji in early July, a senior defense official said June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

LDP council to evaluate judiciary system

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on June 12 set up a special research council on the nation's judicial system, hoping to greatly increase the number of jurists and to improve their quality, according to Okiharu Yasuoka, a LDP Lower House member and deputy head of the council.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

NOVA to refund 3.8 million yen to students

NOVA, a major language-school chain, will refund a total of 3.8 million yen to 18 students who were unable to use lesson tickets they had purchased, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government committee said June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Yanase joins deal to sell Saab autos

Yanase & Co. will begin importing and marketing passenger cars built by Saab Automobile AB starting July 1, the two firms announced June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

U.S. education expert sees gradual diversification here

Gearing toward individual-oriented education in Japan is a worthy goal, but whether it is actually possible remains questionable, according to the only foreign member of a core advisory panel to the education minister.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Investment may rise 3.2% in '97, MITI says

Corporate investment during fiscal 1997 is expected to increase 3.2 percent from the previous year, reflecting the ongoing moderate economic recovery and improvement in corporate profits, according to a report released June 12 by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

JAS to ax or restructure unprofitable routes

As part of its mid-term management plan, Japan Air System Co., will restructure some 20 domestic routes running in the red, including the suspension of some services, JAS President Hiromi Funabiki said on June 11.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Windsor takes in ailing Hokkaido hotel

Windsor Hotels International Co. will take over the operation of Hotel Apex Toya, a troubled high-class resort hotel in Hokkaido, it was announced June 11.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Current account surplus surges 93% to 1.09 trillion yen

Japan's current account surplus for April surged 92.7 percent from the same month last year to 1.092 trillion yen, after marking a 17 percent drop the previous month, according to preliminary figures released June 11.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

University designs green mice that glow in the dark

Biologists at Osaka University have created genetically-altered mice that glow green in the dark and claimed June 11 that they have bred "the world's first light-emitting mammals."
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Author holds book-signing despite bomb threats

A South Korean author who lived in Japan held a book-signing June 11 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, after it had previously been canceled due to a bomb threat.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Rescued sailor resumes quest to save killer whales

Disappointed, but relieved -- that is how Michael Reppy characterizes his state of mind. Disappointed because his bid for a single-handed trans-Pacific sailing record fell short, but relieved to have survived and be in Japan working to free five killer whales captured last February.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Sony ships 16 millionth PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. announced June 11 that total shipments of its PlayStation home video game machine reached 16 million as of the end of May.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

False drug charges lead to reprimands for Tokyo police chief

The National Public Safety Commission took disciplinary action June 11 against the head of the Metropolitan Police Department and other ranking officers in connection with a police frame-up of an innocent man.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

German petition supports compensation for 'comfort women'

A representative from the German World Day of Prayer Committee presented 66,510 German signatures to the Prime Minister's Office on June 11 urging the government to pay individual reparations to former "comfort women."
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Posts ministry fights panel's privatization plan

The Posts and Telecommunications Ministry repeatedly stressed the need June 11 to keep postal, postal savings and insurance services in the hands of the state, saying that privatization would strip rural, unprofitable areas of their basic postal services.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Japan merits new look, Aussie report tells firms

The nation's economic policymakers may get some encouragement from a new report by a government think tank in Australia that urges its companies to take another look at potential business opportunities that are emerging with Tokyo's reform efforts.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Shinshinto pushes for security laws for 21st century

Shinshinto, the largest opposition party, called for new legislation to deal with security-related emergencies in a set of plans announced June 10 to prepare the country for the 21st century.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Industrial waste law targets illegal dumpers

The Lower House unanimously enacted legislation on industrial waste disposal June 10 that will hold prefectural governors responsible for building industrial waste disposal centers.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Nike 'doing it' well in Japan

When sporting goods giant Nike, Inc. opened its Niketown superstore in New York last November, the company anticipated that about 100 journalists would attend the opening day ceremonies.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Diet will not debate defense guidelines

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda said June 10 that the final report on Japanese cooperation in U.S. combat operations and other related activities in the region surrounding Japan will not require Diet approval.

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