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JAPAN
Nov 19, 1998

Sega posts sharp fall in midterm profits

A week before it launches a new console in the heated game-machine war, Sega Enterprises Ltd. on Thursday reported sharp drops in sales and profits for the April-September period.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 1998

Daiwa, Sanwa to seek 900 billion yen in public funds

Daiwa Bank and Sanwa Bank, two of the nation's city banks, will ask for 300 billion yen and 600 billion yen each in public funds under the provisions of the newly adopted bank recapitalization law, officials of the two banks said Thursday as they released their midterm earnings reports.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 1998

NEC to calculate refund owed to Defense Agency, NASDA

NEC Corp. announced Thursday that it will give back the money it overcharged the Defense Agency and the National Space Development Agency of Japan for defense and space-related equipment over several years.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 1998

Ministry announces three executions

Three death row inmates were hanged Thursday, and for the first time in recent history, the Justice Ministry officially announced the executions shortly afterward.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 1998

Moody's downgrades Japanese government debt

Moody's Investors Service has taken Japanese securities issued or guaranteed by the government down a notch from its top Aaa ranking, the U.S. credit rating agency's Japanese unit said on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 1998

Clinton, Obuchi to focus on economy

U.S. President Bill Clinton will arrive in Tokyo Thursday afternoon for a two-day visit, instead of arriving early in the morning as originally scheduled, a top government spokesman said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 1998

LDP-Liberal coalition plan on hold until next meeting

Despite Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's expectations of establishing cooperative ties between the Liberal Democratic Party, which he heads, and the Liberal Party, it is still uncertain whether an agreement will be reached at the next meeting of party leaders, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said...
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1998

Nissan chief praises package, pans tax cut plan

Nissan Motor Co. President Yoshikazu Hanawa greeted the government's latest pump-priming package Monday by saying he "expects much" from its implementation but opposes cutting the consumption tax.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 1998

SDF sends relief workers to Honduras

The government officially approved the dispatch of a Self-Defense Forces relief operation Friday to hurricane-stricken Honduras and immediately sent six Air Self-Defense Force C-130 transport planes loaded with medical equipment and other goods.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 1998

Justice continues to break refugee asylum record

The Justice Ministry granted refugee status to three Myanmar residents Friday, bringing the total of foreigners given political asylum this year to 11.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 1998

Japan Inc. suffers 70% drop in after-tax profit

After-tax profits of Japanese companies listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange plunged 70 percent from the previous year, marking the largest drop since the period immediately after World War II, according to financial reports announced Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1998

FSA chief implores banks to request public funds

Financial Reconstruction Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa again urged banks to apply for a big capital injection Thursday, the day before the Financial Supervisory Agency was to explain application approval standards to 147 banks in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1998

DPJ offers own package

The Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, on Thursday unveiled its own economic stimulus package. It's worth nearly 20 trillion yen and includes a system that would provide allowances for raising children but has little chance of being included in a supplementary budget to be debated...
JAPAN
Nov 11, 1998

Celebrities join call for Kobe airport plebiscite

On behalf of civic group members in Kobe, writer Yasuo Tanaka met reporters Wednesday in Tokyo to call for a plebiscite over the planned construction of an airport in Kobe.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 1998

Breakthrough unlikely at Obuchi-Yeltsin summit

Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 9, 1998

HIV epidemic likely to worsen, U.S. researcher says

While a breakthrough in HIV treatment two years ago was greeted with euphoria, a leading scientist in AIDS research says the war against the epidemic is far from over.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 1998

Good news kids: End in sight for 'exam hell'

Japanese youngsters may no longer have to endure the ritual of "entrance exam hell" and specialize in cramming for either high school or university admissions tests if the Education Ministry's planned reforms are implemented.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 1998

Brazil farm chief urges Japan to expand soybean buys

Francisco Turra, Brazilian minister of agriculture and supply, urged Japan Thursday to further expand its import and distribution of soybeans from his country.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 1998

Government backpedals on early tax break pledge

Despite mounting expectations of consumers and businesses, it will be difficult for the government to carry out planned tax cuts in January, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 1998

State management team moves into LTCB

The nationalized Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan started afresh Wednesday with a new board of directors appointed by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 1998

New minister pushes for future financial safety net

Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 1, 1998

LDP, New Komeito strike deal on coupons

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito reached a final agreement Tuesday to distribute on a limited basis merchandise coupons worth about 700 billion yen.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 1998

No change seen for Alien cards, death penalty

Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura said Tuesday he does not intend to abolish the death penalty or amend the Alien Registration Law to end a requirement that foreign permanent residents carry their alien registration card at all times, despite recommendations by a United Nations panel.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 1998

Obuchi at odds with Keidanren over APEC stance

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi instructed his Cabinet members Tuesday to maintain Japan's opposition to early market-opening of forestry and fishery products during upcoming meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Malaysia.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 1998

Mitsui Trust withdraws from overseas operations

Mitsui Trust & Banking Co. announced a sweeping corporate restructuring plan Friday that calls for it to retreat from overseas banking by the end of March and concentrate on domestic asset trust services in tandem with a U.S. firm.As part of the streamlining, executive bonuses will be cut 10 percent...
JAPAN
Oct 29, 1998

Buyers scarce for former JNR plots

Japan Railway Construction Public Corp. has taken over 1,273 hectares of land that remained unsold when JNR Settlements Corp. ended its 11-year history last week.The public corporation hopes to sell off the property by fiscal 2003 to help reduce 28.3 trillion yen in debts left behind by the defunct...
JAPAN
Oct 28, 1998

Local handling urged for proposed consumption coupons

If municipal governments, instead of the central government, issue 30,000 yen gift coupons, this could help to boost personal consumption, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Wednesday.Komei and Shinto Heiwa (New Peace Party) have been asking the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to issue coupons...
JAPAN
Oct 28, 1998

Major oil firms announce industry-leading merger

Nippon Oil Co., Japan's second-largest petroleum distributor, and Mitsubishi Oil Co., its sixth-largest, have reached a basic agreement to merge into what will be the nation's largest petroleum company on April 1.The move, announced Wednesday by the companies' presidents, is intended to fend off intensifying...
JAPAN
Oct 27, 1998

10 trillion yen emergency stimulus due Nov. 16

The government will draw up an emergency economic stimulus package worth more than 10 trillion yen by Nov. 16 as the major pillar of the third supplementary budget for fiscal 1998, the Cabinet agreed Tuesday.The third extra budget for the current business year will be submitted to an extraordinary Diet...
JAPAN
Oct 27, 1998

FSA to spell out bank funding law to bankers

The Financial Supervisory Agency will meet with representatives from 18 major banks today to explain the newly enacted bank recapitalization law, a senior agency official said Tuesday.The briefing is intended to encourage banks to voluntarily apply for capital injection of public funds under the new...

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami