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JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

New group to fight wartime revisionism

In an attempt to counter moves to "denounce descriptions of Japan's wartime misconduct in history textbooks," 26 intellectuals set up a group Mar. 25 to protect freedom of expression and ensure accurate history is disseminated.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1997

Trilaterals reaffirm roles in world of change

An annual meeting of business, political and academic leaders from Japan, Europe and North America ended Mar. 24 in Tokyo with a reaffirmation of the importance of the trilateral leadership in dealing with global challenges.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

China WTO talks near final stage, Ruggiero says

Negotiation on China's accession to the World Trade Organization is now approaching its final stage, Renato Ruggiero, director general of the WTO, said Mar. 21 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Expert dismayed at Orcas' condition

Dr. Paul Spong, a Canadian specialist on killer whales, expressed concern and dismay about the condition of five whales captured in Wakayama Prefecture last month.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 1997

Nomura scandal won't hurt 'Big Bang,' JSDA chief says

The recent scandal surrounding Nomura Securities Co. will not affect current efforts to implement the "Big Bang" financial system reforms, the acting head of the Japan Securities Dealers Associations said.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 1997

Nomura scandal won't hurt 'Big Bang,' new JSDA chief says

The recent scandal surrounding Nomura Securities Co. will not affect current efforts to implement the "Big Bang" of financial system reforms, the acting head of the Japan Securities Dealers Associations said Mar. 19.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 1997

Reform must be gutsy to overcome less services: Mitsuzuka

Public understanding of the inevitable reduction in public services that will result from the government's drive for fiscal austerity must be won by showing a strong resolve to push forward with reform measures, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said Mar. 19.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 1997

FTC investigates Hokkaido newspaper

The Fair Trade Commission visited the headquarters and Hakodate bureau of The Hokkaido Shimbun on Mar. 18 and questioned company officials about a possible violation of the Antimonopoly Law.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 1997

Hashimoto orders steps for raising land liquidity

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto on Mar. 18 instructed Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka to draw up by the end of the month comprehensive measures to increase the liquidity of land held as collateral for loans.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Latest scandals said litmus test for Japan's will to reform

Japan's commitment to deregulation and market liberalization may be put to the test as the government and the business community respond to the misconduct of Nomura Securities Co. and other scandal-tainted firms, observers say.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Chief of Nomura steps down . . . again

The president of Nomura Securities Co., the nation's top brokerage, resigned Mar. 14 over the widening scandal caused by the company's illicit business practices on behalf of a firm run by a relative of a former "sokaiya" corporate extortionist.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

U.N. secretary general to visit Tokyo, Beijing on Asia trip

Kofi Annan, the new secretary general of the United Nations, may visit Tokyo and Beijing in May, his first trip to the two capitals since taking office Jan. 1, Japanese diplomatic sources said Mar. 13.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 1997

Telecom, ITJ announce nation's first telecom merger

To brace for competition triggered by deregulation, Japan Telecom Co. and International Telecom Japan Inc. said Mar. 12 they will merge around October. It will be the first between Japanese telecommunications firms.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 1997

English-language newspapers to be featured in exhibition

The Japan Times, with the cooperation of its competitors, will open on Mar. 9 an exhibition of Japan's English-language newspapers dating back to the 19th century. The show is part of the events celebrating The Japan Times' 100th anniversary, which falls on March 22.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 1997

Abe trial begins next week

The mother of a hemophiliac who died of AIDS after being administered HIV-tainted blood products said Mar. 5 she wants defendants in the upcoming trial over the medical scandal to offer a sincere apology.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1997

Finance official rules stimulus measures out

A top Finance Ministry official ruled out on Mar. 3 the need for fiscal economic stimulus at this time, expressing confidence that the nation's recovery can be led by domestic demand.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1997

ACCJ urges persistence to remove trade barriers

The U.S. government should continue playing an active role in Japan-U.S. trade issues and help U.S. companies gain greater access to the Japanese market, the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a report released Mar. 3.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1997

Budget ax may fall on defense layout

The government will review its plan to spend 25.1 trillion yen on defense-related programs between fiscal 1996 and 2000 in an effort to rebuild the nation's debt-stricken fiscal health, the government's top spokesman said Feb. 27.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1997

January industrial output rose by record 5.3%

Japan's industrial output in January rose by a record 5.3 percent from the previous month, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report released Feb. 27.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1997

Huge seismic reading in Shizuoka said to be error

An earthquake meter at Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, recently reported a strain in the Earth's crust greater than any ever before observed in the prefecture, the Meteorological Agency said Feb. 26 before quickly retracting the announcement.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 1997

'Asian G-7' to be discussed by regional finance chiefs

High-ranking financial officials from six Asia-Pacific states and regions will meet in Tokyo next week for discussions on financial and foreign currency matters as a step toward creating an Asian version of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said Feb. 25.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 1997

Sato to carmakers: don't cut export prices

The nation's automakers should refrain from cutting export prices even if the yen falls against the dollar, trade chief Shinji Sato said Feb. 25.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 1997

Life insurers opposed to banks moving in

The nation's life insurers joined ranks with their nonlife counterparts Feb. 21 in voicing opposition to the entry of banks into the insurance market through holding companies.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 1997

JR West president to step down

Masataka Ide, president of West Japan Railway Co., will step down April 1 and Vice President Shojiro Nanya will take his place, Transport Minister Makoto Koga announced Feb. 21.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1997

Chinese community grieves Deng Xiaoping

People in Yokohama's Chinatown, the largest Chinese community in Japan, and elsewhere around the country grieved over the death Feb. 20 of Deng Xiaoping.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1997

Insurance leader speaks out against allowing banks

Banks' entry into the insurance business would reduce competition and should not be permitted, even through holding companies, the head of the nation's nonlife insurance industry said Feb. 20.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1997

Special tax measures mulled for NTT split

Special tax measures may be temporarily applied for the planned breakup of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. but they will not be applied to consolidated earnings, a top Finance Ministry official said Feb. 20.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 1997

Financial leaders play down worries, give support to banks

Financial authorities continued Feb. 19 to play down concerns that the nation's financial system is in dire straits, stressing that they will support banks while urging them to continue restructuring efforts.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 1997

No law planned for NTT breakup, minister says

The splitup of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. through the formation of a holding company will not be handled by the creation of a separate taxation law, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said Feb. 18.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 1997

Banker raps holding-company rules

Less stringent limitations than those currently proposed should be placed on financial holding companies to be allowed under a revised Antimonopoly Law, the head of the nation's banking industry said Feb. 18.

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