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JAPAN
Jul 22, 1997

Ministers promise to curtail 'sokaiya'

Cabinet ministers held their first meeting July 22 to discuss problems related to "sokaiya" corporate extortionists, hoping to stem the scandals rocking Japan's corporate and financial world.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1997

Talks progress on Japanese wives in North Korea

Tokyo and Pyongyang will continue talks on allowing Japanese women living in North Korea with their Korean husbands to visit Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 22.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

MITI chief complains about low interest rate

Trade chief Shinji Sato voiced skepticism July 18 over continuation of the current low interest rates.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Imported corn is from China, not North Korea

The government has discovered that the corn unloaded from a North Korean freighter at Aomori port was produced in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 18.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Sending planes was right decision, Kajiyama says

The controversial dispatch of three Air Self-Defense Force transport planes to Thailand for a possible evacuation mission in Cambodia was the "right choice," Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 18.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Northwest supports drive for 'open skies'

Several top executives of Northwest Airlines on July 17 expressed support for Washington's demand for "open skies," or the full liberalization of the trans-Pacific civil aviation market.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Tax cut should be linked to review

Any reduction in the present corporate tax rate should be considered after reviewing and possibly expanding the range of taxable corporate income, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said July 16.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 1997

Thai minister's visit to test Japan's loyalty to Asia

This week's visit by Thailand's finance minister, following his government's decision to unfetter its baht from a dollar-dominated basket of currencies, could prove to be a test of Japan's commitment to securing stability in Asian financial markets.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 1997

Toyoda tells government to seek corporate tax parity

Shoichiro Toyoda, chairman of Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), on July 14 urged government officials to take a positive view on reducing corporate taxes, arguing that a cut would eventually vitalize corporate activity.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

Sato to take 'strict stance' on environment in Australia

Stiffening its policy on the environment, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry drew a clear line July 11 separating itself from Australia, which advocates a flexible approach to tackling global warming.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

Shinshinto loses another lawmaker

Shinshinto, the largest opposition party, is losing another member, it was announced July 11.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

New MITI vice minister calls for change

As the global community enters an age of overwhelming competition, Japan must increase its efforts to revamp economic structures and create a new system with greater efficiency, according to Osamu Watanabe, who on July 11 was appointed vice minister for international trade and industry.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

Ministerial conference to combat 'sokaiya' planned

Government ministers will soon hold a conference to discuss problems related to "sokaiya" corporate extortionists as the reverberations of payoff scandals involving leading financial institutions continue to shake Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 11.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 1997

Need for Cambodia airlift recedes

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Teijiro Furukawa indicated late July 9 that the need for the government to send Air Self-Defense Force planes to Cambodia to rescue Japanese people there has decreased.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 1997

Tokyo working out Cambodia evacuation plan

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said July 8 that the government is working out ways of rescuing Japanese nationals stranded in Cambodia, according to a high-ranking government official.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 1997

Tokyo issues warning against entering Cambodia

Tokyo issued a warning July 7 against entering Cambodia after a Japanese engineer died July 6 from serious wounds suffered in a firefight in Phnom Penh.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 1997

Aichi quits Shinshinto, hits Ozawa's leadership

Kazuo Aichi, a senior Lower House member of Shinshinto, will leave the largest opposition party next week, sources said July 4.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 1997

Tanker's oil spill smaller than first feared

Oil spilled July 2 from a supertanker in Tokyo Bay amounts to about 1,550 kiloliters of crude, only one-10th the figure reported the night of the spill, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 3.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 1997

Peru to get loans of 42.6 billion yen

Japan promised some 42.6 billion yen July 3 in fresh economic aid to Peru, while Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori brushed aside concerns over terrorism and urged Japanese firms to invest further in his country.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 1997

U.N.'s Akashi urges nation to aid North Korea

U.N. Undersecretary General Yasushi Akashi urged Japan on July 2 to extend humanitarian emergency food aid to North Korea to ease its severe food shortage.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 1997

The Tokyo Elections: LDP, JCP looking strong

More Tokyo voters are leaning toward candidates from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party in the assembly election July 6 than four years ago, according to a Kyodo News poll.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 1997

Major oil spill hits Tokyo Bay

A supertanker ran aground July 2 in Tokyo Bay, dumping as much as 15,000 kiloliters of crude oil in one of the worst environmental accidents in Japanese waters, the Maritime Safety Agency said.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 1997

Concert to list shares on TSE in autumn

Concert PLC, a global telecom firm to be established this fall by a merger of British Telecommunications PLC and MCI Communications Corp., will list its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange immediately after the company is formed.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 1997

Japan urged to build own economic system

Japan should form its own economic system, rather than simply emulating that of the United States, by making use of its advantages and changing to meet new needs, the newly appointed chief of a government think tank said July 1.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 1997

Dialogue seen as key to Russian row

Building confidence and stepping up cooperation with Russia through high-level dialogue are the keys to resolving the long-standing territorial row over Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, according to Shunji Yanai, newly appointed foreign vice minister.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 1997

Yamaichi denies wrongdoing as 'sokaiya' probe expands

Yamaichi Securities Co., one of the Big Four brokerages, has so far found no illegal transactions with the "sokaiya" corporate extortionist at the center of a growing financial scandal, the firm's chairman said July 1.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

Japan-Nordic summit ends with focus on environment, welfare

BERGEN, Norway -- The leaders of Japan and the Nordic countries ended their first-ever summit June 26 with a call to work together on the environment and share expertise on social welfare programs.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

American Malls remains optimistic about Japan plan

Despite what appears to be firm opposition from the agriculture ministry, American Malls International, a Washington-based developer, seems hopeful of opening a huge shopping mall in Moriya, Ibaraki Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Police arrest 'sokaiya' over extortion attempt

A former "sokaiya" corporate racketeer was arrested June 24 in Tokyo over an alleged extortion attempt that involved an insurance company and magazine subscriptions.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Four nations urge U.N. to work on environment

NEW YORK -- Four countries on four continents launched a joint initiative June 23 aimed at giving the United Nations new impetus to revitalize the spirit of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and achieve sustainable development while tackling environmental problems.

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