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JAPAN
Mar 18, 1998

State to withdraw 400 million yen claim against Aum

The government intends to withdraw a claim for more than 400 million yen against Aum Shinrikyo, which has been declared bankrupt, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka indicated March 18.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 1998

Hashimoto requests help for Indonesia

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto has sent messages and urged countries, including the United States, Britain, South Korea and Singapore, to help Indonesia overcome its lingering economic problems, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka said March 18.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1998

BOJ resignations to 'settle things'

The resignations of Bank of Japan Gov. Yasuo Matsushita and his deputy are sufficient to allow the central bank a fresh start following the arrest of a BOJ official on suspicion of accepting bribes from major banks, Matsushita said March 17.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 1998

Beijing meeting to focus on friendliness to environment

Japanese and Chinese environment researchers and engineers will hold a meeting later this month in Beijing to discuss a joint plan to designate some cities in China to conduct intensive research on creating environment friendly cities, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka said March 16.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 1998

Finance Ministry agrees that 0.1% GDP rise is long shot for '97

Vice Finance Minister Koji Tanami said March 16 he agreed with the Economic Planning Agency's view that it would be "quite difficult" for the nation's economy to achieve 0.1 percent growth for the current fiscal year.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1998

Economy shrinks 0.7% as recession approaches

Japan's economy shrank an annualized 0.7 percent in real terms for the October-December quarter, compared with July-September, bringing the growth rate for calendar 1997 to a scant 0.9 percent, the Economic Planning Agency said March 13.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1998

Cabinet approves bill to widen SDF defensive fire

The Cabinet approved a bill March 13 to revise the law governing Japan's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations to allow military commanders to order defensive fire.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1998

Mitsui Marine & Fire decides against Sanyo takeover

Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co. announced March 13 that it has dropped a plan to take over part of failed Sanyo Securities Co. because it is unlikely the company will be able to make a profit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1998

New Zealand calls on Japan to boost demand

New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley encouraged Japan on March 10 to stimulate domestic demand, saying that stronger growth in Japan will help Asian countries that are suffering from economic crisis.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 1998

Special envoy to be sent on Seoul visit

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will send a high-ranking official to South Korea later this week as a special envoy to set the groundwork for better relations with Seoul's new administration under President Kim Dae Jung, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka said March 9.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 1998

10 trillion yen stimulus eyed

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will call for an additional economic stimulus package of more than 10 trillion yen after the Diet approves the fiscal 1998 state budget in April, top officials of the LDP have indicated.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 1998

13-year-old boy fatally stabs classmate at Saitama school

URAWA, Saitama Pref. -- A 13-year-old boy stabbed a classmate to death at a junior high school Monday (March 9) morning in Higashi-Matsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, police said.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 1998

LDP reverses itself on disclosure of lawmakers' assets

In a reversal of its earlier position, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to propose a rule that would force Diet members to disclose all their stock transactions.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 1998

U.S. affirms Japanese progress but calls for more deregulation

The United States, while acknowledging there has been some progress, urged Japan on Wednesday to make further efforts to achieve deregulation in the runup to the upcoming Group of Seven meeting in Birmingham, Britain.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 1998

Key Okinawa adviser to relinquish post

Yukio Okamoto, an official adviser to Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto on Okinawa affairs, will resign from his post on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1998

EC calls on Japan to implement stimulus measures

Japan must implement a "substantial fiscal stimulus" to boost domestic demand and achieve sustainable economic growth, Gerard Depayre, deputy director general for external relations of the European Commission, said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

School acts to stem sexual harassment after Korean incident

Tokyo Keizai University said it has taken measures following an incident in June in which a Japanese male student was accused of sexually harassing female South Korean students on campus.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Plan to store nuclear waste in Hokkaido withdrawn

A controversial plan to build a high-level nuclear waste storage facility in Horonobe, Hokkaido, has been withdrawn, the Science and Technology Agency made clear Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

DIC members prioritize finance system stability

An in-house committee of the Deposit Insurance Corp. held its first meeting Monday and agreed that stabilization of the entire financial system is the first priority in discussing how public money should be used to reinforce banks' capital bases.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

No pump-priming pledge made to G-7: Matsunaga

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga denied Monday that he had made any commitment to the Group of Seven nations to implement additional economic stimulus measures, such as an extra budget for fiscal 1998.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Flu epidemic spurs vaccine debate

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1998

Limits on stock trading by lawmakers urged

Several members of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's Cabinet and leaders of his Liberal Democratic Party suggested Friday that tighter controls should be imposed on stock trading by Diet members, while others voiced opposition to the idea.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1998

LDP unveils latest plan to reinvigorate economy

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday unveiled its fourth stimulus package, hoping to boost confidence in the economy before the March 31 end of the fiscal year.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 1998

Chief insurer distances nonlife sector from recent scandals

BR>The head of the nonlife insurance industry on Thursday tried to distance his field from the nation's banking scandal, saying nonlife insurance firms do not excessively wine and dine Finance Ministry officials.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 1998

LDP lawmaker commits suicide before imminent arrest

Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Shokei Arai, who was about to be arrested for allegedly earning 29 million yen in illicit profits from Nikko Securities Co., hanged himself in a Tokyo hotel room Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 1998

Toho Life, GE Capital join forces in new insurance venture

Financially ailing Toho Mutual Life Insurance Co. and leading U.S. nonbank financial firm GE Capital Services Inc. formally announced Wednesday that they will set up a new life insurance company in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 1998

Indonesia aid readied for G-7 talks

Japan hopes to draw up additional measures to assist embattled Indonesia by the start of Saturday's meeting of the finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of Seven, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 1998

Japan supports Annan's trip to Baghdad

Japan welcomes the planned visit by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to Baghdad on Friday to seek a diplomatic solution to the confrontation over Iraq's refusal to allow the U.N. to inspect its suspected weapons sites, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 1998

Transport chief seeks to end officials' free plane rides

Transport Minister Takao Fujii said Tuesday that he has ordered ministry officials to consider abolishing a half-century-old practice under which Civil Aviation Bureau officials get free rides on Japanese airline firms for business trips.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 1998

Finance ministry bank inspectors given the ax

The Finance Ministry dismissed two bank inspectors who were indicted Monday on charges of receiving bribes from banks in exchange for tipoffs about the ministry's pending inspections, Vice Finance Minister Koji Tanami said at a news conference.

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