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JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

3,000 rally against revision of Okinawa land lease law

About 3,000 unionists rallied late Apr. 2 in Tokyo to protest a planned legal revision that would enable the government to continue the forced use of land in Okinawa Prefecture for U.S. military installations after the land lease contracts expire in May.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

More 5 yen coins readied for consumption tax hike

Predicting growing demand for 5 yen coins, the Bank of Japan has minted some 400 million of the ring-shaped coins and stockpiled them at its branches. The amount is three to four times the conventional reserves.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1997

Japan vying to be China's choice for high-tech railway

China has yet to decide which country's technology it will adopt for a planned new high-speed rail system between Beijing and Shanghai, and hopes to have more exchanges of technology and experts on the subject with Japan, an executive member of China's Ministry of Railways said recently.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 1997

Use airport slots or lose them, ministry says

The Transport Ministry will confiscate landing and takeoff slots from airlines that have a high percentage of flight cancellations at Narita airport and redistribute them to other carriers starting in 1998, ministry officials said Mar. 19.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 1997

Leniency asked for man who killed son

The lawyer representing a 52-year-old man accused of murdering his delinquent son asked the Tokyo District Court for leniency on Mar. 18, saying the father was ultimately unable to deal with his son's violent behavior.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 1997

LDP panel proposes boost in crisis response

A panel within the Liberal Democratic Party drew up a proposal Mar. 18 for strengthening the government's ability to cope with crises such as natural disasters and war.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 1997

Turkish ambassador welcomes Japanese investment

Turkey's new ambassador, Gunduz Aktan, is hoping that Japanese companies will soon take even greater interest in his country as an investment opportunity and business partner.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 1997

Hemophiliac says tainted blood scandal not over yet

Almost a year after playing a key role in a historic court battle against the government and five drug firms, a 21-year-old HIV-positive hemophiliac insists the truth behind the suffering of hundreds of victims has yet to be revealed.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 1997

Nasdaq listing can liberate Japanese firms, exec says

If the Japanese government implements "Big Bang" financial reforms as quickly and efficiently as it has promised, it will not only liberalize domestic capital markets, it will also help Japanese firms feel freer to "go public and go international," according to Guang Xun Xu, a Nasdaq executive.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1997

Prepare for the 38th annual speech contest in Japanese

The International Education Center is seeking participants for its 38th annual International Speech Contest in Japanese, scheduled for June 21.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1997

Ambulance crews hassled by youths

The Tokyo Fire Department said Mar. 3 there have been 13 recent cases of youngsters confronting or attacking members of ambulance units rushing to emergencies in entertainment districts.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 1997

Execs want more power for prime minister

The Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) called Feb. 28 for a revision in the Cabinet Law to give more power to the prime minister, in the hope that the prime minister will take a stronger initiative in conducting administrative reform.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1997

Chain stores call for more freedom

As a government review of the Large-Scale Retail Store Law looms, an association of chain stores called Feb. 26 for greater freedom in choosing closing times, business days and opening new stores.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 1997

FTC holding firm proposals tied to zaibatsu fear

Proposed guidelines for holding companies under a revised Antimonopoly Law are too rigid to fit the times, members of an advisory study group to the finance minister said Feb. 17.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1997

Nakasone marks 50 years in Diet

Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone was commended Feb. 13 for 50 years of service in the Diet. Nakasone, 78, is the fourth Diet member in Japanese parliamentary history to serve more than half a century.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1997

FEMA urges Japan to form joint disaster unit

Japan should cooperate with the U.S. government and industry to form a unit like the American National Urban Search and Rescue Response system to improve reaction times to major disasters, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said Feb. 12.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1997

Survivor of Nanjing Massacre describes ordeal

A 77-year-old Chinese woman who survived the 1937 Nanjing Massacre testified in court Feb. 12 that Japanese soldiers stabbed her 37 times when she resisted their attempt to rape her.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1997

TSE wooing foreign firms in effort to halt exodus

During the asset-inflated bubble economy of the late 1980s, when the Tokyo stock market was enjoying rocketing prices, brisk transactions and a high reputation, securities authorities did not have to worry about how to invite foreign companies to list. But times have changed.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 1997

Energy-environment turf war flares

Japan, the only industrialized nation without an environmental assessment law, is finally moving toward creating one, but an ongoing tug of war between the Environment Agency and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry is casting a shadow over such prospects.The dispute centers on whether power...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 1997

Shipping lines fight sanctions over cargo dispute

The United States should immediately withdraw its proposal for sanctions against three Japanese shipping lines because the firms are not responsible for cargo handlers at Japan's ports, the head of the Japanese Shipowners' Association said Jan. 22."Japanese shipping lines have no responsibility in the...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Recovery remains 'moderate,' BOJ governor says

The economy remains on a moderate recovery course, but the causes and possible impacts of the recent fall in stock prices should be studied carefully, Bank of Japan Gov. Yasuo Matsushita said Jan. 20.Given the need to ensure a strong foundation for recovery, there will be no change in the BOJ's easy...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Asahara badgers Inoue on stand

Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara appeared restless Jan. 17 during the 22nd hearing of his murder trial, often directing his mumblings toward testifying witness Yoshihiro Inoue, a former senior Aum member.During Inoue's testimony on his involvement in the May 1995 incident in which lethal chemicals...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Tough times continue in Kobe

KOBE -- Two years after the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit this port city on Jan. 17, 1995, Kengo Tanaka has depleted his savings as well as the 3.5 million yen he borrowed from the national government's relief fund."I cannot foresee my future," said Tanaka, 52, who lives with his 75-year-old mother and...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Two held over bribe to enter school

YOKOHAMA -- Two men have been arrested in a bribery case involving the alleged exchange of 1 million yen to ensure a racehorse enthusiast would be admitted to a school for trainers, police said Jan. 15.On Jan. 14, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested Sakae Nishiuchi, 57, a former official of a horse-race...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

Israeli envoy looking to boost trade

Israel Ambassador Moshe Ben-Yaacov said Jan. 14 that economic relations between Japan and his country are growing quickly, thanks to improved peace prospects in the Middle East.Bilateral trade has reached $2.2 billion, and increasing numbers of cars and other Japanese products are flowing into Israel,...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

U.K. official urges earlier decontrol

Kenneth Clarke, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer, urged Jan. 9 that sweeping deregulation of Japan's financial system be undertaken sooner than the current timetable of 2001, according to government officials.During a meeting with Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, Clarke said he hopes the reforms,...
JAPAN
Jan 7, 1997

Kansai business group to get new chief

OSAKA -- Tetsuro Kawakami, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), announced Jan. 7 that he will step down in May when he completes the current term. He will be succeeded by Yasuo Shingu, chairman of Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.Kawakami took the top post at the prestigious business...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1997

Reform decisively, leaders of economic groups warn

Leaders of the nation's four major economic organizations on Jan. 6 warned that the economy will remain sluggish this year unless the government embarks on a clear course toward full-scale reform.At the same time, the leaders said they are not so worried about the so-called "Japan-passing" trend whereby...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

Nissan chief predicts autos will remain Japan's top industry

While some analysts say Japan's auto industry has matured and has little room for growth, the president of Nissan Motor Co. believes the industry will continue to be Japan's leading sector in the 21st century."There may be a new industry that will grow in the future, such as the information business,...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

Tokyo blames discrimination for lack of plans to hire foreigners

Despite the recent reversal of the Home Affairs Ministry's policy, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not take immediate action to hire permanent foreign residents for general clerical positions, Gov. Yukio Aoshima has indicated.Aoshima said he has no plans to launch a study group to discuss the...

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