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JAPAN
Jun 24, 1998

Sanyo to liquidate in August if buyer not found

Troubled Sanyo Securities Co., which filed in November for application of the Corporate Rehabilitation Law, said Wednesday it was moving toward liquidation amid slim chances it will be bought.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 1998

Matsunaga, Hayami clash on bad loans

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga disagreed Wednesday with Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami, saying commercial banks should not disclose some of their problem loans to avoid hurting borrower firms.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 1998

Matsunaga wary of granting RCB lending powers

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga reacted cautiously Tuesday to using public money to reinforce the Resolution and Collection Bank so its functions can include lending.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1998

Economy shrank 0.7% in fiscal 1997

The economy shrank by an annualized 5.3 percent during the last three months of fiscal 1997 compared with the previous quarter, leading to the nation's first annual economic contraction in 23 years, according to figures released Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 1998

DKB beefs up stake in Kankaku

Kankaku Securities Co. formally announced Friday that it will shore up its capital base with 30 billion yen in aid from Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, making it a de facto subsidiary of the major city bank.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1998

Top Hong Kong official defends dollar-to-dollar link

Hong Kong remains committed to retaining its link to the U.S. dollar through a currency board and has strong support from mainland China in defending its dollar, its top administrative officer said Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
May 26, 1998

Talks on Indonesia's foreign debts expected to bear fruit

Negotiations between Indonesia and foreign businesses over the rescheduling of Indonesian firms' massive foreign debts is expected to bear some fruit, the head of Japan's banking industry said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 26, 1998

Disgraced Finance officials take pension cuts

Two senior Finance Ministry officials who resigned in connection with a wining-and-dining scandal have applied for and been granted retirement allowances reduced below standard levels, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1998

Orix takes over Yamaichi subsidiary

Orix Corp., the country's leading leasing firm, announced Tuesday the completion of its takeover of Yamaichi Trust & Bank, Ltd., a subsidiary of the failed Yamaichi Securities Co.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 1998

Saudi prince welcomes all kinds of investment

Saudi Arabia will spare no effort to accommodate Japanese investors, visiting Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz said April 24.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 1998

BOJ branches report regional economies in decline

Regional economies have continued to worsen in many parts of the country as personal consumption and capital investment have either remained sluggish or declined, Bank of Japan branch heads said April 20.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 1998

Bureaucrat calls for progress report on bank lending

Finance officials should check the lending practices at banks to determine whether they have eased their stance on loans following the closure of their books in March, Vice Finance Minister Koji Tanami said April 20.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 1998

IMF official calls for big income tax cuts

Japan should map out an economic stimulus package that includes large-scale income tax cuts, a senior official of the International Monetary Fund said April 8 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 1998

Top banker wants to keep post to protect industry's image

The president of the scandal-tainted Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi hinted April 7 that he should be kept on as the head of the banking federation to avoid amplifying foreigners' distrust in Japan's banking sector.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 1998

Hayami takes helm of Bank of Japan

Masaru Hayami took the helm as governor of the trouble-stricken Bank of Japan on March 20, emphasizing the need for the central bank to protect its independence and ensure transparency in policymaking as the revised BOJ Law takes effect April 1.
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 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
Feb 17, 1998

Nation's top banker refuses to resign over bribe scandal

The president of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi said Tuesday that he will not resign from his position as head of a banking industry organization despite allegations that his bank bribed Finance Ministry officials.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1998

Matsunaga open to debate on pump-priming measures

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Tuesday he would welcome debate within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on further pump-priming measures, but added the priority is to secure Diet passage of the supplementary and fiscal 1998 budgets.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 1998

Matsunaga appointed as new finance minister

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto named Lower House Budget Committee chairman Hikaru Matsunaga as the new finance minister Friday, entrusting him with the task of cleaning up the ministry's image in the wake of a bribery scandal.The scandal, in which two ministry inspectors were arrested earlier in the...
JAPAN
Jan 30, 1998

Vice Minister Tanami wants trust in Finance restored

Newly appointed Vice Finance Minister Koji Tanami vowed Friday to put priority on regaining the public's trust in the powerful, scandal-tainted ministry.Tanami, 58, was serving as the head of the Cabinet Councilors' Office on Internal Affairs but was recalled after his predecessor, Takeshi Komura, resigned...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 1998

Top Finance bureaucrat resigns over bribery case

Vice Finance Minister Takeshi Komura handed in his resignation Thursday afternoon to take responsibility for the recent scandal in which two ministry inspectors were arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from major banks.Koji Tanami, a ministry official now in charge of the Cabinet Councilors' Office...
JAPAN
Jan 28, 1998

Keck announces end to EU-Japan auto export restraint

Europe will not seek to extend its agreement with Japan on voluntarily restraining Japanese automobile exports, European Union Ambassador Jorn Keck said Wednesday.The departing ambassador was speaking at a farewell news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. "I don't know how to prolong...
JAPAN
Jan 26, 1998

Finance Ministry inspectors arrested over bank bribes

Two officials of the Finance Ministry's Finance Inspection Department are under arrest on suspicion of accepting bribes from banks in the form of wining and dining, the special investigative squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office announced Monday night.The two arrested were identified...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1998

Mitsuzuka to remain at helm of Finance Ministry

Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka stressed Tuesday that he would not resign, because it is imperative that he carry out his duties and try to secure Diet passage of bills and the fiscal 1998 budget.Speaking at a regular news conference, Mitsuzuka pointed out that he was responsible for drawing up both...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1998

Debate sought as banks triple figures for sour loans

Figures indicating that the nation's banks have more than triple the amount of bad loans than originally thought will help spur Diet debate on using public funds to stabilize the financial system, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said Tuesday.On Monday, the Finance Ministry said independent assessments...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1998

Blair sees a new chapter in bilateral ties

A new chapter is opening in Anglo-Japanese relations as the two countries work together for peace and security, and a better international economy, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday.He told a news conference at the Japan National Press Club that his visit helped strengthen the bilateral...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1998

Yen keeps losing ground to dollar

The yen gave up further ground against the dollar Tuesday amid concerns over the ailing Japanese economy and financial crises in Southeast Asian countries.The yen fell to 134.38 yen to the dollar at one point, its lowest in almost six years, before settling at 133.57-60 yen at 5 p.m., compared with...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1998

Mitsuzuka proposes stock market stabilization measures

Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka announced Tuesday a set of measures -- including the introduction of more stringent restrictions regarding the short-selling of stocks -- aimed at reducing volatility in Tokyo's stock markets.Specifically, the definition of short-selling under the Securities and Exchange...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1998

Big business calls for political leadership

Shoichiro Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), said Tuesday that political leadership is needed to swiftly pass planned measures to cope with the economy."Toward the end of last year, various measures were drafted," Toyoda told a joint news conference with...

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A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped