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JAPAN
Sep 7, 2001

Government close to using the 'R' word

The government came close Thursday to admitting the economy is in recession, as its key economic gauge remained below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the seventh straight month in July.
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2001

LDP formulates employment measures

The Liberal Democratic Party has drafted a set of employment measures to help those rendered jobless by corporate restructuring, officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Bureaucrats seek to keep grip on public corporations

Bureaucrats are opposed to a large portion of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plans to privatize or abolish public corporations, according to government reports recently submitted to the Cabinet Office.
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2001

Markets suffer Koizumi's silence

A sense of frustration is beginning to set in. Every indication points to a marked deterioration in economic outlook in the months ahead.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2001

Opposition parties urge extra session

Four opposition parties submitted a petition Wednesday to the House of Representatives, urging the Cabinet to convene an extraordinary Diet session as soon as possible to deal with the worsening economy and other pressing matters.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

70 billion yen sought to launch spy satellites

The government is seeking 70.7 billion yen from the fiscal 2002 state budget to launch its first spy satellites, government officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2001

Obituaries: Junichiro Itani, Sumiko Takahara

Junichiro Itani, an internationally renowned anthropologist and professor emeritus at Kyoto University, died of pneumonia at a Kyoto hospital Sunday, his family said Monday. He was 75.
COMMENTARY
Aug 14, 2001

Cleaning up after Tanaka

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi faces a serious problem: How to restore confidence in Japanese diplomacy, which has been eroded by Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka's inept conduct in the first 100 days of his administration.
COMMENTARY
Aug 11, 2001

Koizumi's easy days are over

With Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's major victory in the Upper House election on July 29, Japanese politics has entered into a new phase.
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2001

Economy deteriorating further

The government believes the economy is "further deteriorating" due chiefly to larger falls in exports and output plus a dip in investment.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2001

Tanaka to lose month's pay over two ministry scandals

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday she will return one month's ministerial salary to the state's coffers as a self-imposed punishment over two financial scandals involving ministry officials.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2001

Machinery orders fell 6.6% in June

Core private-sector machinery orders fell a seasonally adjusted 6.6 percent in June from the previous month to 946.5 billion yen, marking the second consecutive month of decline, the Cabinet Office said Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2001

ODA, public works cuts face LDP opposition

The Foreign Ministry and some LDP policymakers expressed opposition Wednesday to a government panel's decision to cut Official Development Assistance in the fiscal 2002 budget by 10 percent from the initial fiscal 2001 budget.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2001

Stock market slump drives business confidence down further

Business confidence deteriorated further in the April-June period from the previous quarter to its lowest level in 21/2 years, mainly on a continued decline in stock prices and exports, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2001

Coincident index adds evidence of contraction

The key gauge of the nation's economic health stayed below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in June for the sixth-straight month, providing more evidence of economic contraction, the government said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2001

Attitudes shifting on separate names for married people

The government sees a big change in attitudes about separate surnames by married couples and plans to discuss the possible introduction of a two-name system, the top government spokesman said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2001

Kato named U.S. ambassador

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka formally gave in to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ministry personnel requests Friday, agreeing to appoint Deputy Foreign Minister Ryozo Kato as the next ambassador to the United States, replacing Shunji Yanai.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2001

Yasukuni furor sparks legal threat

Citizens' groups said Thursday they may sue Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for violating the Constitution if he visits Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2001

Matsuo admits embezzlement

The Foreign Ministry's former head of logistics for VIP trips abroad pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to defrauding the government out of some 161 million yen by padding expenses of overseas visits by two former prime ministers between 1997 and 1999.
COMMENTARY
Jul 30, 2001

Foreign policy falls short

LONDON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi cannot afford to let Japanese foreign policy become a hostage to nationalist agitation and populist pressures. Japan needs friends in Asia as well as in the rest of the world. Its relationship with the United States remains crucial. Koizumi has worked hard to...
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Ruling tripartite coalition to continue: Koizumi

The present three-way coalition government led by the Liberal Democratic Party will be maintained beyond the July 29 Upper House election, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Foes waiting in wings for Koizumi

Ace pitcher Junichiro Koizumi does not throw curveballs. Two months into his tricky job on the nation's political mound of Nagata-cho — where even supposed teammates may be plotting against him — he continues throwing straight fastballs only.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Summit eyed as launchpad for fresh ties

With Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's first summit with U.S. President George W. Bush to be held Saturday outside Washington D.C., Japan hopes to set in motion full-scale efforts to build fresh ties under the new U.S. administration.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Panel to explore direct vote for prime minister

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will set up an advisory panel next month to study one of his pet policies — the introduction of a popular vote for the prime minister.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2001

Women slip behind on empowerment gauge

Japanese women are falling behind in participation in economic and social activities and in obtaining decision-making roles, according to a government white paper released Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2001

State-backed firms face new accounting rules

An advisory panel to the finance minister unveiled on Tuesday new accounting guidelines for government-affiliated corporations as part of an effort to improve transparency in their management.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person