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JAPAN
Feb 12, 1997

Leader of kidnapping may still be at large

Police suspect the mastermind behind a kidnapping in which six Chinese illegal immigrants have been arrested may still be at large, investigative sources said Feb. 12.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 1997

Cupid liquidation sale attracts hearty crowd

Chihiro Matsuda likes jewelry very much, especially from her boyfriend. But she has one minor problem. "Now that we've broken up, I don't want this bracelet and necklace he gave me," she said. And, she added, now that she has a new boyfriend, she wants to make a fresh start "without bad memories."
JAPAN
Feb 11, 1997

Protests and rallies mark controversial Founding Day

Denying the validity of dating the founding of Japan from the enthronement of a legendary emperor, citizens' groups staged rallies Feb. 11, calling for the government to abolish the national holiday to ensure the separation of church and state.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 1997

'24-hour baths' to get sanitation advisement

An association of firms that make and sell so-called 24-hour-baths said Feb. 10 it will introduce voluntary sanitation guidelines for the water used in the systems.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 1997

Five credit firms tighten easy loan operations

Five major consumer credit firms announced jointly on Feb. 7 a package of measures to deal with criticism that they are pushing up the number of personal bankruptcies by extending loans too easily.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 1997

BOJ autonomy urged in panel's final report

An advisory body to the finance minister Feb. 6 proposed sweeping changes to the decades-old Bank of Japan Law that would give the central bank more autonomy in policymaking.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1997

Hosokawa denies taking money from Tomobe

NARITA, Chiba Pref. -- Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa on Feb. 5 flatly denied an allegation that he received money from Tatsuo Tomobe, a House of Councilors member who is under arrest on suspicion of fraud, to ensure Tomobe was elected in the July 1995 Upper House election.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1997

Compensation for sex slaves pushed

Japanese lawmakers and citizens supporting efforts to win redress for former sex slaves vowed Feb. 5 to work closely with their South Korean counterparts to push for passage of a compensation law for the aging victims.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 1997

Suit filed over site of ticket office

A group of citizens who oppose the planned construction of a bike-racing ticket office in the Shimbashi district of Tokyo's Minato Ward filed lawsuits Jan. 29, demanding that the project's promoters and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry suspend the plan.Four suits, two against the builders...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 1997

Murderer's appeal quashed by top court

A man who has spent 27 years in jail after being convicted of poisoning his wife, mistress and three others in Mie Prefecture had his fifth appeal for a retrial rejected by the Supreme Court on Jan. 29.The court rejected the special appeal filed by Masaru Okunishi, 71, ruling that the defense had not...
JAPAN
Jan 28, 1997

NCR to give employees stock option

NCR Japan Ltd., a subsidiary of U.S.-based NCR Corp., announced Jan. 28 that it will introduce a "stock option" incentive program for its employees, becoming the first Japanese listed firm to offer such a program.The company's 3,200 workers will be given the right to purchase 90 shares of its parent...
JAPAN
Jan 23, 1997

Foreign scholarships up for grabs

United World Colleges, an international nongovernmental organization of colleges, is now accepting applications for this year's scholarships.The organization was established to raise young people's awareness of other cultures by inviting students from throughout the world to study in a two-year preuniversity...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 1997

Execs call for legal reform aimed at freeing the market

Japan's legal system should be drastically reformed in order to free up the nation's market, make it transparent and put it in harmony with international standards, according to a report released Jan. 22 by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai).The report lists a number of revisions...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 1997

American rice campaign kicks off in Tokyo

In an effort to acquire a greater share of the Japanese rice market, the USA Rice Federation embarked Jan. 21 on a campaign to have more Japanese consumers give American rice a try, federation representatives said at a news conference in Tokyo.Imports of American rice have been allowed for two years...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Foreign automakers fight to secure market share

With more people in Japan beginning to think that there is nothing special about imported cars, foreign automakers can no longer rely on their once luxurious brand image to do the selling for them.Now foreign carmakers are finding themselves in increasingly fierce competition with domestic automakers....
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Deposit Insurance Corp. asks for more personnel

The Deposit Insurance Corp. asked the Finance Ministry on Jan. 16 for more personnel so that it can better handle an expanding range of operations needed to clean up failed financial institutions bogged down by bad loans.During a meeting with Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, the heads of the nation's...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Imported auto show opens today at Big Sight

The Tokyo Imported Automobile Show '97, featuring some 230 vehicles from nine countries, will open Jan. 17 at the Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake.The show, sponsored by the Japan External Trade Organization and the Japan Automobile Importers' Association, will run until Jan. 19. The sponsors said they are...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Search continues for 10 fishermen

NAGASAKI -- Maritime Safety Agency officials said on Jan. 15 that they have found no sign of 10 people who are missing from a Japanese fishing boat that capsized after colliding with a Panamanian-registered freighter Jan. 13 off South Korea's Cheju Island.The MSA dispatched cruisers and helicopters...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Flu epidemic may be worst in decade

An outbreak of influenza, often rampant around this time of year, could be the worst in a decade, the Health and Welfare Ministry warned Jan. 15.According to recent statistics released by the ministry, the number of people who appear to have contracted the virus in the latter half of December reached...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

Mongolian prime minister to visit

Mongolian Prime Minister Mendsaikhani Enkhsaikhan will in late February make his first visit to Tokyo since he took office following last June's landmark election in which his opposition coalition ousted the former Communists from power, Japanese government officials said Jan. 14.Speaking on condition...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

Ambassador Panov to survey damage

Russian Ambassador Alexander Panov will visit Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures Jan. 15 to map out further measures for dealing with damage caused by oil spilled from a wrecked Russian tanker, Panov told Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda on Jan. 14, according to Foreign Ministry officials.Panov told Ikeda...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

Nagano boy names bullies before suicide

NAGANO -- A 13-year-old boy hanged himself at his home and a note found at the scene said he had been bullied by four schoolmates, it was learned Jan. 9. The boy's mother found her son hanging from the eaves of their home in Suzaka, Nagano Prefecture, shortly before 11 p.m. Jan. 7, one day before the...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

Town's energy need blows in the wind

TACHIKAWA, Yamagata Pref. -- On a cloudy winter afternoon, a cold, fierce wind blowing from the Sea of Japan relentlessly turns three large windmills on a hill. Inside a nearby building with an oval-shaped roof, a man in work clothes keeps an eye on the windmills' control console, checking the rotors,...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 1997

Peru criticizes Japanese press for entering hostage compound

LIMA -- The Peruvian government on Jan. 7 criticized Japanese press members who are covering the hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima for their impromptu forays into the besieged compound.Prime Minister Alberto Pandolfi in a statement said the entry of Japanese reporters into...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 1997

Oil spill starts taking toll on marine environment

MIKUNI, Fukui Pref.-- Oil from a wrecked Russian tanker continued Jan. 8 to wash ashore on the Sea of Japan coast, dealing a serious blow to the local environment and economy.Stormy weather continued to hamper cleanup efforts in the spill, which could turn out to be the worst in the nation's history....
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1997

Firefighters strut stuff in emergency team display

A marching band blared the theme to "Mission Impossible" during Tokyo's New Year Fire Review on Jan. 6. It was stirring but misleading.But nothing seemed impossible for the representatives of the fire department's nine districts, who wowed the crowd with the skills, organization and technology they...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

U-turn rush clogs nation's arteries

The annual rush of people returning home after spending the yearend and new year holidays in their hometowns or at resorts began Jan. 3, clogging highways, airports and Shinkansen trains.The peak of the congestion is expected to come Jan. 4 and Jan. 5. According to the Japan Road Traffic Information...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

Nontraditional new year preferred by youngsters

A family gathering is one way to start off the year. But many people think it's not the only way, including some who relaxed with friends early Jan. 3 in Odaiba-kaihin Park in Tokyo.Tomomi Kakutani, 25, spent the first few hours of the new year by her coveted motorbike with 10 other touring buddies....
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

Workforce selection, utilization said key to modern industrial success

When Skymark Airlines was established last November by a group of venture companies, including discount air ticket seller H.I.S. Co., people accustomed to more traditional ways of doing business were shocked by the new style the carrier introduced.They were amazed because nobody has dared to challenge...
JAPAN
Jan 2, 1997

Virtual idol Kyoko Date breaks new ground in cyberspace project

She sings and dances, favoring the style of teenage pop diva Namie Amuro. She's got what it takes to make it as an idol of today -- boyishly cute looks and a wardrobe of tight, satiny shirts and shorts.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami