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JAPAN
Apr 10, 1997

Ota 'respects' heliport study

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. -- Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota said April 10 that he would respect a decision by the municipal government of Nago to approve a feasibility study for a new offshore heliport for the U.S. Marines in northeastern Okinawa.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 1997

Okinawa base lease bill clears Lower House panel

With the backing of major opposition parties, a government-sponsored bill aimed at giving Tokyo the power to continue forcibly leasing land for U.S. military bases in Okinawa easily passed a Lower House special committee without amendment April 10.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 1997

LDP, allies agree on Okinawa aid plan

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its two smaller non-Cabinet allies agreed April 10 on a program designed to promote the economic development of Okinawa Prefecture and help it achieve financial independence. The program suggests that a large part of the island prefecture be turned into a free-trade...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 1997

Ozawa open to teamwork with LDP

Ichiro Ozawa, president of Shinshinto, the largest opposition party, said April 9 that cooperation with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over administrative reform is possible just as the two agreed to cooperate on the issue of forced use of land for U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 1997

First European job fair slated

Seven European chambers of commerce and a trade commission in Japan, backed by the European Commission, will jointly hold the first European Job Fair in Tokyo this month.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 1997

Dollar rises to 125 yen to hit four-year high

The dollar soared against the yen in Tokyo on April 7, briefly hitting 125 yen for the first time since February 1993 amid growing expectations of higher interest returns on U.S. securities.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

High tin levels found in tuna

A joint research team has discovered that tuna and bonito in the seas around Japan have high concentrations of organic tin from paints used on ship hulls and material used to protect fish nets.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Japan has signaled change but must follow through fully

The government's deregulation package, though far from satisfactory in scale and content, enshrines some important steps signaling greater reform in the future, according to Ushio Chujo, a professor of public economics at Keio University.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

WTO panel to hear Japan-U.S. photo trade row

A dispute-settlement panel of the World Trade Organization will begin discussions this month on the trade row between Tokyo and Washington over Japan's photographic film and paper market, Japanese government officials said Apr. 2.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

LDP seeks opposition's support on Okinawa

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will meet this evening with Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the largest opposition party, Shinshinto, to ask for cooperation over his government's plan to revise a law on land expropriation for U.S. military bases in Okinawa, officials said Apr. 1.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

MITI slams unilateral U.S. trade practices

The United States' continued use of unilateral measures, including Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act, goes against the free-trade principles of the World Trade Organization, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a report released Mar. 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

Bill asserts organ-doning rights of brain-dead people

In an effort to prevent brain death from being legally recognized as death, a nonpartisan group of 28 lawmakers on Mar. 31 submitted to the Diet a bill stating that brain-dead people could be voluntary donors for organ transplants even though their condition does not constitute legal death.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Ikeda to inform China of resumed grant-in-aid

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda leaves Mar. 29 for China for a two-day visit, during which he will tell Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other leaders of the decision to resume grant-in-aid to China.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

MITI continues meddling with other ministries

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry has a long-standing reputation in government circles of meddling in the turf of other ministries, and on Mar. 28 it was the posts ministry that felt its toes stepped on.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Cabinet approves environmental impact bill

The government of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto approved at a Cabinet meeting Mar. 28 a bill proposing the creation of Japan's first law for assessing the impact of construction projects on the environment.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Easier entry for foreign students adopted by ministry

An Education Ministry panel on Mar. 28 adopted a report that calls for improving the complicated approval system for foreign students who wish to study in Japan, officials said.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Japan, U.S. set new harbor talks

In a final effort to avoid threatened U.S. sanctions against Japanese ships, Japan and the U.S. will hold talks on Japanese port practices on Mar. 26 in Washington, the Transport Ministry said Mar. 28.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Ogasawara re-elected as Japan Times Chairman

The annual shareholders' meeting of The Japan Times Ltd., held Mar. 28, re-elected Toshiaki Ogasawara as chairman and president. The meeting also reappointed four other directors, including Minoru Shimizu, who serves as executive managing director. Toshiro Tatsuma was appointed as a new director of...
JAPAN
Mar 26, 1997

Osaka to open posts to foreigners

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka will permit foreign residents with permanent residency to take municipal employment examinations for many city jobs slated for this summer, Osaka Mayor Takafumi Isomura said Mar. 26.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

Foreign-made output makes up 58% of Toyota's overseas sales

Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales of vehicles produced overseas accounted for 58 percent of total overseas sales in 1996, narrowly missing its target of 60 percent, according to the firm's progress report.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

Land liquidity plan may use special firms, tax breaks

A comprehensive package to spur land liquidity to be drawn up Mar. 24 would include such measures as allowing thecreation of special purpose companies within Japan by fiscal 1998 to help securitize land held as loan collateral, the finance minister said Mar. 25.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

No new tax hikes: Mitsuzuka

There will be no additional increases in the consumption tax before the government carries out its pledged sweeping administrative and fiscal reforms by 2005, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka implied Mar. 25.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1997

Trilaterals explore Democracies' woes

The challenges facing industrialized democracies as they enter the 21st century may, at first glance, appear daunting -- ranging from economic stagnation to security and global political leadership -- but they cannot be allowed to become as insurmountable as they seem, according to panelists at a symposium...
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Ainu bill approved but void of legal rights

The government on Mar. 21 officially approved a bill to create a new law on the Ainu people of Hokkaido, but failed to grant them special rights as an indigenous group.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Tomobe denies misuse of Orange Kyosai funds

Upper House member Tatsuo Tomobe, who has been indicted on suspicion of massive fraud, denied on Mar. 21 allegations that he misappropriated funds collected by Orange Kyosai Kumiai, a mutual aid society run by his family, to buy a Diet seat.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 1997

Nomura scandal won't hurt 'Big Bang,' JSDA chief says

The recent scandal surrounding Nomura Securities Co. will not affect current efforts to implement the "Big Bang" financial system reforms, the acting head of the Japan Securities Dealers Associations said.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 1997

JAMA predicts drop in vehicle sales

Domestic sales of passenger cars, trucks and buses in fiscal 1997 are likely to drop 3.7 percent from the previous year to 7 million units, due to expected weakened demand after the consumption tax hike in April, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Mar. 19.
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

Two nonhemophiliacs settle lawsuit over HIV

OSAKA -- A court-mediated settlement was reached Mar. 18 in a suit filed against the central government and Green Cross Corp. by two nonhemophiliacs who became infected with HIV through unheated blood products.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 1997

Bill would allow organs from brain-dead donors

A bill to pave the way for the legal donation of organs from brain-dead patients was submitted Mar. 18 to the Lower House, almost three years after the original bill related to the issue was introduced. Deliberations on the bill start Mar. 19 at the Lower House Health and Welfare Committee.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo