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JAPAN
Feb 11, 1999

Gaming fans snatch up latest Final Fantasy

Hundreds of electronic game lovers mobbed stores in Tokyo's Akihabara Thursday to snap up the latest version of Final Fantasy, a popular PlayStation computer game that went on sale in the morning.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 1999

Mitsubishi firms eye largest leasing merger

Two leasing companies in the Mitsubishi corporate group are negotiating terms of a merger that may take place this fall, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 1999

Immigration crackdown nets 27 Chinese

Immigration authorities on Wednesday placed 27 Chinese in custody on suspicion that they illegally entered and stayed in Japan by using fake certificates identifying them as offspring of Japanese women married to Chinese and left behind in that country after World War II, officials said.
EDITORIALS
Feb 10, 1999

Encouraging signs in South Asia

The world was shaken last May when India and then Pakistan conducted underground nuclear tests. Citizens of the two countries danced in the streets as the two governments declared themselves members of the nuclear club. Reaction elsewhere was just as heartfelt, but for entirely different reasons. The...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Feb 10, 1999

You've got e-mess!

Calling the Internet a borderless world isn't far from the truth, but try saying that every time you get an e-mail you can't read. You know, one of those buggers that is full of incomprehensible code or one that has a mysterious file attached that refuses to open no matter how hard you click it.
EDITORIALS
Feb 9, 1999

Passing on the king's torch of peace

The active rule of a king does not greatly differ from that of a dictator in the sense that his demise has such a profound impact, not only on the fortunes of his own people, but also on the relationships between his nation and other countries. Whether his rule was that of an enlightened political leader...
JAPAN
Feb 9, 1999

Mint Museum slated for 2001 move to Chuo Ward

The Mint Museum of the Finance Ministry's Mint Bureau will be moved from Osaka's Kita Ward to the old site of the Osaka Arsenal on the grounds of Osaka Castle Park in Chuo Ward.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 1999

Osaka releases 4.1 trillion yen budget proposal

The Osaka Municipal Government released a 1999 fiscal year budget proposal of 4.1 trillion yen Tuesday that calls for additional welfare assistance programs and 935 million yen for promoting its bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 1999

Hatoyama enters governor's race; LDP eyes Akashi

Kunio Hatoyama, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, ended days of speculation Tuesday by announcing his candidacy for April's Tokyo gubernatorial election.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 1999

BOJ governor opposes outright bond purchases

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami on Tuesday came out against a proposal that the central bank expand its buying of government bonds from the market, saying such a measure would be tantamount to underwriting newly issued bonds.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 1999

Daiwa, Kinki, Osaka form strategic banking alliance

Daiwa Bank has joined midsize regionals Bank of Osaka and Bank of Kinki to form a broad alliance that may lead to a joint holding company in the future, officials from the banks said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 1999

LDP drops plan to back Hatoyama for governor

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday officially gave up its plan to join with other parties in supporting Kunio Hatoyama, vice president of the Democratic Party of Japan, even if he decides to run in the April 11 Tokyo gubernatorial election.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 1999

Cabby from China learning way around Japan

Ghost, half-human and spy — Shigeru Oyama has been called all these things growing up half-Japanese in postwar Beijing.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 1999

BOJ urged to buy bonds

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka urged the central bank Monday to step up efforts within the week to stop the rise in interest rates through such means as buying government bonds from the market.
EDITORIALS
Feb 5, 1999

Auto mergers in the fast lane

The wheeling and dealing in the auto industry has gone into high gear. Last year's megamerger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler began the process of consolidation, but it was always just a matter of time. The world cannot support 40 automakers. Manufacturers already have the facilities to make 20 million...
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Will government bonds help? It's a trick question

Debate on how Japan can pull itself out of its worst postwar economic slump has entered a new stage.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

FTC alleges pipe industry collusion

The Fair Trade Commission filed a complaint with the prosecutor general Thursday against Kubota Corp. and two other water- and gas-pipe makers for allegedly arranging a cartel to fix their market shares, officials said.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Kyushu bears brunt of heaviest snow in nine years

The heaviest snow in nine years fell in the northern Kyushu area Thursday, disrupting traffic services and causing road accidents, police reported.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

JOC panel to probe Nagano over Games bid

Japanese Olympic officials said Wednesday they have launched an inquiry into possible misconduct by International Olympic Committee members during Nagano's bid to host the 1998 Winter Games.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

OECD drafts corporate governance guides

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has completed a draft of international guidelines for good corporate governance that emphasizes, among other things, promotion and protection of shareholders' rights.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Fight cartels to curb 'meth' use: U.N.

Japan should crack down on international crime syndicates if it wants to curb the recent wave of methamphetamine consumption spreading through the country, a top United Nations drug control official said Thursday in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 1999

NATO's call to arms in Kosovo

The six nations that make up the Contact Group on Kosovo have demanded that the parties to the conflict attend a peace conference in Rambouillet, France this weekend. They have backed up that summons with the threat of NATO military intervention in the troubled province if the combatants fail to stop...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Feb 3, 1999

Easy money?

Have you got Net fever yet? It's hard to resist.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Komura considers Cuba visit by May

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura is considering visiting Havana as early as May as part of diplomatic efforts to improve the hitherto estranged relations between Japan and Cuba, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Coalition looks past budget, peers at defense

The LDP-Liberal Party coalition on Wednesday proposed a special Diet committee to discuss bills covering the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Sumitomo, Goodyear link to retread tire industry

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. of the United States, the world's third-biggest tire maker, has agreed with Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. to participate in a capital and business alliance that will be the largest in the industry, Sumitomo announced Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

LDP may field joint candidate in Tokyo election

The Liberal Democratic Party should cooperate with other parties to field a joint candidate for the Tokyo gubernatorial election in April, rather than nominate one from its own ranks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 2, 1999

Giving power to the politicians

The government's top priority at the moment is to resuscitate the Japanese economy by stabilizing the shaky banking sector and pushing domestic business recovery through expanded governmental and consumer spending. At the same time, as the nation is poised to enter the 21st century, the urgent need to...
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

Fukushima urges Japan, U.S. to talk over trade differences

Now that Washington has decided to revive the controversial "Super 301" procedure, Japan should start market-opening discussions with the U.S. to prevent trade conflicts, according to Glen S. Fukushima, a former deputy assistant U.S. trade representative for Japan and China.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 1999

JR Tokai coughs up 20.5 billion yen for JNR burden

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) officially announced Tuesday that it will accept the additional financial burden imposed by the government in a scheme to repay about 28 trillion yen in debts left behind by the former Japanese National Railways.

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