Search - about-us

 
 
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1998

New chief vows every effort to revive economy

Keizo Obuchi, new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, pledged Friday to make every effort to revive the economy and regain the public's trust in politics.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1998

Analysis: Fate rides on quick, effective policies

and MITSUKO NASHIMAStaff writers
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1998

Business focuses on the crew rather than the leader

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1998

Consensus-builder to lead the nation

Keizo Obuchi, the new Liberal Democratic Party president who is certain to become prime minister next week, is known for a low-key, consensus-oriented political style that has earned him few enemies.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1998

Train noise to cost Odakyu 9.5 million yen

A government panel Friday ordered Odakyu Electric Railway Co. to pay 34 people living near the carrier's line a total of 9.56 million yen in compensation for noise pollution.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1998

75 million yen emergency aid readied for Papua New Guinea

Japan will extend 75 million yen in emergency aid to Papua New Guinea, which was hit by a killer tsunami last week, Foreign Ministry officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1998

End of recruitment pacts sparks skipping to find jobs

Abolition of recruitment agreements between companies and new university graduates has helped ease the hectic job-hunting ritual, but class attendance is dropping as students take the hunt into their own hands, according to a survey released Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1998

Though they accept roles, Asian mothers not content

Mothers in Asian nations accept but are not fully content with the familial roles they have to play, according to the results of a survey released Thursday by an advertising agency.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1998

Candidates make last pitches; junior group may quit LDP

The three candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency all promised aggressive economic measures Thursday afternoon as they delivered joint campaign speeches at LDP headquarters in last-minute pitches before today's election.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1998

Osaka boasts of clean, better-tasting tap water

HIRAKATA, Osaka Pref. -- Osaka Prefecture's once moldy-smelling, strange-tasting tap water is now safer to drink and better tasting thanks to three high-tech drinking water filtration plants that went into full operation Wednesday, prefectural officials claim.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1998

Computers evolving to slimmer, more stylish models

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 21, 1998

Condo owners sue housing corporation

More than 1,600 owners of government-built condominiums filed a 15.5 billion yen suit Tuesday against the Housing and Urban Development Corp. over the major discounts it offered new buyers last year.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 1998

Freeze austerity law only as last resort: Matsunaga

Freezing the fiscal austerity law should be the last resort when the new Cabinet tries to revive the moribund economy, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 1998

LDP presidential race kicks off

The race for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party officially got under way Tuesday as former Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama, Health and Welfare Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi filed their candidacies.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 1998

MSDF helicopter accident injures one

KANOYA, Kagoshima Pref. -- A Maritime Self-Defense Force OH-6D trainer helicopter turned over on its side Tuesday during student-training drills at the MSDF's Kanoya Air Base here, injuring a lieutenant commander, MSDF officials said.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

Women falling under greater social pressures: white paper

Women have gained more responsibility -- along with tasks -- in the workplace, but now are also expected to devote more time to housework, according to a 1998 white paper on gender equality submitted to the Cabinet Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

Business leaning toward Kajiyama

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

Groups request review of Tokushima dam project

Concerned lawmakers and citizen representatives met with Construction Minister Tsutomu Kawara on Friday to submit a written request urging the government to rethink plans for a dam on Tokushima Prefecture's Yoshino River.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

Three-way LDP race expected

Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama declared their candidacies Friday for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to succeed Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

'Comfort woman' details war ordeal

A Chinese woman forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers during World War II testified about her slavery ordeal Friday before the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

Shimizu admits charges in welfare pension scam, apologizes

OSAKA -- Former Higashi-Osaka Mayor Yukio Shimizu admitted to all charges brought against him in a welfare pension scam and apologized to the city's residents during the first hearing of his trial Friday at the Osaka District Court.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Major e-money experiment launched in Shibuya area

One of the world's largest experiments in the use of electronic money was launched in Tokyo's Shibuya district Thursday, with major credit card companies and banks preparing to distribute 133,000 electronic money cards by the end of October 1999.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Fewer students making transition to work visas

In an apparent reflection of Japan's recession, the number of foreigners who obtained work visas after coming to Japan as students decreased to 2,624 in 1997, a 10.4 percent drop from the year before, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Chinese woman wins insurance suit against Musashino

In a ruling that overturned a Welfare Ministry practice, a Chinese woman who had overstayed her visa won the right to obtain a National Health Insurance card Thursday in a civil suit lodged against Musashino City.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

The Asahara Trial: Cultist says Aum ruined his thinking

A former Aum Shinrikyo member allegedly involved in making a device used in the deadly June 1994 nerve gas attack in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, said the cult's closed society impaired his ability to think about his actions.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Tax-reform panel waits for next LDP leadership

The Liberal Democratic Party's panel on taxation agreed Thursday it will start discussions on reforming the tax system for 1999 after a new party president is elected.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Seven-year term, fine demanded in Izui trial

Prosecutors Thursday demanded Junichi Izui, 61, an Osaka-based oil dealer accused of defrauding Mitsui Mining Co. of some 2.4 billion yen and other charges, be sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 120 million yen.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Lower dioxin levels noted in '97, but detailed study urged

Airborne dioxin levels were comparatively low last year, according to an Environmental Agency survey, but further research is necessary to more accurately determine how the toxin affected air pollution, officials said upon releasing the results Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Keizai Doyukai demands leader who can think

BY SAYURI DAIMONStaff writer
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1998

Traffic deaths down 8.4% for first half of '98

Traffic accidents in the first half of the year claimed 4,227 lives, a 8.4 percent decrease from the same period last year, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

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