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JAPAN
Jun 3, 1997

Nomura director Fujikura to be indicted today

Tokyo prosecutors June 4 will charge Nobutaka Fujikura, 54, former Nomura Securities Co. director, with violating the Commercial Code and Securities Transaction Law violation, and will indict "sokaiya" corporate extortionist Ryuichi Koike within days, sources close to the authorities said June 3.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 1997

Outdoor gear: love of nature or fashion craze?

Outdoor products originally designed for taking on a trip to the wilderness have become a common sight in the big city. During the past few years, the fashion-driven young -- clad in colorful outdoor jackets and sporting brand-name day-packs and hiking boots -- have given the concrete jungle a new look....
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Shizuoka sports fans fall for 'futsal' fever

TENRYU, Shizuoka Pref. -- When Mario Yasumitsu, a second-generation Japanese-Brazilian, moved to Japan from Latin America, he packed the daily necessities and one "futsal" ball.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Scandals cast doubt abroad that 'Big Bang' will work

Amid the scandals involving the nation's major financial institutions, questions are being raised overseas about whether the "Big Bang" financial reforms can bring true changes, Kumiharu Shidehara, deputy secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said June 2.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Neon sign may steal Olympic Games' spotlight

NAGANO -- An ordinary neon sign here has been advertising a Japanese restaurant for the past 10 years without attracting any particular attention.
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

JAL posts huge losses on weaker yen

Japan Airlines posted a pretax loss of 16.97 billion yen in the year that ended March 31 due to increased fuel costs and a weaker yen, the firm announced May 30. The airline also reported a net loss of 9.2 billion yen. Although its total sales grew by about 80 billion yen, or 7.1 percent, to 1.2 trillion...
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

Former Nomura president arrested

Hideo Sakamaki, a former president of Nomura Securities Co., was arrested by Tokyo prosecutors on May 30 on suspicion of approving illegal payoffs to a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer. Sakamaki, 61, is suspected of having conspired with former managing directors Shimpei Matsuki and Nobutaka Fujikura, and...
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

Funeral held for slain Kobe boy

KOBE -- More than 500 people, including elementary school children, attended a funeral May 30 to bid farewell to Jun Hase, an 11-year-old boy slain in bizarre circumstances, whose severed head and body were found earlier this week. The memorial service started at 1:30 p.m. at the Heian Kaikan hall in...
JAPAN
May 29, 1997

Kin battle for rights for North Korea emigres

Relatives of Japanese and Koreans, who emigrated to North Korea but have never been allowed to return to Japan, on May 29 called for public support in Tokyo for the rights of their kin.
JAPAN
May 29, 1997

Hospitals free to inflate charges for uninsured patients

A 54-year-old Filipino woman living in Inage, Chiba Prefecture, was taken ill in April and had to use an ambulance to go to a hospital in the city of Chiba. She was suffering from acute appendicitis and needed immediate surgery.
JAPAN
May 29, 1997

ANA posts increase in sales and profits for '96

Amid the turbulence that led to the resignation of its three top officials, All Nippon Airways reported pretax profits of 17.3 billion yen in the business year that ended March 31, up 2.9 percent from the previous year.
JAPAN
May 28, 1997

Soccer lottery bill rolls past Lower House

A soccer lottery bill cleared the House of Representatives on May 27, bringing the government one step closer to enacting a controversial method to obtain public funds for sports programs.
JAPAN
May 28, 1997

15th Japan-ASEAN forum opens in Tokyo

Senior officials from Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on May 27 kicked off a two-day high-level meeting in Tokyo to discuss Japan-ASEAN ties as well as regional issues.
JAPAN
May 28, 1997

Disgraced financial execs to brief Diet on 'sokaiya'

Former and present executives of the nation's leading financial institutions are to be summoned to the Diet this afternoon to testify about alleged ties with "sokaiya" corporate extortionists.
JAPAN
May 28, 1997

Court says convicted murderer can file libel suits

The Supreme Court on reversed May 27 a lower court decision denying a convicted criminal the right to file libel suits against newspapers for stories that were published before a ruling on his murder case was handed down by the courts in 1994.
JAPAN
May 26, 1997

Izui denies bribing, is mum on fraud

Osaka-based oil dealer Junichi Izui pleaded not guilty May 26 to bribing a former official of Kansai International Airport Co., and postponed entering a plea on his fraud charge.
JAPAN
May 26, 1997

Braille 'meishi' make new impression

For businesspeople in Japan wanting to make a strong first impression, "meishi," or business cards, are as invaluable as an Armani suit or a reverential bow.
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

Sumitomo Bank shuffles leadership

OSAKA -- Sumitomo Bank announced May 23 that Vice President Yoshifumi Nishikawa will replace Toshio Morikawa as president, effective June 27.
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

Diet committee passes J. League lottery bill

The Lower House Education Committee approved a soccer lottery bill May 23, paving the way for the implementation of a system to obtain funds from the public to promote sports.
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

Survey of foreigners leaves Tokyo officials amazed

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government unveiled May 23 the results of its first comprehensive poll on living conditions for foreign residents in Tokyo, which it says is one of the largest ever conducted on foreigners in Japan.
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

Rights group says hospital padded staff in '93

OSAKA -- A local volunteer group advocating rights of people with mental disabilities told reporters here May 23 that the Osaka Prefectural Government has neglected charges that a hospital padded the size of its staff to get more money.
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

Ogawa Securities to shut down

OSAKA -- Ogawa Securities Co., burdened with mounting bad loans, will halt operations May 27 and plans to go out of business July 31, the company said May 23.
JAPAN
May 22, 1997

Experts debate pitfalls of nursing care plan

Many Japanese who go into a blue funk over the rapid aging of society may see a silver lining with the Lower House's approval May 22 of key social-welfare bills.
JAPAN
May 22, 1997

Asahi Solar ordered to halt 'persistent' sales practices

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on May 22 ordered Asahi Solar Co. of Oita, a leading maker of solar water heaters, to halt its aggressive home-call sales tactics, authorities said.
JAPAN
May 22, 1997

Editor rues not probing Aum for body-burning story

The deputy editor of the Sunday Mainichi weekly magazine testified in court May 22 that he regrets not pursuing rumors that Aum Shinrikyo was burning bodies in an incinerator in 1989.
JAPAN
May 21, 1997

Man survives leap from Rainbow Bridge

A man survived after jumping 50 meters into Tokyo Bay from the Rainbow Bridge on May 21 after authorities were unable to talk him out of trying to commit suicide, police said.
JAPAN
May 21, 1997

Tokyu laying track to ease crowded trains

Construction is now in full swing to ease one of the most notorious problems in Tokyo -- overcrowded trains during rush hour.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Pair accused of taking murder victim's money

OSAKA -- A former official of a defunct Osaka credit cooperative and another man were arrested May 20 for allegedly withdrawing about 74 million yen from the account of a moneylender who was stabbed to death in late March 1996.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Toyota chief content with yen's current rate

The yen's recent surge against the dollar is still in the acceptable range, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp. said May 20.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Dollar tumbles to 111.98 yen

With the downtrend gathering momentum in Tokyo, the dollar touched the 111 yen level momentarily late May 20 for the first time since Dec. 6, 1996, on a rush of selling by exporters and institutional investors.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’