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JAPAN
Oct 21, 1998

JNR Settlements' era ends without a bang

JNR Settlements Corp.'s 11-year history ended at midnight Wednesday as new laws to more effectively dispose of 28.3 trillion yen in debt left behind by the defunct Japanese National Railways took effect.The semigovernmental body was created in 1987 to tame debt of 22.6 trillion yen accumulated by JNR,...
JAPAN
Oct 21, 1998

Annan hears Obuchi action program pledge

Japan will assist Africa by implementing the action program adopted at the second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-II), Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi told U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan Wednesday, according to Foreign Ministry officials.Obuchi told Annan, a participant in...
JAPAN
Oct 20, 1998

Seoul set to lift ban on most Japanese films, comics, videos

SEOUL -- South Korea announced on Tuesday that it will remove a decades-old ban so that international prize-winning Japanese films and others jointly produced by the two countries can legally be shown in the country.In announcing the decision to lift the longtime ban on Japanese cultural items, Shin...
JAPAN
Oct 16, 1998

Mahathir calls for international hedge fund controls

Staff writerMalaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, currently in Japan for a five-day visit, reiterated his criticism of hedge funds Friday and called on the international community to work out some form of measures to control their activities.In a joint interview with The Japan Times and other media...
JAPAN
Oct 16, 1998

Diversity urged for energy security ahead of APEC meet

Staff writerGINOWAN, Okinawa Pref. -- Australia must make the most of its rich natural resources and knowledge of efficient energy infrastructure to help Asia-Pacific economies meet the surging energy demands of the next century, said Warwick Parer, Australian minister for resources and energy."One...
JAPAN
Oct 15, 1998

Expert calls for overhaul of emergency medical system

Staff writerThe nation's emergency medical system should be greatly improved before organ transplants from brain-dead donors are promoted, said one veteran doctor who specializes in emergency care.Yuichi Hamabe, director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bokuto Hospital's Life Support Emergency Center in Sumida...
JAPAN
Oct 15, 1998

JNR repayment plan wins Diet approval

Laws for disposing of 27.8 trillion yen in debts left behind by the now-defunct Japanese National Railways were enacted Thursday when the Upper House approved the measures by a margin of 129-113.Under the laws, the huge debts will be disposed of over 60 years, mostly by using taxpayer money and by requiring...
JAPAN
Oct 14, 1998

Push banks to accept public funds, council urges

The government should take the initiative to quickly inject tens of trillions of yen in public money into the nation's major banks to boost their capital bases and ease the credit crunch, a special advisory panel to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi proposed Wednesday.The Strategic Economic Council, headed...
JAPAN
Oct 14, 1998

Chiyoda Life, UNUM boost tieup

Chiyoda Mutual Life Insurance Co. and UNUM Corp., a major nonlife insurer in the United States, have agreed to strengthen their current sales tieup arrangements, with Chiyoda reinsuring UNUM's insurance contracts, the two companies said Wednesday.With the agreement, Chiyoda is the nation's first life...
JAPAN
Oct 13, 1998

Northeast Asia security forum to go 'track 1'

Staff writerJapan, the United States and Russia will inaugurate an official security-dialogue forum as early as next year to discuss the Northeast Asian situation and possible security cooperation among the three major players in the region, government sources said Tuesday.The three countries will upgrade...
JAPAN
Oct 13, 1998

Yeltsin to give answer on isle row when Obuchi visits

Russian President Boris Yeltsin will respond to Japan's new proposal on resolving the islands dispute between Japan and Russia in mid-November, when Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi makes an official visit to Moscow, ministry officials said Tuesday.The message from Alexander Panov, the Russian ambassador...
JAPAN
Oct 8, 1998

Leaders sign wide-ranging action plan

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung signed during their summit meeting Thursday a 43-point joint action plan aimed at enhancing ties toward the next century.The paper covered a wide range of topics for the two countries to pursue together and covered five major areas...
JAPAN
Oct 7, 1998

'Microcreditor' not for privileged

Staff writer Muhammad Yunus is not your typical banker. You won't catch him traipsing around in designer suits or marching briefcase in hand through the corporate halls looking for new clients.No, this simply dressed Bangladeshi banker marches to a different beat: he strives to lend money to the poor...
JAPAN
Oct 6, 1998

U.S. frets foot-dragging on defense guidelines

U.S. President Bill Clinton is concerned about the speed of Diet approval of legislation concerning revised Japan-U.S. defense guidelines, Rust Deming, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, told executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party Tuesday morning.In a meeting with LDP Secretary...
JAPAN
Oct 5, 1998

EU to present deregulation package next week

The European Union will present new deregulation proposals to Japan when the two sides hold ministerial-level meetings in Tokyo next Monday, a senior officials of the European Commission said Monday.Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Ove Juul Joergensen, head of the Delegation of the European Commission...
JAPAN
Oct 5, 1998

Workshop to discuss development of Mekong countries

Staff writerHigh-level officials from nine countries and six international organizations will meet in Tokyo early next month to discuss ways to accelerate the development of the greater Mekong subregion despite the deep Asian economic crisis, Foreign Ministry sources said Monday.The workshop, scheduled...
JAPAN
Oct 2, 1998

Justice Minister gets tough on illegal aliens

Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura said Friday that he has instructed ministry bureaucrats to revise the immigration law to toughen penalties against foreigners who have entered Japan illegally.In a regular news conference, Nakamura said he wants the Immigration Control and Refugee-Recognition Law...
JAPAN
Oct 2, 1998

Lower House stamps reforms in 'epoch-making' action

After weeks of intense negotiations between the Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition camp, key financial reform bills designed to fix Japan's banking sector woes cleared the Lower House Friday evening.The bills were sent immediately to the Upper House and could become law as early as next Friday.After...
JAPAN
Oct 1, 1998

Kim visit may pave Emperor's way to Seoul

Japan hopes that South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's visit next week will pave the way for the Emperor to visit South Korea, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Thursday.The government's chief spokesman made the remarks in reference to media reports that the president, during his four-day visit...
JAPAN
Oct 1, 1998

U.S. requests insurance talks on 'real problems'

The U.S. has requested formal consultations with Japan on insurance issues in mid-October, a U.S. government official said Thursday.Washington wants to discuss its concerns over the speed of Tokyo's approval process for new insurance products, activities of recently reformed private rating organizations...
JAPAN
Sep 29, 1998

Tokyo to resume KEDO project role

Japan will soon resume its involvement in a project to build two light-water nuclear reactors for North Korea, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura indicated Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 28, 1998

City banks Tokai, Asahi agree on retail tieup

In a strategic move to strengthen their presence in the retail banking field, Tokai Bank and Asahi Bank, both among the nation's nine major city, or commercial, banks, reached a comprehensive tieup agreement Monday to consolidate their branch offices and jointly develop financial products.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 1998

Special asylum-seeker permits may signal policy shift

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 25, 1998

Daylight-saving forum rekindles debate

In a move to promote energy saving and leisure activities in summer, the government convened on Friday an open forum in Tokyo to discuss introducing daylight-saving time.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 1998

LTCB can't give up loan claims, Nonaka says

In a desperate bid to break the deadlock over financial stabilization bills, the government announced Friday a major turnabout in its handling of the ailing Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 1998

Mercedes-Benz subcompact hits Japanese market

Mercedes-Benz Japan Co., a fully owned subsidiary of German automaker Daimler-Benz AG, announced Thursday the arrival of its first A-class subcompact car to hit the Japanese market, the A160.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 1998

TSE takes nosedive to new postbubble low

The Nikkei average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange plummeted Monday to a new postbubble low as ambiguities in last Friday's deal on financial stabilization measures between leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition camp ignited disappointment among market traders.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 1998

August trade surplus expands 25%

Japan's trade surplus rose 24.7 percent in August from a year earlier to 896.7 billion yen, the 17th consecutive monthly increase, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report released Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 1998

North Korea launch was aimed at U.S. negotiators, expert claims

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1998

JAMA pointedly rebuffs USTR requests

Repeated requests by the United States Trade Representative to liberalize the Japanese auto market are unreasonable and do not reflect current market conditions in Japan, the head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear