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JAPAN
Mar 5, 1999

Shevardnadze asks for infrastructure help

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze asked trade chief Kaoru Yosano on Friday to help the former Soviet Union state develop a port and other infrastructure by utilizing trade insurance and yen loans, an official of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said.
COMMENTARY
Mar 4, 1999

Sunshine alone isn't enough

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's announcement of a proposed "package deal" with North Korea, put forth once again on the first anniversary of his inauguration, represents a valiant attempt to save two very important initiatives: his own constructive engagement policy with the North (also known as...
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1999

Greek ambassador backs UNSC bid

It is interesting to see that Japanese citizens and not just politicians and government officials are discussing the nation's roles in the world as the 21st century approaches, the Greek ambassador said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Mar 3, 1999

Sorry about that

My sympathy is with a reader who used a previous column as a guide when he had his U.S. driver's license translated and took it to his Japanese licensing bureau for the easy exchange I had promised. He had studied the "Rules of the Road" handbook and didn't expect any problems with the required written...
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Mar 3, 1999

The lion kings of the northern seas

Though in Japan's southernmost islands temperatures are already reaching into the 20s C, which many would call summer weather, in the north the temperatures have been fluttering and dipping, generally remaining well on the frigid side and with the definite feel of winter. In fact, some of the major lakes...
JAPAN
Mar 3, 1999

Colombian president to visit in May

Colombian President Andres Pastrana will from May 10 to 13 make his first visit to Japan since his swearing-in in August, the new Colombian ambassador said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 1999

Avoiding a N. Korean crisis

Will 1999 bring the second North Korean nuclear crisis in five years, perhaps leading to a military confrontation similar to the recent U.S. attack on Iraq, or can such a confrontation be avoided? Although heightened tensions may be inevitable in the coming months, the ability of policymakers in Washington,...
COMMUNITY
Feb 23, 1999

Contest lets diplomats flex their Japanese-ness

Heard the one about the foreigner who wanted to get to Nakano and ended up in Nagano? She's actually pretty smart, and has no qualms about telling her embarrassing mishaps to complete strangers -- several hundred of them, in fact.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Feb 21, 1999

Sunday afternoon

A reader writes about the Saturday edition of The Japan Times and how much she appreciates the listing of what's going on in our city. She especially enjoyed Robert Yellin's Feb. 13 article about Nezu Museum and its current exhibition revealing the elegance of traditional sake drinking, the sake cups...
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1999

Celebrate the millennium bug

Japan has drawn up draft proposals for an "APEC Y2K Week" to help the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, especially developing members, cope with the Year 2000 computer bug problem.
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

Debate on defense bills nears Diet agenda

The Diet finally appears set to deliberate bills to cover the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines, now that the Liberal Democratic Party has officially proposed setting up a special committee on the issue.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

AmEx exec sees silver lining to recession

While the nation's economy is reeling from years of recession, eroding the confidence of many players in the financial industry, Ian Marsh, president of American Express International Inc., Japan, says now is the time to invest in the Japanese market.
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.
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
Jan 29, 1999

U.S. shown plan to ship MOX fuel unescorted from overseas

A plan to ship mixed-oxide fuel from Europe for the first time has been submitted to the United States, government officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 1999

Cadillac lures younger buyers in new campaign

1998 was a disastrous year for most automobile importers, with overall sales plunging 25 percent.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 1999

U.S. policy, experts called obstacle to stable foreign exchange

U.S. trade policy and influential American economists are obstacles to creating a system to enforce a trading band for yen-dollar exchange rates, according to Kenichi Ohno, an advocate of such a system.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 1999

Finance sees no need for insurance talks with U.S.

The Finance Ministry says there is no need to resume bilateral insurance talks with the U.S., Vice Finance Minister Koji Tanami said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 1999

Iranian envoy urges deeper relations

Iranian Ambassador Manouchehr Mottaki, in Tokyo since 1995, wants to see Japan further deepen its relations with Iran and other Persian Gulf countries by promoting relations in various fields, not only trade.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1999

Vietnamese premier to visit Tokyo

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Kai will make his first official visit to Tokyo in March to seek more Japanese support for the Southeast Asian country's desperate efforts to overcome fallout from the continued regional economic crisis, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 1999

U.S. committed to Okinawa force reduction: admiral

The United States is committed to reducing its forces in Okinawa as much as possible, Adm. Joseph W. Prueher, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, said in an interview Monday with The Japan Times.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1999

Ozawa urges state to define defense support area for U.S.

The government should clearly define the "areas surrounding Japan" in which Japan can provide support to the U.S. military, Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1999

Imported auto show dampened by recession

The nation's largest imported automobile trade show started Thursday in Tokyo, with the number of participating companies and cars on display significantly decreased from previous shows amid the economic slump.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1999

Cohen, Norota discuss Pyongyang, defense guidelines

Defense chiefs from Japan and the United States agreed Wednesday that Tokyo, Washington and Seoul should continue to closely cooperate in developments on the Korean Peninsula.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 1999

JAL, American to commence global code-sharing in May

Japan Airlines Co. announced Tuesday that it will offer code-sharing operations with American Airlines on 13 international and 14 domestic routes in Japan and the United States beginning May 10.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 1999

Machimura urges review of yen loans to Asia

State Foreign Secretary Nobutaka Machimura on Monday called for a review of Japan's yen loans to other parts of Asia in a bid to implement them more effectively.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 1999

Missile launch would halt KEDO aid, Norota warns

Japan will suspend financial assistance to a project to construct light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea if Pyongyang dares to launch another missile, Defense Agency chief Hosei Norota said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1999

Coalition panels outrule SDF for armed U.N. operations

The Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party confirmed Wednesday that the Self-Defense Forces will not participate in United Nations armed operations, according to representatives of the two parties.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 1999

Imperial veteran recalls Nanjing mass executions

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Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years