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JAPAN
Mar 9, 1998

Bill to make wards municipalities

The Home Affairs Ministry plans to submit a set of bills to the Diet March 10 to revise laws to convert Tokyo's 23 wards into full-fledge municipalities in April 2000, ministry officials said March 9.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 1998

Roads agency section chief held over bribes

Tokyo police arrested a section chief of the Japan Highway Public Corp. on Monday for allegedly receiving more than 1 million yen in bribes from two companies in connection with highway works contracts.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1998

LDP unveils latest plan to reinvigorate economy

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday unveiled its fourth stimulus package, hoping to boost confidence in the economy before the March 31 end of the fiscal year.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Hashimoto's speech called lip service only

Staff writers
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998

Claris Japan to become FileMaker in April

Claris Japan Inc., the Japanese subsidiary of U.S.-based FileMaker Inc., will change its name to FileMaker Japan on April 1, Claris Japan President Takanobu Miyamoto said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 1998

Cabinet savages Ota's turnabout on Nago heliport plan

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and members of his Cabinet expressed disappointment and anger Friday over Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota's decision to officially reject the government's plan to construct a sea-based heliport off Nago.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 1998

Osaka Games bid may be a costly pipe dream in development

Staff writerOSAKA -- Kazuhito Konishi is not likely to be on the list of people Osaka Mayor Takafumi Isomura hopes to meet during his trip to Nagano this weekend to promote Osaka's 2008 Olympics bid.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 1998

Hosting the Olympics -- boon or bust?

Fifth in a series
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1998

Matsunaga open to debate on pump-priming measures

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Tuesday he would welcome debate within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on further pump-priming measures, but added the priority is to secure Diet passage of the supplementary and fiscal 1998 budgets.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 1998

Bill drafted to demand discipline from bureaucrats

Parties in the ruling alliance launched efforts Thursday to draft a bill mandating bureaucratic discipline amid the bribery scandal rocking the Finance Ministry.The ruling Liberal Democratic Party set up an internal panel, while the Social Democratic Party, one of the LDP's two non-Cabinet allies, announced...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 1998

Panel sets goals for bullet train expansion projects

A panel of representatives from the government and the three ruling parties gave priority Wednesday to two projects for expanding the nation's bullet train network, Transport Minister Takao Fujii said.Priority was given to two sections of bullet train line: One between Hachinohe and Shin Aomori on the...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1998

Hashimoto restates dedication to stability, tax cuts

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto on Friday stressed the need to deliver on government pledges to implement a 2 trillion yen pump-priming tax cut and to pass financial stabilization measures.Speaking before the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Hashimoto noted that markets have already responded...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1998

Limits on construction bond use may be lifted

LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato indicated Friday that the government may lift a division between deficit-covering bonds and construction bonds so more public funds can be injected into the economy."Removing the division is a matter that has lingered for a long time in the minds of a number of senior...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1998

St. Ignatius Church reveals initial phase of facelift

The first phase of construction of a new building for St. Ignatius Church, near Yotsuya Station in Tokyo, is finished and was unveiled to the press Friday.The building, a Catholic church well known in the Japanese and foreign community alike, is oval-shaped and has a floor space of 1,450 sq. meters,...
JAPAN
Jan 5, 1998

Yokoyama looks to save Osaka from financial woes

Osaka Gov. "Knock" Yokoyama says that the prefecture's financial woes left him on the verge of despair but that talks with the national government over reform measures are continuing."I felt desperate, at times, because the situation was so bad," Yokoyama said. "But we must do what we can to turn the...
JAPAN
Dec 24, 1997

Heroic actor Toshiro Mifune dead at age 77

Actor Toshiro Mifune, who appeared in 16 Akira Kurosawa films, including "Rashomon" in 1950 and "Seven Samurai" in 1954, died Wednesday night at a hospital in Mitaka, Tokyo. He was 77.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Cut in spending puts defense budget on downtrend

Defense spending in fiscal 1998 will be reduced by 0.3 percent, or roughly 12.4 billion yen, from the 4.9 trillion yen allocated in this fiscal year's initial budget, the Finance Ministry and Defense Agency agreed Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 1997

Election may mean end for Shinshinto

Staff writer
JAPAN
Dec 11, 1997

Plan for new government bond issue wins tentative approval

A Liberal Democratic Party task force expressed its support Thursday for the principles of a plan to set up a 10 trillion yen fund through bond issues to help protect depositors.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 1997

Hashimoto's fiscal reform legislation clears Diet

A government-proposed fiscal reform bill to designate specific reduction targets for key budget areas became law Friday when it was passed by the Upper House during a plenary session.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 1997

Hashimoto drafts plan for government in 2001

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto won the ruling alliance's support late Friday for a compromise administrative reform proposal to hand over the three controversial services of the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry to a new public corporation in five years.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 1997

Hashimoto seeks LDP approval of postal reform compromise

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto on Wednesday requested that leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party urge rank-and-file party lawmakers to accept a compromise reform proposal put forward by the government over the status of three controversial services of the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry....
JAPAN
Nov 14, 1997

LDP's new stimulus plan offers no quick cure for economy

The Liberal Democratic Party on Friday unveiled a second set of economic stimulus proposals to dispel current pessimism about an economy that has deflated Tokyo stock prices and the value of the yen.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1997

Returnee prefers North Korea

OSAKA -- Fusako Aoyama, one of 15 Japanese women visiting from North Korea, told reporters here Wednesday that she is glad to be reunited with relatives and friends in Japan but prefers to live in her adopted home.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 1997

Telephone help line to aid children

In an attempt to reach out to children in need of help and support, eight suprapartisan House of Representatives members formed a federation Thursday to set up a 24-hour telephone help line.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 1997

Marubeni earns ISO approval

Marubeni Corp. said Thursday that it has become the nation's first trading firm to qualify for an ISO certification for international quality management.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 1997

Serving the aged has a silver lining

As Japan's society continues to age at an unprecedented rate, companies from a variety of fields are looking into the area of welfare for new business opportunities.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 1997

Committee passes key fiscal reform bill

A Lower House ad hoc committee passed a top fiscal reform bill Wednesday that would set a target for deficit reduction and place a ceiling on key budget items.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 1997

Financing of Kansai airport runway decided

OSAKA -- Leaders of four Osaka-based business organizations and the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) agreed Tuesday on a plan for how the private sector should finance the construction of a second runway at Kansai International Airport.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 1997

Worsening economy sparks dissent within LDP

A number of lawmakers on the Liberal Democratic Party's Executive Council on Tuesday voiced concern over a bill that would designate specific reduction targets in key budget areas, arguing the bill would make it impossible for the government to stimulate the economy via spending measures.

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