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JAPAN
Jul 30, 1997

Analysis: Bank's penalty an attempt to assuage public

Finance Ministry's decision July 30 to order Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank to refrain from extending loans to new customers until the end of the calendar year was an attempt to show that it is seriously trying to tackle wrongdoing in the financial markets.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1997

Bolivian envoy touts seeds of investment

Bolivian Ambassador Jorge Balcazar Aranibar, who finishes his assignment and departs for home July 31, believes the seeds have been sown for a stronger relationship with Japan.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 1997

U.N. in need of $1 billion to reform itself

The United Nations needs $1 billion to stabilize its financial situation as it undergoes reform, the undersecretary general for administration and management at the U.N. said July 29.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 1997

Ratifying nuclear test ban treaty may pressure holdouts

Signatory countries to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty must ratify it in order to put pressure on India and North Korea to follow suit, said the chief of a preparatory commission for the treaty organization.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1997

Ambassador urges new development strategies

Efforts to formulate a new development strategy are becoming increasingly important as the world community seeks to establish a common framework for development in the post-Cold War era, Japan's ambassador to the U.N. said July 24.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1997

Development aid conference begins today in Okinawa

A two-day international conference on development will open July 24 in Okinawa Prefecture to seek out and promote more effective forms of development assistance.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

New MITI vice minister calls for change

As the global community enters an age of overwhelming competition, Japan must increase its efforts to revamp economic structures and create a new system with greater efficiency, according to Osamu Watanabe, who on July 11 was appointed vice minister for international trade and industry.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 1997

Japan firms urged to take lead in environment

The World Wide Fund for Nature has called on Japanese businesses to establish a council to fight global climate change and take a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions before a key conference in December in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 1997

Okinawa to host development talks

Japan will host an international development conference in Okinawa Prefecture on July 24 and 25 to seek ways of promoting development assistance, Foreign Ministry officials said July 4.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 1997

Organ donors' rights become key issue

Now that the Diet has passed a legislator-proposed bill to allow organ transplants from brain-dead donors, some patients may have a chance in the near future to receive organs in this country. The new law ends a 30-year self-imposed ban on such transplants by the medical profession.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Homeless undercut kiosks with used magazines

Some homeless people around JR Shinjuku Station run a thriving business selling discarded magazines at discount prices, but kiosks are complaining that their "illegal" rivals are damaging their sales.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Japan to push for China WTO entry at Denver

Japan will promote the accession of China to the World Trade Organization at the upcoming annual meeting of the world's top leaders in Denver, said Kazuo Ogura, deputy minister for foreign affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
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
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 16, 1997

Tokyo to launch foreigners' council

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government formally adopted a set of policy guidelines May 16 to launch a local council of foreign residents to reflect their opinions in administrative policies concerning the foreign community in the capital.
JAPAN
May 12, 1997

Seoul pushes North Korea's bid to join ADB

FUKUOKA -- South Korea on May 12 called on other members of the Asian Development Bank to join it in supporting North Korea's bid to become a member.
JAPAN
May 8, 1997

Making sense of the tax mystery for foreigners

Japan's tax system appears to be one of the most difficult concepts for foreigners to understand. It would come as no surprise if a foreigner working in the country -- in particular someone employed without a proper visa -- knew little or nothing about income tax returns.
JAPAN
May 2, 1997

Osaka unveils guideline for hiring non-Japanese

OSAKA -- The Osaka Municipal Government introduced a new guideline May 2 allowing foreigners with permanent residency to engage in virtually all municipal jobs except posts involving policymaking or unilateral decision-making in matters concerning local residents' rights.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 1997

University to hold entrance exams in Beijing

In an attempt to attract more overseas students to Japan, a national university will hold the first selection exam on May 3 in Beijing for Chinese students seeking to enter the institution, according to university officials.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1997

Chief determined to build JR West into truly private enterprise

While Masataka Ide, the former president of West Japan Railway Co., was seen as a man of action, Shojiro Nanya, 55, who took over the JR West helm on April 1, is seen as a man of quiet resolve.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 1997

1997 likely to be critical for banks

The upcoming year will be a critical one for domestic banking as the industry decides on a new grand design for Japanese financial institutions operating in the global markets, the head of the nation's banking community said April 15.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 1997

True reform means embracing competition

The Japanese government's deregulation package is a "good first step" but a lot of work still remains to be done, said Glen S. Fukushima, vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

Bankers' report calls for end to postal savings system

The nation's banking community drew up a report Mar. 25 calling for the privatization and subsequent breakup of the government's postal savings system, saying it was a barrier to full implementation of financial deregulation.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1997

Environmental targets must be realistic, Gore says

Japan and the United States should work together to forge a consensus on dealing with climate change and on other pressing global environmental issues, U.S. Vice President Al Gore said Mar. 24 on the closing day of an international symposium on the environment.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1997

Trilaterals reaffirm roles in world of change

An annual meeting of business, political and academic leaders from Japan, Europe and North America ended Mar. 24 in Tokyo with a reaffirmation of the importance of the trilateral leadership in dealing with global challenges.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 1997

Japan urges Iraq to fulfill U.N. resolutions

Iraq should completely implement United Nations resolutions, enacted as a result of the 1991 Gulf War, to return relations between Japan and Iraq to what they were before the conflict, a senior Foreign Ministry official told a special envoy from Iraq on Mar. 19, according to ministry officials.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 1997

Daiei head urges 'new' Kobe as global city

OSAKA -- Rather than compete with Osaka as a business center, Kobe should be rebuilt as a city that offers a pleasant living environment, and priority should be given to economic development of the bay area, according to Isao Nakauchi, chairman, president and CEO of Daiei Corp.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

Tokai residents angry over delay in warning

TOKAI, Ibaraki Pref. -- The explosion Mar. 11 at a nuclear reprocessing plant here came as a chilling reminder to local residents of what it means to live next door to such a hazard.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 1997

English-language newspapers to be featured in exhibition

The Japan Times, with the cooperation of its competitors, will open on Mar. 9 an exhibition of Japan's English-language newspapers dating back to the 19th century. The show is part of the events celebrating The Japan Times' 100th anniversary, which falls on March 22.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 1997

Nasdaq listing can liberate Japanese firms, exec says

If the Japanese government implements "Big Bang" financial reforms as quickly and efficiently as it has promised, it will not only liberalize domestic capital markets, it will also help Japanese firms feel freer to "go public and go international," according to Guang Xun Xu, a Nasdaq executive.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami