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JAPAN
Jan 21, 1997

Hashimoto renews fiscal reform pledge

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto restated his intention Jan. 21 to work out measures to reduce the nation's massive fiscal deficit, saying that he "will never retreat" on this issue despite the obstacles he expects to encounter on the road to successful reform.Hashimoto made the remark at the first...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Hashimoto vows to slash deficits to 3% of GDP by 2005

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto expressed his resolve Jan. 20 to slash annual deficits incurred by the central and local governments to a maximum 3 percent of gross domestic product by fiscal 2005.For the first time in the Diet, the prime minister specified a numerical target for reducing the nation's...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Japan unlikely to freeze fund money to sex slaves

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano said Jan. 16 that it would be difficult for Japan to comply with a request by South Korea to suspend compensation payments to South Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.Yosano, at a regular news conference,...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1997

Seoul talks to go on despite sex-slave row

Talks between Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda and his South Korean counterpart, Yoo Chong Ha, will be held Jan. 15 in Seoul as scheduled despite renewed tension between the two countries over a deal made between Japan and former sex slaves of the Imperial Japanese Army, the Japanese government's top...
JAPAN
Jan 10, 1997

Oil spill threatening nuclear power plants

A large oil spill from a wrecked Russian tanker is approaching Wakasa Bay, along which a number of nuclear power plants are located, the Maritime Safety Agency announced Jan. 10.Seawater is used in the plants to cool the steam from the power-generating turbines and the slick could force the nuclear...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

Panel readies for finance watchdog

The government formally kicked off preparations Jan. 9 for setting up a new state agency to inspect and supervise financial institutions independent from the Finance Ministry. It set a self-imposed target to draw up necessary bills by mid-March.At the first meeting of the government's preparatory committee...
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1996

EU, Japan formally agree on liquor plan

Japan and the European Union on Feb. 3 formally agreed to the terms by which Tokyo will reduce the tax disparity between "shochu" domestic spirits and whiskey and other liquor, Japanese officials said Feb. 3.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2023

Japan falls nine positions to 125th in WEF gender gap report

Women’s participation in the political arena scored particularly low, and the report comes as Yokosuka's mayor faces a backlash over discriminatory remarks about women.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2023

Kishida comes away from parliamentary session with key goals achieved

Out of 60 bills it submitted, 58 became law, a 96.7% passage rate — a slight drop from the equivalent session last year, where all 61 bills received parliament's approval.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2023

Public opposition grows over My Number and health insurance merger

Resistance to the integration of the two cards has been driven by reports of errors and privacy breaches when the cards have been linked.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2023

Japan's law firms look overseas as competition heats up at home

Tokyo’s law firms have sought to tap into markets with a high volume of Japanese businesses, but competition and image issues remain a challenge.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 18, 2023

Canada wildfires heat up climate change pressure on Trudeau

The fires have burned through more than 13 million acres, an area twice the size of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, putting this year on track to be the worst on record.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2023

Japan to open up Apple and Google app stores to competition

The regulations will oblige Apple and Google to allow users to download from app stores other than the ones on their proprietary platforms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 15, 2023

Yen falls to seven-month low as traders shift focus from Fed to BOJ

The U.S. Federal Reserve signaled it may have to raise interest rates further, fueling concern that the Bank of Japan’s ultraloose policy stance will fail to anchor the yen.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2023

Seoul holds firm as Beijing slams South Korea for moving closer to U.S.

Long wary of alienating China, the push by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to build closer security and economic ties with Washington and Tokyo has raised concern in Beijing.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 15, 2023

Parliament passes law aimed at supporting people with dementia

The health ministry expects the number of people with dementia in Japan to reach 7 million by 2025.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2023

Russia has a new Rasputin

The Wagner mercenary chief has been attacking Russia's top military brass and warning that ordinary Russians, increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in the Ukraine war, could revolt.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 14, 2023

Could the LDP turn to Nippon Ishin amid friction with coalition partner Komeito?

Tensions with Komeito and policy compatibility with Nippon Ishin have some questioning whether the ruling party might shop around for a new coalition partner.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2023

Japan delays possible tax hike period for defense, draft documents show

Japan has set ¥6.8 trillion for defense spending in this fiscal year, jumping from last year’s ¥5.4 trillion.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 13, 2023

Japan panel weighs making morning-after pill available over the counter

Under the current policy, a visit to a medical institution and a prescription are required to purchase a morning-after pill.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 13, 2023

What's next for Italy's coalition after Berlusconi's death?

Analysts believe members of Berlusconi's Forza Italia will increasingly be tempted to shift allegiance to other parties without the media tycoon keeping them afloat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Longform
Jun 12, 2023

Hunting for marriage: Inside Japan’s matchmaking crusade

As fewer people are tying the knot and the birthrate continues to fall, a range of initiatives are being made available to those who haven’t given up on love.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2023

Japan extends order to destroy North Korea rocket or debris

The Defense Ministry said the order would remain in place “for the time being,” after Pyongyang said it would conduct a second launch as soon as possible.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 12, 2023

Esoteric fines pile up as China’s provinces hunt for revenue

The central government reiterated that provinces have to fix hidden debt problems on their own, leaving local officials to get more creative to raise revenue.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 12, 2023

Boris Johnson’s comeback hopes may be dimmer than he thinks

With little support beyond a rump of hardcore Brexiteers in Parliament, and a British public that has grown weary of the Boris soap opera, analysts see a limited path back to power.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past