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JAPAN
Sep 25, 1997

Izui summons urged for session

The Diet affairs chairmen of three opposition parties agreed Sept. 25 to raise political ethics issues in an extraordinary Diet session to start Sept. 29, including the subject of the alleged offerings of money by oil wholesaler Junnichi Izui to Liberal Democratic Party politicians.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 1997

Opposition parties seek Sato no-confidence vote

Three opposition parties agreed Sept. 18 to introduce a no-confidence resolution in the Diet against convicted bribe-taker Koko Sato, the chief of the Management and Coordination Agency.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1997

MITI chief vows to tackle 'global megacompetition'

Mitsuo Horiuchi, the newly appointed minister of international trade and industry, is determined to push through "drastic policies" to accelerate deregulation and create a level playing field for Japanese companies competing in this era of "global megacompetition."
JAPAN
Sep 12, 1997

Mitsuzuka firm on budget austerity measures

Suggestions by some U.S. officials that Japan should slacken the pace at which it implements budget austerity are understandable but go against the nation's interests, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 1997

Osaka likely to let toxic waste stay at Universal Studios site

OSAKA -- To ensure that the construction of Universal Studios Japan begins in 1998 as scheduled, Osaka city is likely to allow the nearly 700,000 tons of industrial waste to remain buried on the site.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1997

Trade chief appeals for corporate tax cuts

Amid rising concerns over the nation's economic prospects, trade chief Shinji Sato renewed calls Sept. 2 for a significant reduction in corporate taxes to stir up business sentiment and ensure domestic demand-led growth.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 1997

Panel gives glimpse of next government

The government's blue-ribbon panel on administrative reform concluded Aug. 21 that the government should be revamped into a Cabinet Office, 10 ministries and two agencies by January 2001.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 1997

Japan, China to discuss issues of WTO and tariffs

Japan and China will hold a fresh round of negotiations in Tokyo next week on Beijing's admission to the World Trade Organization, government officials said Aug. 20.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 1997

Taiwan part of review, Kajiyama repeats

Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama rekindled a raging debate Aug. 19 by repeating that the geographical scope of planned U.S.-Japan defense cooperation would naturally include emergencies in the Formosa Strait.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 1997

15 eyed as organ donor age floor

Only people age 15 or older should be allowed to donate their organs for transplants after their death, the Health and Welfare Ministry proposed Aug. 18, according to ministry officials.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 1997

Rain fails to dampen turnout at Yasukuni

Despite intermittent rain, thousands of war veterans and relatives of Japan's war dead visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, the 52nd anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in war.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 1997

Draft plan aims to cut ministries to 15

Japan's 22 ministries and agencies will be reorganized into either 13 or 15 by January 2001, with a new Economic Ministry to be created by a merger of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the monetary policy division of the Finance Ministry, according to a draft plan being discussed by...
JAPAN
Aug 13, 1997

Parties and politicians jockey for power

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 25, 1997

Dai-Ichi Kangyo slapped with criminal complaint

The Finance Ministry filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors July 25 against Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank for alleged violations of the Banking Law.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1997

Same ministers to run less ministries in Hashimoto's reform

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto made remarks July 23 that could invite skepticism of his administrative reform efforts.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 1997

Youth dies in car crash; three others injured

KITAKYUSHU -- An 18-year-old company employee was killed and three others injured, one seriously, when their car collided with a utility pole early July 21 in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Insurance group won't push failed firm on dealings

The new chairman of the Life Insurance Association of Japan said July 18 that the group will only question the responsibility of the former management of insolvent Nissan Mutual Life Insurance Co. if a legal violation is uncovered.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Keizai Doyukai contemplates future of Japanese business

KARUIZAWA, Nagano Pref. -- Business leaders exchanged opinions July 17 on Japan's international economic relations and the role of the private sector in the ongoing structural reforms at the 12th summer seminar of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai).
JAPAN
Jul 4, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Cultist playing down role, defense says

Defense lawyers for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara accused a former senior cultist during cross-examination July 4 of playing down his involvement in the cult's dubious activities.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Russian boat shoots, wounds Japanese fishermen

A Russian patrol vessel fired on a Japanese fishing boat off Nosappu Cape in Nemuro, Hokkaido, late June 25, seriously wounding two crew members, the Maritime Safety Agency office in Nemuro said June 26.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 1997

Sato rails against Patent Office as agency

The Patent Office should have greater authority, trade chief Shinji Sato said June 3, indirectly opposing the idea of turning it into an independent agency.
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

Former Nomura president arrested

Hideo Sakamaki, a former president of Nomura Securities Co., was arrested by Tokyo prosecutors on May 30 on suspicion of approving illegal payoffs to a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer. Sakamaki, 61, is suspected of having conspired with former managing directors Shimpei Matsuki and Nobutaka Fujikura, and...
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

Survey of foreigners leaves Tokyo officials amazed

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government unveiled May 23 the results of its first comprehensive poll on living conditions for foreign residents in Tokyo, which it says is one of the largest ever conducted on foreigners in Japan.
JAPAN
May 22, 1997

Only two speak at 'open' Takashimaya meeting

OSAKA -- Takashimaya Co., tainted by a scandal involving alleged payoffs to a gangster, said May 22 at its annual shareholders' meeting that it would be more open and transparent.
JAPAN
May 21, 1997

Rengo hits up BOJ for swift interest rate increase

The Japan Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) called on the Bank of Japan on May 21 to give up its current easy monetary policy, saying it is having a detrimental effect on the economy.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Many voices join in battle over 'comfort woman'

Nationwide debate over "comfort women" will probably not end soon. Did wartime Japanese authorities really abduct Korean women for sex slavery, and is it the key question? Should school textbooks cover the issue and should Japan alone be mentioned regarding such practices?
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

U.S. to charge for airspace use

As a part of U.S. fiscal reform and to obtain new financial sources for its aviation services, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will begin charging foreign commercial aircraft that use U.S. airspace starting May 19. But the U.S. move has triggered opposition from many international airlines,...
JAPAN
May 14, 1997

Ministries state opposition to reform

The foreign, finance and health and welfare ministries all reacted cautiously May 14 to proposed organizational changes necessary to realize Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's pledge of slimming down the government.
JAPAN
May 8, 1997

Ogawa may fold without bailout

Ogawa Securities Co., an affiliate of Yamaichi Securities Co., one of the nation's Big Four brokerages, will likely shut down if Yamaichi does not rescue the ailing firm.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 1997

Hashimoto accepts lack of advance warning about attack

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said April 23 that he regrets Tokyo was not informed in advance of the rescue operation at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, but added he "understands" the decision of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

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