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JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Constitution-review group splits on proposal

A suprapartisan group of lawmakers trying to create a Diet committee to consider constitutional amendments is instead being torn in two by the issue.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Panel preps battle plans for WTO trade talks

A government panel endorsed two interim reports Friday calling for the government, businesses and academia to work together to prepare for a new round of global trade negotiations scheduled to begin in 2000.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Will government bonds help? It's a trick question

Debate on how Japan can pull itself out of its worst postwar economic slump has entered a new stage.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

New 'Japanese way' needed, Kansai seminar says

KYOTO — A new "Japanese way" that places emphasis on greater flexibility in decision making and less bureaucratic control are necessary if Japan's corporations are to remain competitive in the next century.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Agency to re-examine 1979 Minamata claim

The Environment Agency will reopen the case of a now-deceased man whose family tried for more than 16 years to have him recognized as a victim of Minamata disease, the head of the agency told reporters Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Agency reveals in-house pension fraud cases

The Social Insurance Agency on Friday revealed the outlines of nine pension fraud cases for which agency employees were found responsible and that it had previously refused to disclose to the public.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 1999

Investors OK Daiwa as holding firm

Daiwa Securities Co. obtained shareholder approval Friday for its plan to convert itself into a holding company in April with more than 10 firms under its wing.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

May deadline set to buy Narita airport land

Are three months enough time to persuade Narita landowners to sell after three decades in which they have steadfastly refused to make way for the New Tokyo International Airport?
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Yaohan securities holders sue over cooked books

Shareholders and convertible bond holders of Yaohan Japan Corp. filed a 260 million yen damages suit Thursday against executives of the effectively bankrupt supermarket chain, arguing they suffered losses because the firm window-dressed its financial statements.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

BOJ's bond underwriting unnecessary, Miyazawa says

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa reiterated Thursday that he thinks it's unnecessary for the Bank of Japan to underwrite newly issued government bonds to ensure the stability of long-term interest rates.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

FTC alleges pipe industry collusion

The Fair Trade Commission filed a complaint with the prosecutor general Thursday against Kubota Corp. and two other water- and gas-pipe makers for allegedly arranging a cartel to fix their market shares, officials said.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Kyushu bears brunt of heaviest snow in nine years

The heaviest snow in nine years fell in the northern Kyushu area Thursday, disrupting traffic services and causing road accidents, police reported.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

JOC panel to probe Nagano over Games bid

Japanese Olympic officials said Wednesday they have launched an inquiry into possible misconduct by International Olympic Committee members during Nagano's bid to host the 1998 Winter Games.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Diet to get patent bill

To facilitate creation of innovative businesses and protect Japanese corporate trademarks worldwide, the government will submit to the Diet today a bill to revise the patent and trademark acts, government officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

Bills on aiding small firms go to Diet

The government will submit to the Diet today two bills aiming to help small and medium-size enterprises revive their operations and create new businesses, government officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

OECD drafts corporate governance guides

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has completed a draft of international guidelines for good corporate governance that emphasizes, among other things, promotion and protection of shareholders' rights.
EDITORIALS
Feb 4, 1999

Still waiting for a real defense debate

The debate in the current Diet session, unlike previous sessions that focused on economic problems, highlights security issues. Among the key subjects of discussion are the bills to implement the new guidelines for Japan-U.S. defense cooperation and the participation and cooperation of the Self-Defense...
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

21st century Japan plan means overhaul: Shingu

KYOTO — The government has done all it can to bring the nation out of its economic slump and now everyone else has to pitch in, Yasuo Shingu, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 1999

PC shipments up 16% for second quarter in row

October through December domestic shipments of personal computers grew 16 percent from the same period the previous year, marking the second consecutive quarter of a year-on-year increase, an industry association said Thursday.
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.
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 1999

NATO's call to arms in Kosovo

The six nations that make up the Contact Group on Kosovo have demanded that the parties to the conflict attend a peace conference in Rambouillet, France this weekend. They have backed up that summons with the threat of NATO military intervention in the troubled province if the combatants fail to stop...
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Ando arch to honor writer Shiba

In commemoration of the late author Ryotaro Shiba, a memorial hall designed by architect Tadao Ando will be built adjacent to the noted history writer's house in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, according to a foundation established in his honor.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Finance outlook for regional economies flat

The nation's regional economies generally remain sluggish, although there are signs of improvement in some areas and sectors, Finance Ministry bureau heads reported Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Travelers left stranded as blizzards hit nation

Heavy snow hit wide areas along the Sea of Japan coast and western Japan from Tuesday through Wednesday, disrupting land and air traffic.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

French school to offer MBA in Tokyo

Students in Tokyo will be able to attain a master's degree in international business from France's Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees starting in April.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Feb 3, 1999

Easy money?

Have you got Net fever yet? It's hard to resist.
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
Feb 3, 1999

Coalition looks past budget, peers at defense

The LDP-Liberal Party coalition on Wednesday proposed a special Diet committee to discuss bills covering the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Chuo Trust mulls overseas withdrawal to restructure

Chuo Trust & Banking Co. is considering withdrawing from most of its overseas operations to aid restructuring, a spokesman for the bank said Wednesday. However, the move is still being discussed and no decision has been made, he said.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1999

Sumitomo, Goodyear link to retread tire industry

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. of the United States, the world's third-biggest tire maker, has agreed with Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. to participate in a capital and business alliance that will be the largest in the industry, Sumitomo announced Wednesday.

Longform

Dul Saroth (left) and Soeum Samrach, deminers with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, practice using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province in August.
The Japanese tech that could one day make Southeast Asia landmine-free