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JAPAN
Feb 17, 1998

Engineer guilty of releasing isotopes in lab

OSAKA -- A former Osaka University engineer was given a suspended prison term Tuesday for deliberately sprinkling radioactive isotopes in a laboratory in June.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 1998

LDP approves draft of controversial JNR debt bill

Despite staunch opposition from some party members, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday cleared a controversial draft bill to dispose of 27.8 trillion yen in debt left by the former Japanese National Railways.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Diet passes bills for publicly funded bank-bailing measures

The government of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto breathed a sigh of relief Monday after the House of Councilors approved two bills for stabilizing the financial system.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Hashimoto's speech called lip service only

Staff writers
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Economic recovery stated goal of Hashimoto's policy for 1998

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto stressed Monday in his policy speech for 1998 that his administration's primary task this year is to overcome economic difficulties generated by the speculative economic bubble of the late 1980s and its subsequent burst in the early 1990s.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Finance Ministry to clean up act: Matsunaga

The Finance Ministry will take steps to increase the transparency of its inspections and administration of financial firms to redeem itself amid the bribery scandal in which it is currently embroiled, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Monday before the Diet.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Former Finance inspectors face new bribery charges

Prosecution authorities have decided to indict two former Finance Ministry bank inspectors on charges of accepting entertainment totaling more than 3 million yen from major commercial banks other four already named in the ongoing scandal, informed sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Netherlands' Timmer claims gold, shatters speedskating record

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Dutch team spry thanks to Ashiya baker's custom-made rye

ASHIYA, Hyogo Pref. -- The Dutch team at the Winter Olympic Games has a hidden ally in this city more than 300 km from Nagano.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Chinese undecided on holding 2008 Games

OSAKA -- Chinese Olympic officials visiting Osaka on Monday denied earlier reports that China would not go after the 2008 Olympics, saying no final decision on the matter had been made.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Chinese sue state over germ warfare

Court hearings began Monday on a class-action suit against the government brought by Chinese nationals demanding an official apology and 1.08 billion yen in damages for germ warfare Japan waged during the Pacific War.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

IATA chief urges Asia to support aviation, tourism

Pierre J. Jeanniot, director general of the International Air Transport Association, called on Asian governments Monday to support the aviation and tourism industries, which have been hard hit by the ongoing regional economic crisis.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Japan, U.S. business leaders to meet in California

About 20 business leaders from Japan and the United States are slated to meet in California to discuss a variety of topics including trade issues and global warming problems March 1-2, the Japan-U.S. Business Council chairman in Japan said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Four-way cooperation called key to Asia-Pacific stability

Japan, China, Russia and the United States may launch a multilateral conference to discuss a variety of issues, including the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi said Monday in a Diet speech.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Banking bills clear Upper House committee

Bills critical to the stability of the nation's banking sector cleared the Upper House Committee on Financial Affairs on Friday. They are expected to be enacted by the chamber's plenary session Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Homeless at Shinjuku station move out of cardboard village

The end may be near for a row of cardboard dwellings in the underground concourse at Tokyo's JR Shinjuku Station.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Stores fear stale sales will befall Valentine's Saturday

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Nagano's traffic no problem for time-pressed athletes

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

All options open on Iraq, Obuchi, Richardson say

Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson agreed Friday that "all options" remain open to resolve the crisis in Iraq, but Obuchi remained ambiguous about whether Japan will fully support military strikes to end the standoff.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

New-name clause drags down administrative reform bill

The Executive Council of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday failed to approve a bill that would redesign the administrative system due to opposition to an added clause that would allow a change in names of the new integrated ministries.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Japan chides U.S. about unfavorable telecom rules

Japan on Friday renewed calls for the United States to clarify its licensing criteria and other regulations over telecommunications businesses.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Filipino wartime sex slaves reject Hashimoto's apology

Five Filipino former "comfort women" who accepted cash payments from the Japanese government-sponsored Asian Women's Fund in December have rejected Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's letter of apology, it was learned Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Cabinet sends Okinawa economy bill to Diet

Seeking to ease opposition to U.S. military bases in Okinawa, the Cabinet submitted a bill to the Diet on Friday designed to stimulate Okinawa's economy through various tax incentives.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

Forum takes up Asia-Pacific's dirty air problems

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 13, 1998

BOJ to leave monetary policy intact

The Bank of Japan announced Friday its Policy Board unanimously decided to leave unchanged its ultra-easy monetary policy, including the 0.5 percent official discount rate.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998

Japan to fund Cambodian election with $4 million

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998

LDP panel approves bill to condense ministries

An administrative reform committee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved a bill Thursday that would trim the government's current 22 ministries and agencies down to one Cabinet Office and 12 ministries.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998

Merrill Lynch to set up second brokerage house in Japan

U.S. financial management giant Merrill Lynch & Co. announced Thursday it plans to open a new brokerage house in Japan this summer and will hire about 2,000 former employees of the failed Yamaichi Securities Co. to work in about 30 outlets across the country.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998

Japan urges Iraq to comply with U.N. resolutions

Iraq must comply unconditionally with U.N. resolutions regarding its suspected weapons sites to resolve the current military standoff, Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi told Iraqi Charge d'Affaires Muhsin Ali on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998

1997 current account surplus balloons by 59.8%

The nation's current account surplus for 1997 grew 59.8 percent to 11.44 trillion yen, rising for the first time in four years, according to provisional figures released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.

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