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JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Laborer sit-in in Osaka enters third week

OSAKA -- About 500 day laborers continued their sit-in Thursday at an Osaka labor welfare facility, demanding nighttime shelter in a protest that began Dec. 3.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Auto sales in '98 won't reach level of '96, industry says

Japan's total auto sales in 1998 will mark a slight 3 percent rise over this year but remain much lower than the 1996 level, according to a forecast by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

November trade surplus rises 58.7% for 14th surge in a row

The nation's customs-cleared trade surplus for November climbed 58.7 percent to 1.06 trillion yen, marking the eighth straight month of year-on-year increase, provisional figures released Thursday showed.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

South Korean group starts savings drive to aid homeland

Staff writer
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

New Osaka train line speeds up bay route

OSAKA -- Technoport Line, a new train line linking existing subway and monorail lines, opened here Thursday, offering better access to the Osaka Bay area.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Ozawa wins re-election as Shinshinto president

Ichiro Ozawa was re-elected Thursday as president of Shinshinto over challenger Michihiko Kano, former head of the Management and Coordination Agency.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Pollution complaints rose in '96, report says

Local governments received 62,315 complaints regarding environmental pollution in 1996, a 951 increase from the previous year, according to a report released Thursday by a committee under the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Cut in spending puts defense budget on downtrend

Defense spending in fiscal 1998 will be reduced by 0.3 percent, or roughly 12.4 billion yen, from the 4.9 trillion yen allocated in this fiscal year's initial budget, the Finance Ministry and Defense Agency agreed Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Cultist says 'bad guy' label unfair

Aum Shinrikyo follower Kiyohide Hayakawa reacted angrily Thursday to a lawyer's remark that he was once hostile to parents of live-in cultists who wanted their children returned.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Nikko, Daiwa punished for payoffs to 'sokaiya'

The Finance Ministry on Thursday ordered Nikko Securities Co. and Daiwa Securities Co. to partially suspend operations for compensating losses incurred by a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Sixth Japan-U.S. aviation talks finish closer to agreement

Japanese and U.S. negotiators narrowed their differences but were still unable to close a deal as the sixth round of official bilateral civil aviation talks ended here Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1997

Tear gas injures dozens as pickpockets flee train

At least 65 passengers suffered eye or throat pain Thursday morning when a gang of pickpockets sprayed tear gas in a Tokyo train to escape arrest, police and firefighters said.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Analysis: Tax-cut package elicits praise and doubt

Staff writer
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Daiei establishes holding firm

Daiei Inc., the nation's largest retail chain, announced Wednesday that it has established a holding company to strengthen its financial condition, becoming the first company to take advantage of a change in the Antimonopoly Law.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Medical experts link convulsions to TV show's flashing lights

Flashing lights from television screens are the likely cause of convulsions and other ailments that hit viewers of a popular cartoon program Tuesday evening, according to experts who gathered in Tokyo to discuss the incident.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Shinshinto leadership to be decided today

The two candidates in today's Shinshinto leadership election made their final attempts Wednesday to capture support within the government's largest opposition force, and party sources say the race is too close to call.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

'Pocket Monsters' shocks TV viewers into convulsions

At least 651 young people in 30 prefectures were taken to hospitals with convulsions and other maladies Tuesday evening after watching the popular TV cartoon "Pocket Monsters," based on the best-selling Nintendo Game Boy software of the same name, the Fire Defense Agency Agency of the Home Affairs Ministry...
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Opposition parties unmoved by tax reductions

Shinshinto said Wednesday that Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's sudden announcement of a 2 trillion yen tax cut demonstrates the failures of his administration's economic policies.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Those affected by 'Pokemon' show number in thousands

The number of viewers affected by the "Pocket Monsters" television program Tuesday evening continued to increase Wednesday, with schools around the country reporting that thousands of children were made ill.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Business chiefs applaud tax cuts

The nation's business leaders welcomed Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's surprise announcement of 2 trillion yen in income tax cuts as a timely measure that will stimulate the nation's sagging economy.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Animators stumped by cartoon's 'special effects'

Animation producers remained stumped Wednesday as to why techniques that have been used "hundreds of times" sent "Pocket Monster" viewers to the hospital Tuesday night.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Hashimoto unveils surprise two trillion yen tax cut

A special 2 trillion yen tax cut will be included in this fiscal year's supplementary budget, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto announced Wednesday, signaling an abrupt about-face in his fiscal restructuring efforts.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Clinton lauds Hashimoto's move

In a telephone conversation Wednesday with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, U.S. President Bill Clinton welcomed the special tax cut plan of 2 trillion yen unveiled earlier in the day, government officials said.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Explanation of tax cuts

The 2 trillion yen special tax cuts announced Wednesday by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will mean roughly 65,000 yen for an average household of a married couple with two children, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

LDP requests earlier date for next Diet session

The Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday asked the government to convene the next regular Diet session earlier than scheduled so that deliberations on newly planned legislation aimed at stabilizing the nation's financial system can begin as soon as possible.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Accusation filed for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease victim

Relatives of a woman with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease filed a criminal accusation Tuesday with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office against two medical goods' suppliers.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

LDP approves 750 billion yen package of tax cuts

The Liberal Democratic Party effectively completed a package of tax revisions Tuesday for fiscal 1998 that would allow tax cuts worth about 750 billion yen.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Election for SDP helm still void of candidates

The Social Democratic Party, one of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's two smaller non-Cabinet allies, decided Tuesday to postpone its Dec. 27 party leadership election because nobody stepped forward to toss a hat in the ring.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Intellectual property rights due for major boost

To provide stronger and more efficient protection for intellectual property rights, the Patent Office said Tuesday it will make major revisions to patent-related laws for the first time in nearly 40 years.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Ozawa hints that dissenters should leave

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Shinshinto, the largest opposition party, indicated Tuesday he would accept splitting the party if members disagree with his policy proposals.

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