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JAPAN
Apr 1, 1998

New recruits, BOJ get fresh start in fiscal '98

The scandal-tainted Bank of Japan started afresh Wednesday under the new BOJ Law, which gives the central bank more independence from the government but requires its monetary policymaking to be more transparent.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1998

1.2 million welcomed to nation's workforce

An estimated 1.2 million people joined the workforce Wednesday as companies and government institutions throughout the country held entrance ceremonies to welcome their new recruits.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1998

Matsunaga sticks to guns on reform

Efforts at fiscal reform might have slowed down, but the government's basic goal of fiscal reconsolidation must not be abandoned, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said during a new conference Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1998

Yamato center helped refugees break the ice with locals

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1998

Only 27.7 trillion yen left for JNR to clear

The debt incurred by the former Japanese National Railways totaled 27.7 trillion yen at the start of fiscal 1998, down 333.6 billion yen from one year ago, Transport Ministry officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Finance Ministry writes new inspection rules

The Finance Ministry on March 31 drafted new guidelines on inspecting financial institutions to increase transparency, following an eruption of scandals in which its inspectors allegedly received bribes for advance information.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

JAS expects 1.6 billion yen loss for 1997

Japan Air System Co. has revised downward its net profit forecast for fiscal 1997 from zero to a 1.6 billion yen loss on an unconsolidated basis, JAS President Hiromi Funabiki told a regular press conference March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Financial reform timetable

Some steps already implemented:
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Toyota to turn up output at Indiana plant

Toyota Motor Corp. will expand the production capacity at its new plant in Indiana from about 100,000 units to about 150,000 units by the fall of 2000, the firm announced March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Kan appointed leader of new DPJ

Naoto Kan, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, will become head of the newly expanded version, leaders of the four parties involved decided at a meeting March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Tanino named ambassador to China

The government has appointed Sakutaro Tanino as ambassador to China, effective April 1, Foreign Ministry officials said March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

State may relinquish Aum claim for victims' sake

Policy chiefs of the ruling alliance agreed March 31 to submit a bill to the Diet next week to have the government abandon its claim of about 460 million yen against Aum Shinrikyo to give other victims suing the cult a better chance of obtaining greater amounts of repayment or redress.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Highlights of deregulation package

The following are highlights of the new three-year deregulatory package unveiled March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Japan to aid Karen refugees in Thai camps

In a move that threatens to displease Myanmar's military regime, Japan will provide between 5 million yen and 10 million yen in grant-in-aid to help relieve the suffering of Karen refugees in Thailand, Foreign Ministry sources said March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

NHK introduces digital TV to Asia-Pacific

NHK April 1 kicks off a digital international television broadcasting service for the Asia-Pacific region.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Firms feel banks' loan policies getting tighter

Roughly 60 percent of the firms responding to a recent Finance Ministry survey believe that lending by the nation's top 19 banks became more stringent toward the end of March, the ministry said March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Education Ministry hopes new manual will stem moral decline

An Education Ministry advisory panel on March 31 stepped up efforts to counter what is perceived as a moral decline among children by releasing a manual for parents and others, reminiscent of the late Dr. Benjamin Spock's best-selling "Baby and Child Care."
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Tokyo stocks end year on lackluster note

The Tokyo stock market ended fiscal 1997 on a dour note March 31, with the key market gauge stopping far short of last year's level.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Key 'Big Bang' reforms kick in today to begin new era in finance

Today's start of the new fiscal year also ushers in a new era for the nation's financial sector as some key measures that form the backbone of the "Big Bang" financial system deregulation take effect.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Allies plan law to tackle graft

The secretaries general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its two parliamentary allies agreed March 31 that the three parties will jointly draft a bill to ban lawmakers from obtaining money through influence-peddling.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Deregulation plan launched to activate economy

A three-year plan was launched March 31 that targets 15 industrial sectors for deregulation, including domestic airline operations, electric power retailing and digital broadcasting, government officials said.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Tokyo-Okinawa dialogue urged

The central government must quickly narrow its differences with the Okinawa Prefectural Government over a controversial heliport plan for the U.S. forces, Defense Vice Minister Masahiro Akiyama stressed Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Foreign hires bring hope for improved workplaces

Japanese businesspeople hope that the hiring of non-Japanese employees will lead to the introduction of the merit system, according to a survey released Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Mercedes-Benz to start up free support services

To attract more Japanese customers, Mercedes-Benz Japan Co., a subsidiary of Daimler-Benz AG in Germany, will introduce a new after-sales service program in April, the company said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Lower House approves 7.86 trillion yen stopgap budget

The Diet gave the green light Monday evening to a 7.86 trillion yen stopgap budget for the first 18 days of fiscal 1998, which begins Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Appliance-recycling study needed to charge users, makers say

Home appliance manufacturers need to thoroughly study recycling methods to determine the costs to be borne by consumers, according to an industry group.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Nikko president details illegal profits to Arai

Nikko Securities President Masashi Kaneko confirmed during a Finance Ministry hearing Monday that his brokerage provided illegal profits to Shokei Arai, a Diet member who committed suicide last month hours before he was to be arrested.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Find your way to Japanese classes with new Kansai map

OSAKA -- Free maps to direct students to Japanese classes in the Kansai region are available in eight languages, providing information on 134 classes. The maps include phone numbers, nearby train stations and descriptions of each class.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Sumida most vulnerable if big quake hits Tokyo

Kyojima 3-chome in Sumida Ward would be the least resistant to heavy damage out of all areas of Tokyo if a major earthquake were to strike, a report released Monday by the metropolitan government indicates.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Tokyo's riskiest districts named

Because of fears of a large earthquake hitting the Tokyo region, the metropolitan government's disaster vulnerability survey released Monday may warrant a close look.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals