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JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

School acts to stem sexual harassment after Korean incident

Tokyo Keizai University said it has taken measures following an incident in June in which a Japanese male student was accused of sexually harassing female South Korean students on campus.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Doctor queried on Aum gas attack autopsy

Defense lawyers for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara on Friday cross-examined a professor of forensic medicine who conducted an autopsy on a victim of the March 1995 Tokyo subway nerve gas attack.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Delays on administrative reform bill worry Hashimoto

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said he was concerned Friday that his pet bill on administrative consolidation may be abandoned due to a dearth of deliberation time and persistent opposition from lawmakers, bureaucrats and labor unions.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Diet gets chance to view four banks' inspection papers

The Cabinet gave the green light Friday for the Diet to receive Finance Ministry documents relating to ministry inspections of four banks that are named in a bribery scandal involving ministry banking inspectors.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Open cell makes barefoot jailbreak easy

A Chinese man charged with not carrying a passport ran barefoot from a Tokyo police jail early Friday morning after an officer apparently failed to lock the detention hall and his cell.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Small companies not yet ready for 2000 Bug

About half of small and midsize companies using computers in Tokyo have not yet adapted their systems to cope with the "Year 2000 problem," or Millennium Bug, which is expected to wreak havoc on companies with computers unable to process 21st century dates, a metropolitan survey says.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Plan to store nuclear waste in Hokkaido withdrawn

A controversial plan to build a high-level nuclear waste storage facility in Horonobe, Hokkaido, has been withdrawn, the Science and Technology Agency made clear Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

LDP panel fails to endorse policyholder-protection unit

A Liberal Democratic Party panel on financial affairs held off Friday from formally endorsing proposals to set up a new body offering protection to insurance policyholders in the event of an insurer's collapse.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Aum cult member gets 10 years for murder, abduction

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Aum Shinrikyo follower Makoto Goto to 10 years in prison Thursday for his involvement in the 1994 lynching of another cultist and the 1994 abduction of an innkeeper in Miyazaki Prefecture.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Arai's widow decides not to run in Lower House by-election

Just a day after the surprise announcement of her candidacy in a Lower House by-election, the widow of lawmaker Shokei Arai decided Thursday to pull out of the running to fill the seat made vacant when her husband hanged himself last week.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Japan, U.S. set up group for Okinawa base move

Japan and the United States set up a special task force Thursday to facilitate the relocation of U.S. military installations in Okinawa.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Monetary policy to stay unchanged, BOJ says

The Bank of Japan decided Thursday to leave unchanged its ultraeasy monetary policy and the 0.5 percent official discount rate, the central bank said.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Japan, U.S. firms form venture for trans-Pacific telecom cable

Four U.S. and Japanese companies seeking to become the "carriers' carrier" will construct an underwater telecommunications cable between the two countries, the firms announced Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Former President George Bush visits The Japan Times

Former U.S. President George Bush expressed support for the U.S. position in the recent standoff with Iraq during a visit to The Japan Times on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Mitsubishi Motors mulls plant closure in Thailand

A Mitsubishi Motors Corp. subsidiary in Thailand may close one of its plants due to sagging demand, MMC said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 1998

Plan to resume government aid to Myanmar criticized

Policy chiefs of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its two non-Cabinet allies expressed dissatisfaction with a Foreign Ministry plan to resume official development assistance to Myanmar, saying there has been little improvement in the country's democratization.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Overseas calls made free, after word from our sponsor

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Monetary gifts from coffers OK'd

The limited use of taxpayer money by local government officials for private occasions such as weddings and funerals among coworkers is permissible, the Audit and Inspection Commissioners of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government decided Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Car sales seen growing 1.7% in '98

Reflecting the nation's economic slowdown, Japan's domestic auto sales will only grow slightly to about 5.2 million units in 1998, the new chairman of the Japan Automobile Dealers Association predicted Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

12 boys held for robbing the aged

Tokyo police have booked 12 boys ranging in age from 10 to 17 for allegedly robbing elderly people out of 1 million yen, police said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

DIC members prioritize finance system stability

An in-house committee of the Deposit Insurance Corp. held its first meeting Monday and agreed that stabilization of the entire financial system is the first priority in discussing how public money should be used to reinforce banks' capital bases.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Jury still out on Nagano Olympics

NAGANO -- The pavilions are closed and the Olympic banners have disappeared. The souvenir shops are half-empty and Zenkoji Temple has regained its calm demeanor. The city's infamous traffic jams are back, and the taxis once again form long lines waiting for customers.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Tokyo backs last-minute deal with Iraq

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto implied Monday that the U.S. should accept the deal struck between Baghdad and the United Nations and not launch attacks against Iraq over its refusal to grant U.N. arms inspectors access to sites suspected of housing weapons of mass destruction.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

IEC annouces 39th Japanese speech contest

The International Education Center is seeking participants for the 39th annual International Speech Contest in Japanese, slated for June 6.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Japan's gold medalists receive Emperor's Cup

Seven gold medal winners from the Nagano Winter Olympic Games received the Emperor's Cup on Monday from Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in a ceremony held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

DirecTV mum about subscribers

DirecTV Japan Inc. declined comment Monday on how many subscribers it has obtained so far in Japan, in an apparent indication the carrier is struggling to compete.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

No pump-priming pledge made to G-7: Matsunaga

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga denied Monday that he had made any commitment to the Group of Seven nations to implement additional economic stimulus measures, such as an extra budget for fiscal 1998.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Riordan hopes Tokyoites love L.A.

Tokyo will be the site of the first overseas office of the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, Los Angeles Mayor Richard J. Riordan said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Flu epidemic spurs vaccine debate

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 20, 1998

Cabinet OKs plan to boost trade for local Asian economies

The Cabinet endorsed a package of emergency measures Friday to help stabilize Southeast Asian countries, pledging its readiness to take further action if necessary.

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