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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.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Open thermal power sector to competitive bidding, panel urges

All new thermal power development should be made subject to competitive bidding starting in fiscal 1999, a government advisory panel said in an interim report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Business leaders hail tax reforms, finance package

Most business leaders, who have demanded corporate tax cuts of 10 percentage points, welcomed the tax reform package and financial stabilization measures hammered out by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Industrial output rose 0.1% in October

Industrial output in October rose 0.1 percent from the previous month, an upward revision from a preliminary 0.4 percent decrease, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

Water quality in need of improvement, agency says

The quality of water in the nation's rivers, lakes and inland sea areas still needs substantial improvement, the Environment Agency said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 1997

City's testing confirms toxins buried at site of theme park

Staff writer
JAPAN
Dec 15, 1997

Japan, U.S. air out aviation differences

The United States and Japan ended the first day of round six of their official civil aviation talks Monday at the Transport Ministry by reconfirming their differences on key issues in the protracted dispute.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 1997

Happenings in and around Kansai

JAPAN
Dec 15, 1997

LDP to approve 10 trillion yen bond package for DIC

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday finalized details of its financial stabilization package, featuring 10 trillion yen in government bonds for Deposit Insurance Corp. to help recapitalize troubled financial institutions.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 1997

Korean students seek right to enter national universities

A group of Korean students in Japan and their supporters Monday asked the Education Ministry for fair treatment and the right to take national university entrance examinations.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 1997

Election may mean end for Shinshinto

Staff writer

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