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JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Hospital group chief tied to falsified records, fraud

OSAKA -- The director of the Yasuda Hospital group ordered his staff to forge medical reports and administrate medicine without actually seeing patients, hospital sources alleged July 18.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Defense challenges inconsistencies

Lawyers for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara challenged on July 18 the testimony given by a former key cultist for the prosecution, in which he spelled out the role Asahara played in the 1989 murder of a Yokohama lawyer and his family.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Imported corn is from China, not North Korea

The government has discovered that the corn unloaded from a North Korean freighter at Aomori port was produced in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 18.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Ford CEO says friction nearing as surplus rises

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Friction with the United States may be triggered by Japan's increasing trade surplus in the near future, the head of Ford Motor Co. warned July 17.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Sending planes was right decision, Kajiyama says

The controversial dispatch of three Air Self-Defense Force transport planes to Thailand for a possible evacuation mission in Cambodia was the "right choice," Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 18.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

Insurance group won't push failed firm on dealings

The new chairman of the Life Insurance Association of Japan said July 18 that the group will only question the responsibility of the former management of insolvent Nissan Mutual Life Insurance Co. if a legal violation is uncovered.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Attack on Sakamoto detailed

A former Aum Shinrikyo follower who confessed to being involved in the murders of an anticult lawyer and his family gave detailed testimony July 18 concerning what he and five other cultists did immediately before the attack on Nov. 4, 1989.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 1997

MITI to hand small firms public works contracts

The government will aim to provide small and medium-size firms with public contracts worth a record 5.159 trillion yen during fiscal 1998, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said July 18.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

ASDF aircraft return from Thailand empty

Three Air Self-Defense Force transport planes sent to Thailand for the possible evacuation of Japanese nationals from Cambodia arrived at Naha airport in Okinawa Prefecture on late July 17 without evacuees.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Japan's auto market raises concern among U.S. makers

The head of the American Auto Manufacturers Association expressed strong concern July 17 that Tokyo is not putting enough effort into opening Japan's automobile market.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Heavy rain prompts flood, slide warnings

Heavy rain in central and southern Japan is expected to continue through this morning, the Meteorological Agency said July 17, warning of flooding and landslides.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Northwest supports drive for 'open skies'

Several top executives of Northwest Airlines on July 17 expressed support for Washington's demand for "open skies," or the full liberalization of the trans-Pacific civil aviation market.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Keizai Doyukai contemplates future of Japanese business

KARUIZAWA, Nagano Pref. -- Business leaders exchanged opinions July 17 on Japan's international economic relations and the role of the private sector in the ongoing structural reforms at the 12th summer seminar of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai).
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Borderless salsa band Orquesta de la Luz bids sayonara

Following their breakup in March, members of Orquesta de la Luz, a Japanese salsa band that has gained unprecedented fame overseas, reunited earlier this week to enjoy their last moments of glory together at home.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Defense team attacks follower's testimony

Defense lawyers for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara cross-examined former cult follower Kazuaki Okazaki on July 17 and pointed out inconsistencies between his testimony and the depositions of other cult members over the killing of an anti-Aum lawyer and his family.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Regional banks urged to gird for 'Big Bang'

The nation's second-tier regional banks need to make greater efforts to dispose of their nonperforming loans and prepare for the upcoming "Big Bang" financial deregulation, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said July 17.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Opposition ranks form anticonservative force

A new political study group consisting of members from three opposition parties was formed July 17 with the aim of countering a possible conservative alliance centering around the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

First-half trade surplus surges 28.4%

Japan's customs-cleared trade surplus for the first half of 1997 rose for the first time on a half-year basis since January-June 1993, according to provisional figures released July 17 by the Finance Ministry.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

'Visitor' suspected of sending letter bombs

A man believed to be in his 20s frequently visited Nippon Television Network Corp. in Tokyo, asking to meet with an NTV newscaster and a teenage actress, both of whom later became targets of letter bombs, police sources said July 17.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Japan pledges loans to Indonesia

Tokyo has pledged 213.7 billion yen in economic assistance to Indonesia, Foreign Ministry officials said July 17.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Hong Kong execs say city is still in business

OSAKA -- Hong Kong's business executives and administrative officials unanimously stressed July 17 that Hong Kong will maintain its free business environment and will remain a center of finance and trade for the Asian region.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Tax cut should be linked to review

Any reduction in the present corporate tax rate should be considered after reviewing and possibly expanding the range of taxable corporate income, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said July 16.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

ASDF transports are ordered home

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto decided July 16 to recall three Air Self-Defense Force transport planes dispatched to Thailand to help in the possible evacuation of Japanese nationals from Cambodia. Acting on Hashimoto's instructions, Post and Telecommunications Minister Hisao Horinouchi, who is serving...
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Welfare group raided over alleged fraud

OSAKA -- Osaka and Kyoto prefectural police jointly raided the main office of the Tokufukai welfare business group and more than 20 other locations July 16 over allegations that the group committed fraud involving a massive amount of government subsidies.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Ogasawaras ready to get their goats

Western technology and ideas weren't the only things Commodore Matthew Perry brought when he and his "black ships" ended Japan's policy of self-imposed seclusion in 1853. He also brought goats -- at least that's one explanation for their conspicuous presence on the Ogasawara island chain, roughly 900...
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

KKC chief denies swindling investors

Ichiro Yamamoto, former chairman of Keizai Kakumei Club, which was raided in June 1996 for allegedly swindling investors out of 178 million yen, pleaded not guilty July 16 to charges of fraud before the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Open debate on disaster bills urged

KOBE -- People pushing for a disaster compensation bill, including well-known author Makoto Oda and several Diet members, visited the Hyogo governor and Kobe mayor earlier this week to explain the bill and seek support. "This is the first time we've met the governor and the mayor in this manner," said...
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Shinshinto facing crisis after election loss

Ichiro Ozawa's Shinshinto, the largest opposition party, is facing a major crisis in the wake of its defeat in the recent Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Ministries told to unite on climate change

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JAPAN
Jul 16, 1997

Departing German envoy discusses mutual benefits

Even though Germany is home to a number of Japanese culture centers and various collections of East Asian art, Japan should do more to promote its image there and in Europe as a whole, said departing German Ambassador Heinrich-Dietrich Dieckmann in a recent interview.

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