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JAPAN
Jul 1, 1997

Gender equality still elusive, white paper says

Women in Japan continue to face a wide range of difficulties in the workplace as well as in other aspects of life, according to a 1997 white paper on gender equality submitted July 1 to the Cabinet.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

Japan-Nordic summit ends with focus on environment, welfare

BERGEN, Norway -- The leaders of Japan and the Nordic countries ended their first-ever summit June 26 with a call to work together on the environment and share expertise on social welfare programs.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

Foreign Ministry urged to lead ODA reform

To make the nation's official development assistance more efficient, the Foreign Ministry should take the lead by formulating a comprehensive rather than piecemeal approach to aid programs, an interim report released June 27 by a private panel says.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

Individual war victims can claim compensation, expert says

Individual war victims can claim compensation from the government for war atrocities committed by Japanese military forces, a Dutch legal expert testified in a damages suit June 27.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

Seoul still confident of economic future

Despite a range of difficulties facing its economy, South Korea remains confident of becoming a fully developed economy on a par with other industrialized nations, Seung Soo Han, former deputy prime minister and minister of finance and economy of South Korea, said June 27.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

2,355 firms face shareholders under 'sokaiya' spectre

A record 2,355 listed and unlisted companies nationwide held their annual shareholders' meetings June 27 with 10,000 police officers mobilized to keep "sokaiya" corporate extortionists in check, the National Police Agency said.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 1997

Prosecutors widen probe into dubious DKB loans

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office questioned Tadashi Okuda, former chairman of Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, and former consultant Kuniji Miyazaki on June 27 over the bank's alleged loans to a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Helpless Army sky divers land on temples, homes

YOKOHAMA -- Six members of a U.S. Army sky diving team that was practicing at Atsugi Air Base on June 26 landed in various spots in Yamato city after high winds blew them off course, Yamato police said.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Russian boat shoots, wounds Japanese fishermen

A Russian patrol vessel fired on a Japanese fishing boat off Nosappu Cape in Nemuro, Hokkaido, late June 25, seriously wounding two crew members, the Maritime Safety Agency office in Nemuro said June 26.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Bill on overseas transactions expected this fall

A bill requiring financial institutions to submit records of incoming and outgoing overseas remittances of 1 million yen or more to taxation authorities is expected to be enacted during this fall's extraordinary Diet session, ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers said June 26.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Hayashi admits to subway gas attack

Former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Yasuo Hayashi admitted in court June 26 that he released nerve gas in a Tokyo subway car in March 1995, saying he could not refuse orders he believed were issued by cult founder Shoko Asahara.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Canadian ambassador given new post

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced the appointment of Canadian Ambassador to Japan Donald Campbell to the post of deputy minister of foreign affairs, the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo said June 24.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Textbook screening gets ministry's special treatment

Politically biased, sometimes inconsistent and ineffective, but otherwise reasonable.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Consultant offers tips on narrowing cultural gap

To achieve cross-cultural understanding, people living in a foreign land should first become fully aware of the cultural differences they face, then learn to respect them and finally attempt to reconcile the differences using their own culture's framework.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Hashimoto may visit Hong Kong in fall

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto may visit Hong Kong in early September on his way to or from Beijing to demonstrate Japan's strong support for the British colony's continued prosperity, government sources said June 26.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

JCP member wins wiretap damages against police

The Tokyo High Court upheld on June 26 a lower court ruling and ordered the national government and Kanagawa Prefecture to pay about 4 million yen in damages to a former Japanese Communist Party official for bugging his home phone in Machida, Tokyo, in 1986.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Manufacturers found upbeat in latest 'tankan' survey

The Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" survey startled most market analysts June 25 by reflecting unexpectedly strong business sentiment among the nation's principal manufacturing firms.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Tomobe pleads not guilty to fraud in Orange Kyosai affair

Upper House member Tatsuo Tomobe pleaded not guilty June 25 to charges of conspiring with his wife, son and political supporters to swindle depositors in a mutual aid society.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Ikeda to attend controversial investiture in Hong Kong

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda will attend the controversial investiture of Hong Kong's new legislature, which will be held in the early hours of June 24 following the colony's transfer to Chinese rule on June 23, Foreign Ministry officials said June 25.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Corporate Governance: Take charge from within

A more balanced internal structure and chain of responsibility are the key to stemming the rash of corporate misconduct plaguing the country's major firms, according to Takanori Matsuura, an expert in Japanese corporate culture.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Strong earthquake strikes areas in western Japan

A strong earthquake jolted the Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu regions at around 6:50 p.m. June 25, registering a strong 5 on the Japanese scale of 7 in Shimane Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

NPA chief says foreigners, terrorism wrecking public safety

The head of the National Police Agency said June 24 that Japanese are becoming increasingly fearful for their safety due to a series of recent terrorist acts here and abroad, as well as an increasing number of crimes committed by foreigners living in Japan.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Reform panel ends meetings on ministry streamlining

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's blue-ribbon panel on administrative reform completed a series of hearings for each government ministry and agency June 25, apparently only reconfirming opposition within the bureaucracy to his goal of a slimmer government.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Japan-U.S. Business Council to meet in California

The 34th annual meeting of the Japan-U.S. Business Council will be held in California from July 7 to 9, the Japanese leader of the organization said June 24.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Tokyo launches damage control on comments

Tokyo attempted June 24 to patch up the damage caused by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's remarks in New York on June 23 that sent stock prices on Wall Street into a free fall, saying his comments were taken out of context.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

American Malls remains optimistic about Japan plan

Despite what appears to be firm opposition from the agriculture ministry, American Malls International, a Washington-based developer, seems hopeful of opening a huge shopping mall in Moriya, Ibaraki Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Adventurer succeeds in solo trek across Arctic Ocean

Adventurer Mitsuo Oba reached Canada's Ward Hunt Island on June 23, completing a solo walk across the frozen Arctic Ocean.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Police arrest 'sokaiya' over extortion attempt

A former "sokaiya" corporate racketeer was arrested June 24 in Tokyo over an alleged extortion attempt that involved an insurance company and magazine subscriptions.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Four nations urge U.N. to work on environment

NEW YORK -- Four countries on four continents launched a joint initiative June 23 aimed at giving the United Nations new impetus to revitalize the spirit of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and achieve sustainable development while tackling environmental problems.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Hashimoto's environment statement disappoints

NEW YORK -- Many participants in the special session of the General Assembly here have expressed disappointment with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's statement on the environment.

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