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JAPAN
May 21, 1997

Weak yen helps lift Toyota profits to 620 billion yen

Supported by brisk sales and the weaker yen, Toyota Motor Corp. said May 21 that its unconsolidated pretax profit surged 82.1 percent to 620.4 billion yen -- the third-highest level for the firm -- in the 1996 business year that ended March 31.
JAPAN
May 21, 1997

MITI projects economic windfall from deregulation

Drastic deregulation in five key service sectors would generate 39 trillion yen in fresh investment and boost the nation's economy by 6 percent in the six years between 1995 and 2001, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a report released May 21.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Honda posts record net sales of 5.29 trillion yen

Backed by strong sales of its cars in Japan and major overseas markets, Honda Motor Co. posted record-high consolidated net sales of 5.29 trillion yen in the 1996 business year, up 24.5 percent from the previous year, the automaker announced May 20.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Kajiyama names Nomura account holders in Cabinet

In a reversal of his earlier stance, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama released late May 20 the names of four Cabinet members who have dealt with and may still hold accounts with Nomura Securities Co.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Pair accused of taking murder victim's money

OSAKA -- A former official of a defunct Osaka credit cooperative and another man were arrested May 20 for allegedly withdrawing about 74 million yen from the account of a moneylender who was stabbed to death in late March 1996.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Many voices join in battle over 'comfort woman'

Nationwide debate over "comfort women" will probably not end soon. Did wartime Japanese authorities really abduct Korean women for sex slavery, and is it the key question? Should school textbooks cover the issue and should Japan alone be mentioned regarding such practices?
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Industrial output fell 0.3% in March

Industrial output in March fell 0.3 percent from the previous month, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry announced May 20.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Toyota chief content with yen's current rate

The yen's recent surge against the dollar is still in the acceptable range, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp. said May 20.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Dollar tumbles to 111.98 yen

With the downtrend gathering momentum in Tokyo, the dollar touched the 111 yen level momentarily late May 20 for the first time since Dec. 6, 1996, on a rush of selling by exporters and institutional investors.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Ministry's global warming Web site to debut

The Foreign Ministry will launch an English-language Web site May 20 on global warming.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Japan to propose environmental conference at G-7

In a fresh initiative aimed at demonstrating Japan's resolve to help preserve the environment, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will propose to host an international conference addressing water problems in developing countries possibly by autumn, government sources said May 19.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Hospitals face action for padding medical staff

OSAKA -- The Osaka Prefectural Government will file a criminal complaint against three Yasuda Hospital group hospitals here that allegedly padded reports on the number of its doctors and nurses, it was learned here May 19.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Omron to offer stock options to directors

Omron Corp. announced May 19 that it will start a stock-option program next April for its 30 directors, following last week's enactment of a law legalizing such incentives.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Deadline for reviewing bureaucracy is set

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto instructed his advisory panel May 19 to review the civil servant system and by the end of fiscal 1998 wrap up a report detailing ways to maximize the effect of ongoing efforts to trim the central government.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Informed consent said paramount in transplant issue

The practice of informed consent under a patients' rights law should be promoted before allowing organ transplants from brain-dead donors, a leading Canadian researcher of medical anthropology said.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Nissan Motor offers jobs, not money to aid failed insurer

Instead of providing a large sum of financial support to deal with the failure of Nissan Mutual Life Insurance Co., Nissan Motor Corp. is ready to accept the insurance company's employees, the president of Nissan Motor said May 19.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Japan NGOs aid Balkan refugee effort

A consortium of Japanese nongovernmental organizations is supporting the efforts of more than 180 professional aid coordinators working together in the former Yugoslavia, despite their different ethnic backgrounds, to ameliorate the ongoing refugee problems in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia,...
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Diet legalizes stock options

Legislation to legalize stock options cleared the Diet on May 16, setting the stage for many Japanese corporations to introduce in June the highly lucrative system of remuneration available to many U.S. corporate executives and employees.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Russian minister proposes regional security pact

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda and Russian Defense Minister Igor Rodionov agreed May 16 to push a regional security forum in the Asia-Pacific region to help maintain stability, Foreign Ministry officials said.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

LDP backs basic plan on expenditure limits

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party endorsed a basic outline May 16 for capping government spending to help the nation regain its fiscal health, but left many specific numerical targets up to the prime minister's Fiscal Structure Reform Council.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Forex decontrols kick off 'Big Bang'

The Diet enacted a law May 16 that ends the monopoly of banks in the foreign exchange business, allowing other companies and individuals to freely sell and buy foreign currencies and initiating the first of the "Big Bang" reforms.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

U.S. to charge for airspace use

As a part of U.S. fiscal reform and to obtain new financial sources for its aviation services, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will begin charging foreign commercial aircraft that use U.S. airspace starting May 19. But the U.S. move has triggered opposition from many international airlines,...
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

SEC backs interim reform reports

Interim reports on deregulation of the securities industry -- including calls to further liberalize brokerage commissions beginning April 1, 1998 -- were approved May 16 by an advisory council subcommittee to the finance minister.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Wartime sex slave recounts experiences for the court

A Filipino woman allegedly forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers during World War II sang a Japanese song in a hearing May 16 on her damages suit at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Emperor to visit Brazil, Argentina

The Emperor and Empress told the press they would like to deepen Japan's understanding of Brazil and Argentina on May 16, two weeks before embarking on an official visit to the two countries May 30.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

ASEAN may tackle Spratly rift

The dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea should be handled at the ASEAN Regional Forum, Philippine Foreign Minister Domingo Siazon said May 16, according to Foreign Ministry officials.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Wakasa likely to resign over ANA reshuffle

Tokuji Wakasa, honorary chairman of All Nippon Airways, is likely to resign as a board member to take responsibility for confusion over the airline's personnel change in senior management, sources said May 16.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Aoki makes official exit from post

Ambassador o Peru Morihisa Aoki officially resigned May 16, taking responsibility for the hostage crisis at his official residence in Lima, Foreign Ministry officials said.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Let nonbanks raise funds from more sources: paper

Nonbanks should be allowed to secure funds from capital markets through a wider range of sources, including such currently banned means as the issue of bonds and commercial papers, according to a report released May 16.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Economists doubt structural reforms will succeed

With the Cabinet's approval May 16 of an action plan for economic structural reform, the government tried to demonstrate its indomitable resolution to reconstruct the nation's economic system and ensure sustainable growth well into the next century.

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