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JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

Upper House asks Tomobe to resign

The House of Councilors adopted a resolution Apr. 4 calling on chamber member Tatsuo Tomobe to resign in connection with his indictment for fraud.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

Sato to take up supercomputers

Trade chief Shinji Sato said Apr. 4 that he will take up the issue of the U.S. government procurement of supercomputers when he visits the United States later this month.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

O-157 strain found in patient's 'kaiware'

The O-157 strain of the E. coli bacteria has been discovered in "kaiware" radish sprouts found in the home of one of six patients in an O-157 food-poisoning outbreak in mid-March in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, the Aichi Prefectural Hygiene Department said Apr. 4.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

Ministry leans on financial firms in NCB bailout

Finance Ministry sources said Apr. 4 that it has asked financial institutions to waive stock dividends on a new forthcoming issue by Nippon Credit Bank in return for below-market prices on the shares.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

Upper House plans bill on war tragedies

A nonpartisan group of Upper House members will introduce a bill aimed at unearthing tragedies caused by Japan before and during World War II and assessing the damage of such events, Diet sources said Apr. 4.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Japan submits rebuttal on photo film to WTO

Japan filed with the World Trade Organization on Apr. 4 a rebuttal to Washington's claim that a series of Japanese government measures have hampered foreign access to its photographic film market, trade officials said in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Revised history textbooks under fire

A group of 350 parents of junior high school students and lawyers from across the country who are opposed to new school textbooks to be introduced in the 1997 school year filed a lawsuit Apr. 3 with the Tokyo District Court, seeking confirmation that their children are not obliged to study using the...
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

EU report reshapes relations with Japan

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is preparing a new "communication" policy report on relations with Japan to replace one adopted by the 15 union nations nearly two years ago, Japanese government officials said Apr. 3.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Japan has signaled change but must follow through fully

The government's deregulation package, though far from satisfactory in scale and content, enshrines some important steps signaling greater reform in the future, according to Ushio Chujo, a professor of public economics at Keio University.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Mobile computing seminar planned

Professional Training Services and Global OnLine Japan will jointly host a seminar in their Corporate Solution Seminar Series with the support of The Japan Times on April 17 at the Westin Tokyo, at Yebisu Garden Place.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Politicians' 11 million yen junket attracts criticism

Nine Osaka Prefectural Assembly members, including chairman Yoshio Matsui, are on an overseas junket to promote Osaka's 2008 Olympic bid and to study administrative reform, despite opposition from fellow assembly members and a local citizens' group.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Man guilty of killing violent son

A 55-year-old man who fled his home with his wife and two daughters out of fear of his violent son was sentenced to five years in prison for killing the 22-year-old son.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Japan asked to help feed N. Korea

The head of the U.N. World Food Program on Apr. 1 called on Japan to provide food assistance to North Korea, Foreign Ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Mayor re-elected on antidam policy

The incumbent mayor of Kito, Tokushima Prefecture, was re-elected Apr. 1 on a platform of continued resistance to the Construction Ministry's plan to dam a river running through the village.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Orix chief urges government to 'climb the next mountain'

The nation's move toward deregulation is at a turning point and the government must continue easing regulations to "climb the next mountain," says the deputy chairman of an Administrative Reform Committee branch.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

3,000 rally against revision of Okinawa land lease law

About 3,000 unionists rallied late Apr. 2 in Tokyo to protest a planned legal revision that would enable the government to continue the forced use of land in Okinawa Prefecture for U.S. military installations after the land lease contracts expire in May.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Business confidence on plus side for first time since 1991

Business confidence among principal manufacturing companies has taken a turn for the better for the first time in more than five years, according to the Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" survey released Apr. 2.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

WTO panel to hear Japan-U.S. photo trade row

A dispute-settlement panel of the World Trade Organization will begin discussions this month on the trade row between Tokyo and Washington over Japan's photographic film and paper market, Japanese government officials said Apr. 2.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Kajiyama speech hints at stiffer base land law

Tough new legislation could be introduced in the future to help the central government override opposition from landowners and local governments when leases for property within U.S. bases expire, the government's top spokesman hinted Apr. 2.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

MITI slams U.S. trade report

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry on Apr. 1 denounced the U.S. government's trade report for containing what it called a series of one-sided views, erroneous accounts and unfounded allegations.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

Lloyd's Japan plans to ride 'Big Bang' into new market

Lloyd's of London will use the current wave of financial deregulation as a tail wind to expand business in Japan through its new Japanese unit, according to Lloyd's Japan Inc. President Kunihiko Sasamoto.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

4,590 taxis across Japan revise initial fares

As a result of deregulation, 88 taxi companies in Tokyo, Chiba, Okayama, Hiroshima and Tokushima on Apr. 1 reduced their minimum fares to between 330 yen and 410 yen for the first kilometer.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

Hokkaido banks to merge

Hokkaido Takushoku Bank, one of the nation's 10 major city banks, and the regional Hokkaido Bank announced Apr. 1 that they will merge on April 1, 1998, to cut costs ahead of the proposed "Big Bang" of financial deregulation.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

Citizens opposed to revising Okinawa base law

Two citizens' groups issued separate statements in Tokyo on Apr. 1 calling on the government not to seek a legal revision that would enable the government to continue the forced use of land in Okinawa Prefecture for the U.S. military after land lease contracts expire in May.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

1.2 million graduates enter labor force

An estimated 1.2 million graduates joined Japan's workforce Apr. 1 as businesses across the country held welcoming ceremonies for new recruits on the first day of fiscal 1997.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

LDP seeks opposition's support on Okinawa

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will meet this evening with Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the largest opposition party, Shinshinto, to ask for cooperation over his government's plan to revise a law on land expropriation for U.S. military bases in Okinawa, officials said Apr. 1.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

Red Cross looking for language helpers

The Japanese Red Cross Language Service Volunteers are seeking volunteers to help with management, planning, translation and other activities.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

Akita governor quits over wining, dining shame

Akita Gov. Kikuji Sasaki, who held office for nearly 18 years in Tohoku Prefecture, resigned Mar. 31 to take responsibility for the local government's illegal spending on wining and dining.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

MITI slams unilateral U.S. trade practices

The United States' continued use of unilateral measures, including Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act, goes against the free-trade principles of the World Trade Organization, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a report released Mar. 31.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 1997

DPJ lobbies for HIV-AIDS support

The Democratic Party of Japan submitted a set of requests to health minister Junichiro Koizumi on Mar. 31, demanding better treatment for people with HIV or AIDS and measures to eradicate public prejudice and discrimination against those with the human immunodeficiency virus.

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