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JAPAN
Mar 18, 1997

Cultist tied to VX nerve gas, Kariya killings draws 15 years

Aum Shinrikyo follower Satoru Hirata was given a 15-year prison term Mar. 18 in connection with VX nerve gas attacks that targeted three people, including one who died, and the confining and killing of a Tokyo notary in conspiracy with other cultists.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Kobe gets quake-safe hotel

KOBE -- A 218-room business hotel fully constructed with quake safety in mind will open Mar. 18 in the Sannomiya district here, becoming the first major hotel to open in Kobe after 1995's Great Hanshin Earthquake.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Toyota to boost stake in Hino Motors

Toyota Motor Corp. announced Mar. 17 that it will increase its stake in truck maker Hino Motors Ltd. in order to expand its cooperation with the firm and strengthen the Toyota group as a whole amid intensifying competition.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

English school chief draws 2 1/2 years for embezzlement

A former school chairman was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison Mar. 17 for embezzling some 900 million yen and committing breach of trust to the tune of 20 million yen.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Man arrested in slashing attack

A Tokyo man who has been receiving treatment for mental disease slashed a 71-year-old woman early Mar. 17 on a road in Nakano Ward.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Weekend quake biggest to hit Aichi since '26

An earthquake that shook the Chubu, Kansai and Kanto regions on Mar. 16 was the strongest tremor to be recorded in eastern Aichi Prefecture since record-keeping began in 1926, according to Meteorological Agency officials.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Foreign secretary Komura leaves with message for Peru

State Foreign Secretary Masahiko Komura left for Peru on Mar. 17, carrying a message from the prime minister that the Lima hostage standoff must be resolved via peaceful means.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Let the lesson buyer beware, Tokyo pamphlet warns

Coinciding with the debut of consumer protection guidelines, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government published a pamphlet Mar. 17 urging Japanese to be cautious before choosing a foreign-language school.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

Manila OKs Korean defector's transit to Seoul

Manila will allow a high-ranking North Korean defector in China to use the Philippines as a transit point on his way to Seoul, Philippine Foreign Minister Domingo Siazon told his Japanese counterpart, Yukihiko Ikeda, Mar. 17 in Tokyo, according to Foreign Ministry officials.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

26 held in Airin immigration sweep

OSAKA -- Immigration authorities and police here arrested four foreigners and detained 22 others Mar. 17 for allegedly entering Japan illegally or overstaying their entry visas.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 1997

February trade surplus breaks downward trend

The nation's customs-cleared trade surplus for the month of February rose for the first time in over two years, increasing 6.5 percent from the same period last year to 686.7 billion yen, preliminary figures released Mar. 17 showed.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Court dismisses Yokota Base noise suit against U.S.

The Tokyo District Court's Hachioji branch on Mar. 14 dismissed a suit filed by residents living near the U.S. Yokota Air Base, seeking damages from the U.S. government for aircraft noise.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Renewal of U.S. paper pact 'out of the question,' exec says

The United States is expected to demand this month that Japan introduce a new set of measures to expand foreign paper makers' sales, but a senior Japanese industry official has said such a bilateral arrangement is "out of the question."
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Latest scandals said litmus test for Japan's will to reform

Japan's commitment to deregulation and market liberalization may be put to the test as the government and the business community respond to the misconduct of Nomura Securities Co. and other scandal-tainted firms, observers say.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

LDP panel releases reform plans

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's task force for administrative reform on Mar. 14 announced a set of comprehensive plans to promote deregulation.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Four JR firms anticipate drop in pretax profits

Due to an increased burden of fixed-asset taxes and negative effects of the April 1 consumption tax hike, the pretax profits of four Japan Railway group carriers are likely to shrink in the next business year, compared with the figures in their business plans for the current fiscal year, the four firms...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Blast at nuclear plant was 'massive'

TOKAI, Ibaraki Pref. -- A "massive amount of heat and energy" appears to have been released in the explosion Mar. 11 at a bituminization facility at the state-run nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, according to an expert on nuclear science engineering.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

No-show by defense counsel halts Asahara trial

The trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara took another twist Mar. 14 when the Tokyo District Court opened but then canceled the proceedings because the defense counsel boycotted the session.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

Chief of Nomura steps down . . . again

The president of Nomura Securities Co., the nation's top brokerage, resigned Mar. 14 over the widening scandal caused by the company's illicit business practices on behalf of a firm run by a relative of a former "sokaiya" corporate extortionist.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 1997

LDP ranks support freeze on Diet salaries

A number of senior lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed their support Mar. 14 for a proposal to freeze the salaries of Diet members because of the state of debt-ridden national coffers.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

'Big Bang' may fizzle, report says

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's financial reforms will not work effectively unless they are coupled with drastic downsizing of the government's fiscal investment and loan program, a private economic think tank said in a report released Mar. 13.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

Young Eurasian leaders discuss economic integration

Regional integration taking place in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region should be compatible with the World Trade Organization and should lead progressively to the lowering of external barriers by both regions, young leaders in politics, academics and business from 25 Asian and European countries...
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

Nullified politician loses appeal law

The Supreme Court on Mar. 13 dismissed the appeal of an Aomori Prefectural Assembly member whose election victory was nullified because his campaigners violated the election law.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

U.N. secretary general to visit Tokyo, Beijing on Asia trip

Kofi Annan, the new secretary general of the United Nations, may visit Tokyo and Beijing in May, his first trip to the two capitals since taking office Jan. 1, Japanese diplomatic sources said Mar. 13.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

Siberia prisoners lose damages suit

The Supreme Court on Mar. 13 upheld lower court decisions and turned down a damages suit filed by former Japanese soldiers who were held in prison labor camps in Siberia after World War II.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

Tokai residents angry over delay in warning

TOKAI, Ibaraki Pref. -- The explosion Mar. 11 at a nuclear reprocessing plant here came as a chilling reminder to local residents of what it means to live next door to such a hazard.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 1997

Asahara counsel intent on boycotting trial

The defense counsel for Shoko Asahara, founder of Aum Shinrikyo, said Mar. 13 it would boycott a court session scheduled for Mar. 14 after disagreeing with the court on how the guru's murder trial should proceed.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 1997

Turkish ambassador welcomes Japanese investment

Turkey's new ambassador, Gunduz Aktan, is hoping that Japanese companies will soon take even greater interest in his country as an investment opportunity and business partner.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 1997

Ajinomoto allegedly budgeted for payoffs to 'sokaiya'

Authorities investigating Ajinomoto Co. over alleged payoffs to corporate extortionists suspect that the company included the payments as "entertainment expenses" in its annual budget, informed sources said Mar. 12.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 1997

Mexico gets loans of 24.13 billion yen

Tokyo will extend up to 24.13 billion yen in yen loans to Mexico for a water supply and sewage project to help the Latin American country's efforts to protect the environment, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto told Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo on Mar. 12, according to Foreign Ministry officials....

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