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JAPAN
Jan 21, 1997

Cabinet told to set targets for public works cuts

As part of efforts to ease the nation's fiscal woes, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto instructed his Cabinet ministers Jan. 21 to set numerical targets for cutting back on the high cost of public works projects.Hashimoto issued the order during the first meeting of Cabinet ministers connected with the...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Ozawa rallies remaining Shinshinto troops

Shinshinto leader Ichiro Ozawa said Jan. 20 that members of the largest opposition party should unite to enable the party to deprive the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of power."Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and his administration are not capable of carrying out reforms despite repeated pledges,"...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Tomobe's son linked to 100 million yen yakuza bribe

A 29-year-old son of Upper House member Tatsuo Tomobe, who has been under fire in connection with a mutual fund scandal, gave about 100 million yen to the head of a Yamaguchi-gumi underworld affiliate to settle troubles related to the lawmaker's election campaign, sources close to the fund said Jan....
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Tora-san postcard series on sale

An assortment of picture postcards featuring scenes from the popular film series "Otoko wa tsuraiyo" went on sale Jan. 20 at post offices throughout Tokyo to honor the series' late star, Kiyoshi Atsumi.A ceremony was held the same day to mark the start of the sales at Shibamata Taishakuten Temple in...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Ministers mull spill, admit unreadiness

The government Jan. 20 convened the first meeting of 15 Cabinet members to deal with the oil spill in the Sea of Japan, Transport Minister Makoto Koga said.Meanwhile, oil continued to threaten the cooling systems of several nuclear power plants. The operators of the Tsuruga plant in Fukui Prefecture...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Defense intelligence functions united

To better deal with international crises in the post-Cold War era, the Defense Agency on Jan. 20 inaugurated the Defense Intelligence Headquarters to integrate military and civilian intelligence functions.The headquarters will enable the agency to more swiftly and efficiently collect and analyze military...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Recovery remains 'moderate,' BOJ governor says

The economy remains on a moderate recovery course, but the causes and possible impacts of the recent fall in stock prices should be studied carefully, Bank of Japan Gov. Yasuo Matsushita said Jan. 20.Given the need to ensure a strong foundation for recovery, there will be no change in the BOJ's easy...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Ikeda stresses U.S. ties, Asia-Pacific cooperation

Better relations with the United States, China and South Korea are pivotal for Japan as it seeks stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda said at the regular Diet session's opening Jan. 20.Ikeda said Japan will seek cooperation with the U.S. in line with a...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

'Pluthermal' to be pillar of nuclear fuel policy

The so-called pluthermal process -- burning plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel in light-water reactors for power generation -- will be a "pillar" in the nation's nuclear fuel cycle policy for several decades to come, a government advisory panel said in its interim report released Jan. 20.Given...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

ANA 777 hijacking foiled in Fukuoka

A man suspected of hijacking an All Nippon Airways flight from Osaka was arrested late Jan. 20 shortly after the plane landed at Fukuoka Airport, officials said.At 6:40 p.m. Jan. 20, Ryoichi Takeuchi, captain of Fukuoka-bound ANA Flight 217, a Boeing 777, reported to Fukuoka air traffic controllers...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Hashimoto speech criticized as lip service

Leaders of the opposition camp and some elements in the ruling force Jan. 20 criticized Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's policy speech, saying it sounded empty because he merely read what had been prepared for him by bureaucrats ."The prime minister simply read a manuscript written by bureaucrats...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1997

Hashimoto vows to slash deficits to 3% of GDP by 2005

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto expressed his resolve Jan. 20 to slash annual deficits incurred by the central and local governments to a maximum 3 percent of gross domestic product by fiscal 2005.For the first time in the Diet, the prime minister specified a numerical target for reducing the nation's...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Groups hit payment of Korean sex slaves

Women's rights activists supporting former sex slaves slammed on Jan. 17 the Asian Women's Fund's recent pledge to make payments to seven South Korean victims, saying it is hurting the relationship between the victims and their supporters, as well as dividing the sex slaves themselves.In a Tokyo news...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Vows, flowers mark second anniversary of Hanshin earthquake

KOBE -- Marking the second anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, local residents offered prayers Jan. 17 to commemorate the victims of the disaster and promised to rebuild better communities.On Jan. 17, 1995, the quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, killed more than 6,400 people and...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Foreign automakers fight to secure market share

With more people in Japan beginning to think that there is nothing special about imported cars, foreign automakers can no longer rely on their once luxurious brand image to do the selling for them.Now foreign carmakers are finding themselves in increasingly fierce competition with domestic automakers....
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Deming urges immediate action of port dispute

U.S. Charge d'Affaires Rust Deming urged Japan on Jan. 17 to take immediate action to rectify port transportation practices the United States considers unfair to U.S. shipping companies, according to Foreign Ministry officials.In his meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Sadayuki Hayashi, Deming said he...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Ruling allies await LDP reform plans

With dark political and economic uncertainties hanging over the nation, the government and ruling Liberal Democratic Party are expected to face several challenges during the 1997 regular Diet session that convenes Jan. 20.The LDP, which lacks a majority in the Diet, is expected to place priority on...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Asahara badgers Inoue on stand

Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara appeared restless Jan. 17 during the 22nd hearing of his murder trial, often directing his mumblings toward testifying witness Yoshihiro Inoue, a former senior Aum member.During Inoue's testimony on his involvement in the May 1995 incident in which lethal chemicals...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Tokyo sees pollen increasing this year

Japanese cedar pollen, which causes hay fever, will increase between 1.3 times and 2 times this spring due to hot weather last July, the Public Health Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government warned Jan. 17.Because temperatures have been relatively high this winter, large volumes of pollen are expected...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 1997

Haneda slot allocation to favor new airlines

Landing and takeoff slots to be made available when a long-awaited runway at Haneda airport opens in April may be distributed in a way that encourages competition and favors fledging competitors, according to a Transport Ministry panel meeting Jan. 17."Reducing the differences in the number of slots...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Web site offers college exam odds

Yahoo Japan Corp., an Internet search service company, and Obunsha Co., a major publishing company, will begin a Web service on Jan. 23 to predict the chances of an examinee passing university entrance exams based on an Obunsha database, the companies said Jan. 16.The prediction will be based on the...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

First E. coli civil case filed against city of Sakai

OSAKA -- The parents of a 12-year-old girl who died after eating school lunches infected with the O-157 E. coli virus filed a suit against the Sakai Municipal Government on Jan. 16.The parents are seeking 78 million yen in damages, saying the city violated the Product Liability Law. The lawsuit, submitted...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Deposit Insurance Corp. asks for more personnel

The Deposit Insurance Corp. asked the Finance Ministry on Jan. 16 for more personnel so that it can better handle an expanding range of operations needed to clean up failed financial institutions bogged down by bad loans.During a meeting with Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, the heads of the nation's...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Imported auto show opens today at Big Sight

The Tokyo Imported Automobile Show '97, featuring some 230 vehicles from nine countries, will open Jan. 17 at the Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake.The show, sponsored by the Japan External Trade Organization and the Japan Automobile Importers' Association, will run until Jan. 19. The sponsors said they are...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

No rise in foreign car prices seen

Despite the recent depreciation of the yen against the dollar, executives of foreign automakers said Jan. 16 they will not raise prices out of fear of jeopardizing sales of imported cars.Executives of Opel Japan, Rover Japan and other firms said prices should be set based on long-term prospects. Volkswagen...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Tokyo University researchers to get step-in VR facility

The University of Tokyo will complete an advanced virtual reality facility in April that is expected to usher in a new era in virtual reality simulations.The facility will allow researchers to position themselves within the same virtual environment as the objects they are studying, allowing them to...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Police desperately sought Aum arrests: Inoue

A former senior Aum Shinrikyo figure on Jan. 16 quoted a former police officer, an informant for the cult, as saying that police were desperate to arrest any Aum follower after the 1995 Tokyo subway attack to determine who committed the crime.Yoshihiro Inoue, 26, disclosing some of the conversations...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Japan unlikely to freeze fund money to sex slaves

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano said Jan. 16 that it would be difficult for Japan to comply with a request by South Korea to suspend compensation payments to South Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.Yosano, at a regular news conference,...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Opel chief says imports will gain equal footing

The differences between domestic and imported brands will become indistinguishable, and the successful companies will be those that pay attention to the customer, according to the representative general director of Opel Japan.David Dunahay predicts that intensifying competition and rapidly changing...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 1997

Revival of holding firms made easier

The Fair Trade Commission is considering greater liberalization once it lifts the ban on holding companies than had been initially planned by the organization's study panel.FTC Chairman Yasuchika Negoro indicated Jan. 16 that the FTC, in cooperation with government agencies, will soon work out a draft...

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