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JAPAN
Jan 13, 1999

Toyota unveils 1,000cc hatchback

Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled Wednesday a new 1-liter hatchback vehicle called Vitz, which will serve as a base for its line of cars aimed at the global compact car market, the automaker says.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1998

Auto sales headed below 6 million units

Domestic automobile sales for 1998 are now projected to drop 12.3 percent from last year to 5.9 million units, slipping below the 6 million level for the first time in 12 years, an industry group said on Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 14, 1998

'Tankan' shows business sentiment worsening

Japanese firms grew more pessimistic over the past three months and see no end to the nation's economic woes, according to the Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" business sentiment survey for December.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 1998

Government presents LTCB restructuring plan

The troubled Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, now under temporary state control, submitted a restructuring plan to the government pledging more job cuts and decreased overseas operations, the president of the LTCB announced Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 1998

Economy mired but beginning to move: EPA

Though the economy remains in in contraction with continuing weakness in corporate investment, the Economic Planning Agency said in its monthly economic report Tuesday that "there is a whiff of change in the air."
JAPAN
Oct 5, 1998

Mitsubishi unveils next generation of minicars

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. announced Monday the launch of three fully redesigned minicars it hopes will energize the stagnant economy.The announcement is the first of a flurry of minicar announcements expected due to new regulations imposed Oct. 1 on the Japanese minicar industry.This week, major minicar...
JAPAN
Aug 19, 1998

BOJ should prop banks that fail, Miyazawa says

The Bank of Japan should extend emergency loans to troubled major banks to prevent the enormous impact their failure will have on Japanese and global financial systems, Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 1998

Release of FSA results could invade borrowers' privacy

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi took a reluctant stance Tuesday on making public the results of ongoing regulatory inspections of the country's biggest banks.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 1998

JNR debt disposal bill stirs heated dispute

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1998

Keidanren urges financial realignment

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 21, 1998

Freeze austerity law only as last resort: Matsunaga

Freezing the fiscal austerity law should be the last resort when the new Cabinet tries to revive the moribund economy, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1998

Business association calls for radical government reforms

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jun 30, 1998

LTCB loans should all transfer to Sumitomo: Imai

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. should accept all loans extended by the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan when it merges with the ailing LTCB, according to the head of Japan's most influential business organization.
JAPAN
May 28, 1998

Finance official admits taking perks, denies giving favors

A Finance Ministry official accused of receiving bribes from the nation's Big Four brokerages and a major bank admitted Thursday that he had been entertained by them, but denied returning any favors.
JAPAN
May 25, 1998

Former Finance inspector admits to charges of graft

A former Finance Ministry official accused of giving favors to the Big Four brokerages in return for being lavishly entertained owned up to the charges Monday during his first trial hearing before the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
May 25, 1998

Sour loans at 18 banks add to 21.78 trillion yen

Troublesome loans at the nation's top 18 banks totaled 21.78 trillion yen as of the end of March, according to fiscal 1997 earning reports released by Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1998

Cabinet approves defense bills; ASCA pact signed

Two controversial bills needed for Japan and the United States to better cope with military emergencies in areas surrounding Japan were authorized Tuesday by the Cabinet, despite opposition from within the tripartite ruling bloc.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 1998

Tokyo's riskiest districts named

Because of fears of a large earthquake hitting the Tokyo region, the metropolitan government's disaster vulnerability survey released Monday may warrant a close look.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Netherlands' Timmer claims gold, shatters speedskating record

Staff writer
JAPAN
Feb 10, 1998

Olympic sponsors hold Games, torch sacred

Seventh in a series
JAPAN
Feb 6, 1998

British torch bearer to show world land mines' cruelty

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1998

Debate sought as banks triple figures for sour loans

Figures indicating that the nation's banks have more than triple the amount of bad loans than originally thought will help spur Diet debate on using public funds to stabilize the financial system, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said Tuesday.On Monday, the Finance Ministry said independent assessments...
JAPAN
Jan 12, 1998

Banks assess bad loans at 76 trillion yen

The nation's major and regional banks estimate they have accumulated 76.71 trillion yen in potentially sour loans, the Finance Ministry said Monday.The amount, calculated under different standards than those used by the ministry, was about 3.5 times greater than 21.73 trillion yen reported by the ministry...
JAPAN
Dec 31, 1997

DKB suspected of wining, dining in loan coverup

Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank officials wined and dined Finance Ministry officials while the bank was under a ministry investigation in 1994, and they are suspected of prodding the ministry into issuing a favorable report on its bad loans, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 1997

Banks' nonperforming loans hit 28 trillion yen

The total amount of nonperforming loans held by the nation's banks as of the end of September came to 28.08 trillion yen, a 178 billion yen increase over the figure reported at the end of March, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 1997

Serious crimes by minors rising fast

The 1,590 minors arrested for heinous crimes like murder, robbery and arson in the first nine months of this year is more than the total for 1996, police said Oct. 23.The figure for all of last year was 1,496. Robbery cases, including those in the category "oyaji-gari" (which literally means "hunt for...
JAPAN
Oct 13, 1997

New energy proposal dictates 'drastic' changes in lifestyle

As part of its initiative to tackle global warming, the government on Oct. 13 announced a series of energy-conservation measures it says will cause "drastic changes" to people's lifestyles.The proposed measures, however, would only stabilize carbon dioxide emissions at the 1990 levels by 2010 and fall...
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1997

Bank workers' salaries continue to grow

Amid public criticism against high salaries in the protected banking industry, an average banker earned slightly more in fiscal 1996 than the year before, a Tokyo-based research company said Sept. 16.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 1997

Juvenile crime law allows longer terms

In a revision of its policy, the Justice Ministry's Correction Bureau has decided to allow juvenile correctional centers to house juvenile offenders for more than three years, bureau officials said Sept. 8.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 1997

Liberalized APEC trade in environmental goods sought

Japan plans to propose talks on liberalizing trade in environment-related equipment and services within the 18-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, government officials said July 2.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it