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JAPAN
Jul 28, 2000

Improved Pyongyang situation needs new policies

Experts at a Tokyo-based think tank have recently issued a five-point proposal to bring about stability on the Korean Peninsula, calling on the Japanese government to clarify its policies toward North Korea.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2000

NCB sale to Softbank group delayed

The Financial Reconstruction Commission said Wednesday that it will delay for one month the planned sale of the nationalized Nippon Credit Bank to a consortium led by Softbank Corp. due to political pressure over one of the clauses contained in the contract.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2000

Effect of Sogo debacle forces Lawson shares lower on its TSE debut

Major convenience store operator Lawson Inc. made a poor debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, ending the day's trading at 5,520 yen, sharply down from its initial public offering price of 7,200 yen but in line with the recent downward trend on the Tokyo stock market.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2000

MMC apologizes to ministry

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Katsuhiko Kawasoe apologized Wednesday to Transport Minister Hajime Morita for the carmaker's hiding of information on defective automobiles, leading to the recall of 531,869 vehicles produced between December 1991 and last month.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2000

Panel lists IT, environment items for decontrol review

A government commission on Wednesday unveiled a list of 97 items -- focusing mainly on information technology and the environment -- to be reviewed for further deregulation in the current fiscal year.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2000

Green tax eyed to meet Kyoto Protocol

The government is considering an environment tax to help it cut greenhouse gas emissions under a 1997 protocol, according to a draft version of measures that are to form the mainstay of a new basic plan on the environment.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2000

J-pop group to sing in Seoul

Japanese pop duo Chage & Aska will perform live in Seoul on Aug. 26 and 27, the group announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2000

Hiranuma told to oversee revised plan for World Expo

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori instructed Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma on Tuesday to do his utmost so Japan can have its revised plan for the 2005 World Expo in Aichi Prefecture submitted to the Paris-based Bureau of International Expositions in September.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2000

Dollar likely to test upper limit against yen this week: dealers

The U.S. dollar will likely test its upper limit against the yen this week amid lingering doubts over the health of the Japanese economy.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2000

Mori seeking contact with Kim Jong Il

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori indicated his readiness Sunday to have direct contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as Tokyo pursues normalized ties with Pyongyang.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2000

Putin to make Sept. 3-5 Tokyo visit

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an official visit to Japan from Sept. 3 to Sept. 5, Tokyo and Moscow formally agreed Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2000

NGOs eye future cooperation

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — With the official closing of the Group of Eight summit here Sunday, some nongovernmental organizations say they have strengthened their ties and will cooperate in working toward — among other things — resolved conflicts, a healthy environment and human rights.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2000

Summit Mori's career high?

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — Concluding the Group of Eight summit with a smile under the scorching sun, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori may boast he has cleared a key hurdle for his administration — but it is just one hurdle of many.
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2000

Softbank to set up sports site

Softbank Media & Marketing Corp., a media-related business unit of Softbank Corp., announced Friday that it will set up a joint venture with Rivals.com Inc. of the United States to launch a Japanese version of Rivals' sports Web site.
COMMENTARY
Jul 22, 2000

Korean summit: A potential 'win-win' for all

There has been considerable debate since last month's historic North-South Korea summit about the meeting's impact on the peninsula's neighbors and benefactors. The conventional wisdom seems to be that China fared best. However, I would argue that all four major powers have come out ahead and that the...
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2000

Residents of Nago proud to display town's charms

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — Many locals were excited on the eve of the Group of Eight summit here today, expressing hope that the event will attract international attention to what they boast is the most beautiful coastline in Okinawa.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2000

Clinton set to arrive in time for G8 start

Despite delays, U.S. President Bill Clinton is expected to arrive today in time for the beginning of the Group of Eight summit in Okinawa, and will bring to the table such issues as debt relief and bridging the digital divide, U.S. government sources said.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2000

Greenpeace calls for action on forests

Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday urged the Group of Eight countries to stop subsidizing "destruction of the last ancient forests" within two years.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2000

Nigeria leader frustrated at G8 inaction on debt

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed frustration Thursday over the lack of concrete action by the Group of Eight major nations to cancel the debts of developing countries.
COMMENTARY
Jul 21, 2000

Spotlight shines on Okinawa

A three-day Group of Eight summit opens today in Okinawa, an unusual location for such a conference. Okinawa was the last major battlefield in the Pacific War, where Japanese Imperial soldiers fought the onslaught of U.S. military forces. During the fierce fighting, an estimated 100,000 Okinawan civilians...
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2000

BOJ report confirms recovery, albeit weak

The Bank of Japan released a monthly report Wednesday in which it upgraded its assessment of the economy by confirming a recovery -- albeit gradual -- and suggested that conditions do not yet merit a rise in interest rates.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2000

USTR welcomes NTT cuts, hopes more are on the way

U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky on Wednesday hailed the Tokyo-Washington agreement on the reduction of NTT Corp.'s interconnection charges and expressed hope for further rate cuts over the next three years.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2000

Japan-EU summit concludes with pledges of cooperation

Japan and the European Union concluded their annual summit on Wednesday morning, issuing a joint statement covering their common objectives in a wide range of areas.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2000

Balancing act for G8 leaders in a land apart

Four years ago, in July 1996, I suggested in an opinion piece for the Sankei Shimbun that the Group of Eight summit in 2000 be held in Okinawa.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2000

My thoughts toward Okinawa as host

MASAHIDE OTA Former governor of Okinawa Prefecture

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