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JAPAN
Jul 23, 1997

Novel mirrors reality of 'sokaiya' scandals

The scandal that has rocked the nation's leading financial firms goes beyond what novelists could ever have imagined, says writer Ryo Takasugi, whose recent novel offers a glimpse into the moral decay of Japanese bankers.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1997

Electricity panel wary of jumping into competition

A government advisory panel commissioned to work out measures for reducing electricity costs held its first meeting July 22, but cautious voices prevailed concerning moves to introduce further competition.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 1997

Regional banks urged to gird for 'Big Bang'

The nation's second-tier regional banks need to make greater efforts to dispose of their nonperforming loans and prepare for the upcoming "Big Bang" financial deregulation, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said July 17.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 1997

Thai minister's visit to test Japan's loyalty to Asia

This week's visit by Thailand's finance minister, following his government's decision to unfetter its baht from a dollar-dominated basket of currencies, could prove to be a test of Japan's commitment to securing stability in Asian financial markets.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 1997

Nomura facing stiff punishment

The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission on July 15 issued a recommendation to the finance minister to take punitive action against Nomura Securities Co. and four former Nomura executives for making illegal paybacks to a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 1997

Tokyo may consult IMF on Thai baht turmoil

If necessary, Japan will hold discussions with the International Monetary Fund over how to deal with the recent instability of the Thai baht, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said July 15.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 1997

Ford to produce its cars in Japan next century

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Motor Co. will start producing its own vehicles at a Mazda Motor Corp. plant in Japan early in the next century, Wayne Booker, Ford vice chairman, said July 14.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 1997

Kansai groups to make more decentralization efforts

OSAKA -- Amid growing calls that there are too many economic organizations, the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren) announced July 14 that it will step up cooperation with the Kansai Committee for Economic Development (Kansai Keizai Doyukai) in the area of decentralizing government functions.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

Japan submits financial liberalization plan to WTO

Japan was to submit to a World Trade Organization committee in Geneva on July 11 its package of initial offers to liberalize financial services, including steps for greater deregulation in the areas of insurance and foreign exchange control.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

Ministerial conference to combat 'sokaiya' planned

Government ministers will soon hold a conference to discuss problems related to "sokaiya" corporate extortionists as the reverberations of payoff scandals involving leading financial institutions continue to shake Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said July 11.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 1997

Netanyahu to visit Japan with economic agenda

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a four-day visit to Japan beginning Aug. 24 in an attempt to further economic relations, diplomatic sources said July 9.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 1997

Restaurateur in bubble-era bank fraud faces 15 years

OSAKA -- Prosecutors demanded a 15-year prison term July 7 for a female restaurateur over 274 billion yen in business crimes involving the now-defunct Toyo Shinkin Bank and other financial institutions during the bubble economy of the early 1990s.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 1997

Chugoku Focus: Islanders, firms lament costly Seto bridge

KOJIMA, Okayama Pref. -- At 8 a.m. every weekday, several high school students await their trains here at JR Kojima Station for an unusual trip -- a 20-km commute across the Seto Onland Sea to their school in Shikoku.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 1997

Japan to join EU action against Massachusetts law

Japan will join the European Union as early as next week in filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization about a Massachusetts law that denies state contracts to companies doing business in Myanmar, government sources said July 4.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 1997

The Tokyo Elections: SDP seeks help; communists face LDP

The Social Democratic Party is in trouble. All but four of its members in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly have deserted the party, and those who have stayed are facing an uphill battle.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 1997

1996 surplus reaches 437.4 billion yen

A total surplus of 437.4 billion yen was recorded after the government settled its general account for fiscal 1996, which ended in March, the Finance Ministry announced July 2.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 1997

Panel wants Lima lessons put to use

Japan must not forget the lessons from the hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima and must uphold the principle of not yielding to terrorism, according to a report released July 1 by a Tokyo-based think tank.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

Corporate Governance: Take charge from within

A more balanced internal structure and chain of responsibility are the key to stemming the rash of corporate misconduct plaguing the country's major firms, according to Takanori Matsuura, an expert in Japanese corporate culture.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

NTT applies to set up international service subsidiary

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. applied June 24 to the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry to establish a subsidiary to enter the international telecommunications business, the company said.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Corporate Governance: Ethics charter just a start

There are ways to prevent corporate scandals, and the key to prevention is the attitude of corporate executives, according to an executive at Japan's largest economic organization.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 1997

Bangladeshi prime minister to visit

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit Japan from July 1 to 6 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of bilateral ties, Foreign Ministry officials said June 23.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 1997

Knife-wielding man assaults subway commuters

A man claiming to be a mobster under the influence of stimulants was arrested June 20 after pulling a knife and randomly assaulting commuters at a subway station in Tokyo's business district.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 1997

Next ANA chief wants stability after upper-level turmoil

Harmony and cooperation are his motto, says Kichisaburo Nomura, the president-designate of All Nippon Airways Co., which has been recently rocked by turmoil in top management over personnel matters.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 1997

Panel says ODA should better serve Japan's interests

Japan's national interests -- including business opportunities for Japanese companies -- should be taken into greater consideration when official development assistance is extended to a nation, a government panel said in a report released June 18.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 1997

Self-styled rice seller defends sake sales

A 61-year-old rice retailer claimed in court June 16 that his sales of "doburoku" unrefined sake are not in violation of the Liquor Tax Law, which bans the unlicensed production of alcoholic drinks.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 1997

Transport sets profit goal for Japan Freight

A Transport Ministry study group is urging Japan Freight Railway Co. to further improve its management so it can meet conditions for public listing in five years.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Posts ministry fights panel's privatization plan

The Posts and Telecommunications Ministry repeatedly stressed the need June 11 to keep postal, postal savings and insurance services in the hands of the state, saying that privatization would strip rural, unprofitable areas of their basic postal services.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 1997

Keidanren suspends DKB, Nomura over 'sokaiya' outlays

The Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) will suspend Nomura Securities Co. and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank from participation in its activities for a year due to their recent involvement in dubious activities, the federation's chairman, Shoichiro Toyoda, said June 9.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 1997

Life insurers raise dividends after seven-year hiatus

The nation's top eight insurance firms were able to boost their dividends to policyholders for the first time in seven years due to progress in writing off nonperforming loans and reducing operating costs, earnings reports released June 9 showed.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 1997

Russia, Japan agree to strengthen trade ties

Japan and Russia agreed to reinvigorate bilateral trade and economic ties by focusing on the Russian Far East, a place where the two countries can best benefit each other, government officials said June 9.

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