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JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Hayashi admits to subway gas attack

Former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Yasuo Hayashi admitted in court June 26 that he released nerve gas in a Tokyo subway car in March 1995, saying he could not refuse orders he believed were issued by cult founder Shoko Asahara.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 1997

Consultant offers tips on narrowing cultural gap

To achieve cross-cultural understanding, people living in a foreign land should first become fully aware of the cultural differences they face, then learn to respect them and finally attempt to reconcile the differences using their own culture's framework.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1997

NPA chief says foreigners, terrorism wrecking public safety

The head of the National Police Agency said June 24 that Japanese are becoming increasingly fearful for their safety due to a series of recent terrorist acts here and abroad, as well as an increasing number of crimes committed by foreigners living in Japan.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Court rules firm can withhold toxic water leak data

The Tokyo High Court reversed on June 24 a 1995 lower court decision ordering a public entity to publish data on the possible leakage of polluted water from a waste dumping site in Hinode, western Tokyo
JAPAN
Jun 24, 1997

Film fans bid farewell to Shintaro Katsu

Hundreds bid a final farewell June 24 to actor Shintaro Katsu, star of the "Blind Swordsman" film series, at Tsukiji Honganji Temple in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, where his funeral service was held. Katsu died of cancer June 21 at the age of 65.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 1997

Latin American center opens in Kyushu

FUKUOKA -- Tiempo Iberoamericano, Kyushu's first Latin American cultural center, opened here recently in response to the growing needs of the Latin American community and the increasing interest of Japanese.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 1997

Father tells police his son killed friend

The body of a slain 19-year-old youth was found June 18 beside the Tama River in western Tokyo after a man called police to say his son and some friends had killed another of their friends, officials said.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 1997

Organ donors' rights become key issue

Now that the Diet has passed a legislator-proposed bill to allow organ transplants from brain-dead donors, some patients may have a chance in the near future to receive organs in this country. The new law ends a 30-year self-imposed ban on such transplants by the medical profession.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 1997

Analysis: Health system reform falls short

With the Diet's approval of a revision to the Health Insurance Law, many observers are frustrated with the less-than-anticipated results of well over half a year of heated and repeated discussions.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 1997

Upper House passes bill to double medical fees

A much-debated bill that will more than double medical costs for the public from Sept. 1 cleared the Upper House on June 13, supported by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party and New Party Sakigake.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Ambassadors issue call to ban land mines

Japan should join with the 100-plus nations that have agreed to back a Canadian initiative to ban antipersonnel land mines, the ambassadors to Tokyo from Canada, Belgium, Austria, Norway and the Philippines said in a joint news conference June 12.
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 10, 1997

Language teachers' union testifies before Tokyo labor panel

The Labor Commission of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government held a hearing June 10 on complaints from a labor union representing foreign-language instructors working for Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
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

Medical bills about to double

A bill to revise the Medical Insurance Law is now expected to be enacted within the current Diet session because top officials of the House of Councilors agreed June 9 to quickly put the measure to a vote.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 1997

Aoki praises Japan's handling of hostage crisis

The Japanese government's commitment to peacefully resolving the Lima hostage crisis probably saved many hostages' lives during the daring rescue mission, former Ambassador Morihisa Aoki said in an interview June 6.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Scientist recounts sarin deaths

The people who were killed in the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack were poisoned by high-density sarin, a National Police Agency scientist reiterated June 5 in the trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Nonprofit groups step closer to corporate status

A bill giving corporate status to volunteer and other citizens groups and recognizing them as official nonprofit organizations is expected to clear the Lower House Committee on the Cabinet June 5.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Postal ministry pounds privatization plan

The Posts and Telecommunications Ministry, as expected, came out June 4 against the idea of privatizing postal services , postal deposits and insurance in its response to the government's blue-ribbon panel on administrative reform.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

War memorial will not replace earthquake hall

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials on June 2 withdrew plans to raze the major part of an earthquake memorial hall in Sumida Ward that architects praise as a historic structure, after receiving harsh protests from experts and the media over efforts to build a war memorial hall.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Scandals cast doubt abroad that 'Big Bang' will work

Amid the scandals involving the nation's major financial institutions, questions are being raised overseas about whether the "Big Bang" financial reforms can bring true changes, Kumiharu Shidehara, deputy secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said June 2.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Birch sap sourced for touted health tonic

NAGANO -- A business entity jointly set up by agricultural cooperatives of Nagano Prefecture has recently developed a drink that will satisfy even the most health-conscious people -- 100 percent natural white birch sap juice.
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

Former Nomura president arrested

Hideo Sakamaki, a former president of Nomura Securities Co., was arrested by Tokyo prosecutors on May 30 on suspicion of approving illegal payoffs to a "sokaiya" corporate racketeer. Sakamaki, 61, is suspected of having conspired with former managing directors Shimpei Matsuki and Nobutaka Fujikura, and...
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

Funeral held for slain Kobe boy

KOBE -- More than 500 people, including elementary school children, attended a funeral May 30 to bid farewell to Jun Hase, an 11-year-old boy slain in bizarre circumstances, whose severed head and body were found earlier this week. The memorial service started at 1:30 p.m. at the Heian Kaikan hall in...
JAPAN
May 29, 1997

Kin battle for rights for North Korea emigres

Relatives of Japanese and Koreans, who emigrated to North Korea but have never been allowed to return to Japan, on May 29 called for public support in Tokyo for the rights of their kin.
JAPAN
May 29, 1997

Hospitals free to inflate charges for uninsured patients

A 54-year-old Filipino woman living in Inage, Chiba Prefecture, was taken ill in April and had to use an ambulance to go to a hospital in the city of Chiba. She was suffering from acute appendicitis and needed immediate surgery.
JAPAN
May 28, 1997

Soccer lottery bill rolls past Lower House

A soccer lottery bill cleared the House of Representatives on May 27, bringing the government one step closer to enacting a controversial method to obtain public funds for sports programs.
JAPAN
May 28, 1997

Quadriplegic sues BMW over air bag accident

OSAKA -- A 66-year-old man who was paralyzed in a car accident filed a lawsuit May 27 against the company that imported the vehicle and the dealer he bought it from, claiming he was severely injured because the air bag failed to deploy.
JAPAN
May 26, 1997

Remains of 2,508 dead laid to rest at war memorial

The remains of 2,508 people who died abroad during World War II were laid to rest at Tokyo's Chidorigafuchi war memorial May 26 in a government-sponsored ceremony.
JAPAN
May 23, 1997

McGill University to offer MBA program

In association with Sophia University, a Canadian university will launch the first foreign graduate degree program in Japan in July of next year, officials announced May 23.

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?