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JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

NOVA to refund 3.8 million yen to students

NOVA, a major language-school chain, will refund a total of 3.8 million yen to 18 students who were unable to use lesson tickets they had purchased, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government committee said June 12.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 1997

Investment may rise 3.2% in '97, MITI says

Corporate investment during fiscal 1997 is expected to increase 3.2 percent from the previous year, reflecting the ongoing moderate economic recovery and improvement in corporate profits, according to a report released June 12 by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Author holds book-signing despite bomb threats

A South Korean author who lived in Japan held a book-signing June 11 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, after it had previously been canceled due to a bomb threat.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

Rescued sailor resumes quest to save killer whales

Disappointed, but relieved -- that is how Michael Reppy characterizes his state of mind. Disappointed because his bid for a single-handed trans-Pacific sailing record fell short, but relieved to have survived and be in Japan working to free five killer whales captured last February.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 1997

German petition supports compensation for 'comfort women'

A representative from the German World Day of Prayer Committee presented 66,510 German signatures to the Prime Minister's Office on June 11 urging the government to pay individual reparations to former "comfort women."
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Nike 'doing it' well in Japan

When sporting goods giant Nike, Inc. opened its Niketown superstore in New York last November, the company anticipated that about 100 journalists would attend the opening day ceremonies.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Bio-toilets flush with eco-pride

Although it is not an act many people spend an exorbitant amount of time contemplating, flushing the toilet relegates about 8 to 13 liters of water to the sewer, a septic tank or some equally unappealing place.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

JOC inspectors check out Osaka's prospects

Nine members of the Japan Olympic Committee arrived in Osaka on June 10 for a two-day inspection tour of athletic venues and other sites at which the city hopes to hold the 2008 Summer Olympics.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Homeless undercut kiosks with used magazines

Some homeless people around JR Shinjuku Station run a thriving business selling discarded magazines at discount prices, but kiosks are complaining that their "illegal" rivals are damaging their sales.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 1997

Teen-ager held in fatal stabbing of schoolmate

OSAKA -- A 16-year-old high school boy was fatally stabbed June 9 morning at a train station in Osaka Prefecture and police have arrested a fellow student of the same age on suspicion of homicide.
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.
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

Nomura ex-chief denies knowledge of 'sokaiya' payoffs

Yoshihisa Tabuchi, former president of Nomura Securities Co., maintained June 5 in unsworn Diet testimony that he had nothing to do with the alleged illegal payoffs by the nation's largest brokerage to a "sokaiya" corporate extortionist.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 1997

Japan to go to bat for environment at G-7 summit

Japan is ready to step to the plate at the upcoming G-7 meeting in Denver as the environment's cleanup hitter. Then again, it might not even take its bat off its shoulder.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 1997

Perishing Isahaya marine life looks to court for salvation

ISAHAYA, Nagasaki Pref. -- As authorities stand idle and let the entire ecosystem on this tideland perish by the day, marine creatures on the brink of extinction are fighting back against the human race -- in court.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 1997

DKB chief admits 'sokaiya' had influence

Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank President Katsuhiko Kondo admitted June 5 that DKB executives had maintained cozy relations with a late powerful "sokaiya" leader, and that the man even influenced personnel matters at the major commercial bank.
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

Kobe killer's note said similar to 'Zodiac'

KOBE -- A message written on a note found stuffed in the mouth of 11-year-old Jun Hase's severed head last week bears a resemblance to those written by the "Zodiac" killer, who terrorized the San Francisco area in the late 1960s, investigative sources said June 4.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Reclamation claims Isahaya ecosystem

ISAHAYA, Nagasaki Pref. -- As far as the eye can see, cracks running through dried soil have taken over what was a resource-rich wetland only 50 days ago.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Health ministry to research dangers of dioxin

The Health and Welfare Ministry has decided to research the effects on humans of dioxin and other toxic chemicals ingested over long periods from air and food, sources close to the ministry said June 4.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Indian ambassador proud of reform successes

India's economic reforms launched six years ago have made smooth progress and are producing satisfactory results despite a few changes of government in the past year, new Indian Ambassador Siddharth Singh said June 4.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Japan to push for China WTO entry at Denver

Japan will promote the accession of China to the World Trade Organization at the upcoming annual meeting of the world's top leaders in Denver, said Kazuo Ogura, deputy minister for foreign affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

High taxi fares blamed on drivers' wages

Taxi fares in Japan are about twice as high as those in other industrialized countries due to drivers' high wages, the Transport Ministry said in a survey report June 4.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 1997

Nomura director Fujikura to be indicted today

Tokyo prosecutors June 4 will charge Nobutaka Fujikura, 54, former Nomura Securities Co. director, with violating the Commercial Code and Securities Transaction Law violation, and will indict "sokaiya" corporate extortionist Ryuichi Koike within days, sources close to the authorities said June 3.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 1997

Outdoor gear: love of nature or fashion craze?

Outdoor products originally designed for taking on a trip to the wilderness have become a common sight in the big city. During the past few years, the fashion-driven young -- clad in colorful outdoor jackets and sporting brand-name day-packs and hiking boots -- have given the concrete jungle a new look....
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Shizuoka sports fans fall for 'futsal' fever

TENRYU, Shizuoka Pref. -- When Mario Yasumitsu, a second-generation Japanese-Brazilian, moved to Japan from Latin America, he packed the daily necessities and one "futsal" ball.
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

Neon sign may steal Olympic Games' spotlight

NAGANO -- An ordinary neon sign here has been advertising a Japanese restaurant for the past 10 years without attracting any particular attention.
JAPAN
May 30, 1997

JAL posts huge losses on weaker yen

Japan Airlines posted a pretax loss of 16.97 billion yen in the year that ended March 31 due to increased fuel costs and a weaker yen, the firm announced May 30. The airline also reported a net loss of 9.2 billion yen. Although its total sales grew by about 80 billion yen, or 7.1 percent, to 1.2 trillion...

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo