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JAPAN
May 21, 1997

Tokyu laying track to ease crowded trains

Construction is now in full swing to ease one of the most notorious problems in Tokyo -- overcrowded trains during rush hour.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Pair accused of taking murder victim's money

OSAKA -- A former official of a defunct Osaka credit cooperative and another man were arrested May 20 for allegedly withdrawing about 74 million yen from the account of a moneylender who was stabbed to death in late March 1996.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Toyota chief content with yen's current rate

The yen's recent surge against the dollar is still in the acceptable range, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp. said May 20.
JAPAN
May 20, 1997

Dollar tumbles to 111.98 yen

With the downtrend gathering momentum in Tokyo, the dollar touched the 111 yen level momentarily late May 20 for the first time since Dec. 6, 1996, on a rush of selling by exporters and institutional investors.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Ministry's global warming Web site to debut

The Foreign Ministry will launch an English-language Web site May 20 on global warming.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Japan to propose environmental conference at G-7

In a fresh initiative aimed at demonstrating Japan's resolve to help preserve the environment, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will propose to host an international conference addressing water problems in developing countries possibly by autumn, government sources said May 19.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Hospitals face action for padding medical staff

OSAKA -- The Osaka Prefectural Government will file a criminal complaint against three Yasuda Hospital group hospitals here that allegedly padded reports on the number of its doctors and nurses, it was learned here May 19.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Informed consent said paramount in transplant issue

The practice of informed consent under a patients' rights law should be promoted before allowing organ transplants from brain-dead donors, a leading Canadian researcher of medical anthropology said.
JAPAN
May 19, 1997

Japan NGOs aid Balkan refugee effort

A consortium of Japanese nongovernmental organizations is supporting the efforts of more than 180 professional aid coordinators working together in the former Yugoslavia, despite their different ethnic backgrounds, to ameliorate the ongoing refugee problems in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia,...
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

LDP backs basic plan on expenditure limits

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party endorsed a basic outline May 16 for capping government spending to help the nation regain its fiscal health, but left many specific numerical targets up to the prime minister's Fiscal Structure Reform Council.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Forex decontrols kick off 'Big Bang'

The Diet enacted a law May 16 that ends the monopoly of banks in the foreign exchange business, allowing other companies and individuals to freely sell and buy foreign currencies and initiating the first of the "Big Bang" reforms.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

U.S. to charge for airspace use

As a part of U.S. fiscal reform and to obtain new financial sources for its aviation services, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will begin charging foreign commercial aircraft that use U.S. airspace starting May 19. But the U.S. move has triggered opposition from many international airlines,...
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Wartime sex slave recounts experiences for the court

A Filipino woman allegedly forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers during World War II sang a Japanese song in a hearing May 16 on her damages suit at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Emperor to visit Brazil, Argentina

The Emperor and Empress told the press they would like to deepen Japan's understanding of Brazil and Argentina on May 16, two weeks before embarking on an official visit to the two countries May 30.
JAPAN
May 16, 1997

Tokyo to launch foreigners' council

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government formally adopted a set of policy guidelines May 16 to launch a local council of foreign residents to reflect their opinions in administrative policies concerning the foreign community in the capital.
JAPAN
May 15, 1997

LDP won't endorse bill for separate surnames

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will not join its allies in compiling a controversial bill to allow spouses to have different surnames, amid lingering opposition within the party, LDP officials confirmed May 15.
JAPAN
May 14, 1997

Concerns over safety of nuclear power increasing

PRAGUE -- Nuclear plant safety was, as always, a major issue for atomic power operators from around the world who gathered here May 12 and May 13. Discussions took place amid growing public disquiet about the use and safety of nuclear power despite growing electricity demands in developing countries....
JAPAN
May 14, 1997

Ministries state opposition to reform

The foreign, finance and health and welfare ministries all reacted cautiously May 14 to proposed organizational changes necessary to realize Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's pledge of slimming down the government.
JAPAN
May 14, 1997

Osaka hospital sued over suspicious death

OSAKA -- Sisters of a female patient who died under suspicious circumstances at Osaka Ensei Hospital in Higashi Sumiyoshi Ward here filed a lawsuit May 14 with the Osaka District Court against the hospital's medical corporation, seeking 11 million yen in damages.
JAPAN
May 13, 1997

Powerful quake rocks southern Kyushu, injures 27

KAGOSHIMA -- A powerful earthquake rocked Kyushu late May 13, injuring 27 people, officials said.
JAPAN
May 13, 1997

Majority of Okinawa landlords content living with bases

IE-JIMA, Okinawa Pref. -- In the northwest corner of this 22-sq.-km coral island lies the U.S. Ie-Jima Auxiliary Airfield, where Marine Corps units from mainland Okinawa hold drills using Harrier vertical takeoff and landing jets around the clock.
JAPAN
May 13, 1997

Private earthquake aid still lacks accounting

KOBE -- Neither the Japan Red Cross nor a local distribution committee has any accounting of what happened to donations sent by individuals and groups of Americans to help survivors of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
JAPAN
May 13, 1997

Pyongyang's ADB bid to get due consideration, bank chief says

FUKUOKA -- North Korea's bid to gain membership in the Asian Development Bank will not be affected by other ongoing diplomatic negotiations concerning the country, ADB President Mitsuo Sato said May 13.
JAPAN
May 12, 1997

Business Show '97 opens today at Big Sight

Business Show '97 Tokyo will open May 13 at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, featuring many exhibitions on intranet and Internet networking, according to the organizing groups.
JAPAN
May 12, 1997

Earthquake in Tohoku interrupts trains

A strong earthquake measuring 4 on the Japanese seismic scale to 7 jolted a wide area of northeastern Japan on early May 12, interrupting railway and expressway services. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
JAPAN
May 12, 1997

SDF may be used for war on terrorism

Relaxing legal restraints on the Self-Defense Forces may be necessary to enable the government to better combat terrorism overseas, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama said May 12.
JAPAN
May 12, 1997

Callback services draw telecom giants' ire

Callback services, though introduced in Japan almost five years ago, continue to thrive under a certain veil of mystery.
JAPAN
May 9, 1997

Osaka holds municipal job seminar for non-Japanese

OSAKA -- A preparatory course for non-Japanese residents hoping to take the city's employment exams started here May 9 after the Osaka Municipal Government recently lifted the nationality clause in its employment rules.
JAPAN
May 8, 1997

Religious group Ho-no-Hana failed to report income

A controversial religious group in Shizuoka Prefecture has failed to report some 4.7 billion yen in income, tax officials said May 8.
JAPAN
May 8, 1997

Making sense of the tax mystery for foreigners

Japan's tax system appears to be one of the most difficult concepts for foreigners to understand. It would come as no surprise if a foreigner working in the country -- in particular someone employed without a proper visa -- knew little or nothing about income tax returns.

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