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JAPAN
Apr 7, 1997

Dollar rises to 125 yen to hit four-year high

The dollar soared against the yen in Tokyo on April 7, briefly hitting 125 yen for the first time since February 1993 amid growing expectations of higher interest returns on U.S. securities.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 1997

Overseas aid tumbles 35% in 1996 to $9.58 billion

Japan's official development assistance in 1996 plunged by 35 percent from the previous year to $9.58 billion, marking the first decline in dollar terms in seven years, the Foreign Ministry said in a preliminary report released April 7.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 1997

Move of capital has municipalities turning big believers

TOKI, Gifu Pref -- One of the small rural towns at the foot of rich, green mountains here in the Tono region could become Japan's new capital in 2010.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

Upper House asks Tomobe to resign

The House of Councilors adopted a resolution Apr. 4 calling on chamber member Tatsuo Tomobe to resign in connection with his indictment for fraud.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 1997

Sato to take up supercomputers

Trade chief Shinji Sato said Apr. 4 that he will take up the issue of the U.S. government procurement of supercomputers when he visits the United States later this month.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Japan has signaled change but must follow through fully

The government's deregulation package, though far from satisfactory in scale and content, enshrines some important steps signaling greater reform in the future, according to Ushio Chujo, a professor of public economics at Keio University.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 1997

Politicians' 11 million yen junket attracts criticism

Nine Osaka Prefectural Assembly members, including chairman Yoshio Matsui, are on an overseas junket to promote Osaka's 2008 Olympic bid and to study administrative reform, despite opposition from fellow assembly members and a local citizens' group.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Japan asked to help feed N. Korea

The head of the U.N. World Food Program on Apr. 1 called on Japan to provide food assistance to North Korea, Foreign Ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Orix chief urges government to 'climb the next mountain'

The nation's move toward deregulation is at a turning point and the government must continue easing regulations to "climb the next mountain," says the deputy chairman of an Administrative Reform Committee branch.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

3,000 rally against revision of Okinawa land lease law

About 3,000 unionists rallied late Apr. 2 in Tokyo to protest a planned legal revision that would enable the government to continue the forced use of land in Okinawa Prefecture for U.S. military installations after the land lease contracts expire in May.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

WTO panel to hear Japan-U.S. photo trade row

A dispute-settlement panel of the World Trade Organization will begin discussions this month on the trade row between Tokyo and Washington over Japan's photographic film and paper market, Japanese government officials said Apr. 2.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1997

Kajiyama speech hints at stiffer base land law

Tough new legislation could be introduced in the future to help the central government override opposition from landowners and local governments when leases for property within U.S. bases expire, the government's top spokesman hinted Apr. 2.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

Lloyd's Japan plans to ride 'Big Bang' into new market

Lloyd's of London will use the current wave of financial deregulation as a tail wind to expand business in Japan through its new Japanese unit, according to Lloyd's Japan Inc. President Kunihiko Sasamoto.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

4,590 taxis across Japan revise initial fares

As a result of deregulation, 88 taxi companies in Tokyo, Chiba, Okayama, Hiroshima and Tokushima on Apr. 1 reduced their minimum fares to between 330 yen and 410 yen for the first kilometer.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

Citizens opposed to revising Okinawa base law

Two citizens' groups issued separate statements in Tokyo on Apr. 1 calling on the government not to seek a legal revision that would enable the government to continue the forced use of land in Okinawa Prefecture for the U.S. military after land lease contracts expire in May.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1997

1.2 million graduates enter labor force

An estimated 1.2 million graduates joined Japan's workforce Apr. 1 as businesses across the country held welcoming ceremonies for new recruits on the first day of fiscal 1997.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Ikeda to inform China of resumed grant-in-aid

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda leaves Mar. 29 for China for a two-day visit, during which he will tell Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other leaders of the decision to resume grant-in-aid to China.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 1997

Japan, U.S. set new harbor talks

In a final effort to avoid threatened U.S. sanctions against Japanese ships, Japan and the U.S. will hold talks on Japanese port practices on Mar. 26 in Washington, the Transport Ministry said Mar. 28.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 1997

Osaka to open posts to foreigners

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka will permit foreign residents with permanent residency to take municipal employment examinations for many city jobs slated for this summer, Osaka Mayor Takafumi Isomura said Mar. 26.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 1997

Asian editors to meet in Tokyo

As part of its 100th anniversary, The Japan Times, together with the Japan Foundation, will present an Asian English-Language Newspaper Editors' Conference in Tokyo on April 23. The focus will be on the newspapers' roles to report about Asia from Asian viewpoints and to promote understanding of Asia...
JAPAN
Mar 26, 1997

Shop owner opens 'kimchi museum'

In the hope of fostering a better understanding of Korean food culture in Japan, the owner of a Korean restaurant in Tokyo has set up a makeshift museum in his kitchen's first-floor food shop, with the popular ethnic dish kimchi, assorted pickled vegetables with hot chili sauce, as the main theme of...
JAPAN
Mar 26, 1997

Outdoor 'camp' helps workers fight postbubble frustration

When asked to draw a symbol of their company, participants in Anthony Willoughby's courses often draw pictures of sinking ships and burning buildings. "We've even gotten some fire-breathing dragons," Willoughby added.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

Talking about paper industry useless, Sato says

It is no use discussing with the United States new measures for paper trade, Japan's trade chief, Shinji Sato, said Mar. 25.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

District Court orders Osaka to name those wined, dined

OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court ruled Mar. 25 in favor of a citizens' group seeking greater transparency in administrative spending, ordering the Osaka Municipal Government to disclose the names of those who were wined and dined by the city with taxpayers' money.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 1997

New group to fight wartime revisionism

In an attempt to counter moves to "denounce descriptions of Japan's wartime misconduct in history textbooks," 26 intellectuals set up a group Mar. 25 to protect freedom of expression and ensure accurate history is disseminated.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1997

Economy seen tying third-longest postwar boom

It may be hard to believe, but the nation's current economic expansion has probably lasted about 41 months and will next month match Japan's third-longest postwar boom.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

China WTO talks near final stage, Ruggiero says

Negotiation on China's accession to the World Trade Organization is now approaching its final stage, Renato Ruggiero, director general of the WTO, said Mar. 21 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Ainu bill approved but void of legal rights

The government on Mar. 21 officially approved a bill to create a new law on the Ainu people of Hokkaido, but failed to grant them special rights as an indigenous group.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Japan-U.S. aviation talks set to start

Japan and the United States will hold a three-day preparatory meeting on bilateral aviation issues starting April 9 in Honolulu, Transport Ministry officials said Mar. 21.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Expert dismayed at Orcas' condition

Dr. Paul Spong, a Canadian specialist on killer whales, expressed concern and dismay about the condition of five whales captured in Wakayama Prefecture last month.

Longform

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The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo