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JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Search continues for 10 fishermen

NAGASAKI -- Maritime Safety Agency officials said on Jan. 15 that they have found no sign of 10 people who are missing from a Japanese fishing boat that capsized after colliding with a Panamanian-registered freighter Jan. 13 off South Korea's Cheju Island.The MSA dispatched cruisers and helicopters...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Tough times continue in Kobe

KOBE -- Two years after the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit this port city on Jan. 17, 1995, Kengo Tanaka has depleted his savings as well as the 3.5 million yen he borrowed from the national government's relief fund."I cannot foresee my future," said Tanaka, 52, who lives with his 75-year-old mother and...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 1997

Veterinarian puts experience to work helping waterfowl

FUKUI -- While oil from a ruptured Russian tanker continues to wreak havoc along much of the picturesque Sea of Japan coastline here and in adjoining prefectures, emergency crews are tending to the growing number of victims with oil-soaked feathers.Kunitoshi Baba, 48, is one of the veteran veterinarians...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

Oil in tanker's bow to be extracted

The government will begin removing the remaining oil in the bow section of a wrecked Russian tanker as soon as possible, Transport Minister Makoto Koga said Jan. 14. The government, in its second meeting to deal with the spill from the Russian tanker Nakhodka, which sank northeast of the Oki Islands...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

Mongolian prime minister to visit

Mongolian Prime Minister Mendsaikhani Enkhsaikhan will in late February make his first visit to Tokyo since he took office following last June's landmark election in which his opposition coalition ousted the former Communists from power, Japanese government officials said Jan. 14.Speaking on condition...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

Israeli envoy looking to boost trade

Israel Ambassador Moshe Ben-Yaacov said Jan. 14 that economic relations between Japan and his country are growing quickly, thanks to improved peace prospects in the Middle East.Bilateral trade has reached $2.2 billion, and increasing numbers of cars and other Japanese products are flowing into Israel,...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 1997

1.82 million people come of age

A total of 1.82 million people turned 20 during the one-year period ending Jan. 15, the Management and Coordination Agency said Jan. 14, the eve of the national holiday Coming of Age Day.The number of new adults decreased 60,000 from last year, accounting for 1.4 percent in the total population, the...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1997

Big comet expected to put on a show

A comet 100 times brighter than Halley's comet is approaching Earth.At present, the Hale-Bopp comet cannot be seen in the sky over Japan because it is below the horizon, but it will be visible here in the last half of this month. But in April, the comet will make its closest approach to the Sun and...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1997

Use of antisubversive law facing uncertainty

The Public Security Commission will probably not outlaw Aum Shinrikyo under the Antisubversive Activities Law despite a request from the Justice Ministry's Public Security Investigation Agency, sources close to the commission said Jan. 13. About half of the commission members reportedly oppose applying...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1997

Astronaut kicks off earthquake symposium in Tokyo

With the second anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake approaching, an international earthquake symposium in Tokyo got under way Jan. 13 attended by several quake experts and volunteers.Apollo 13 skipper James A. Lovell Jr. opened the meeting with a speech that stressed the importance of leadership,...
JAPAN
Jan 10, 1997

Market meltdown feared as Nikkei tumbles to 17,303.65

Tokyo stock prices collapsed under renewed selloffs Jan. 10, with the Nikkei average plunging below the psychological 18,000 threshold for the first time in 14 months, raising concerns of a market meltdown.The Nikkei average of 225 selected issues ended at 17,303.65, down 770.22 points from Jan. 9....
JAPAN
Jan 10, 1997

Oil cleanup chemicals also pose ecological dangers

Chemicals used in the cleanup of fuel oil leaking from a wrecked Russian tanker in the Sea of Japan are not a panacea, and overuse will destroy the region's ecosystem, experts say.According to the Maritime Safety Agency, the government authorizes two types of chemicals to combat sea pollution. A chemical...
JAPAN
Jan 10, 1997

First day of civil aviation talks ends nowhere

Japan and the U.S. made no progress Jan. 10 in their first day of civil aviation talks, spending the session strongly rejecting each other's proposals, according to Transport Ministry officials. The discussions will continue Jan. 11.Saying it is unlikely that either side will agree to the current proposals...
JAPAN
Jan 10, 1997

Firms, universities end recruiting agreement

Company and university representatives agreed Jan. 10 to abolish their 10-year-old agreement that restricts the recruiting of prospective March graduates before a specified date each year.Instead, companies and universities will separately create a voluntary guideline and each will respect the guideline...
JAPAN
Jan 10, 1997

Oil spill threatening nuclear power plants

A large oil spill from a wrecked Russian tanker is approaching Wakasa Bay, along which a number of nuclear power plants are located, the Maritime Safety Agency announced Jan. 10.Seawater is used in the plants to cool the steam from the power-generating turbines and the slick could force the nuclear...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

Moscow offers help as oil spreads

Oil from a wrecked Russian tanker has spread to shorelines in five prefectures along the Sea of Japan coast and may be heading east beyond the Noto Peninsula to Toyama Prefecture, the Maritime Safety Agency said Jan. 9.The Russian government meanwhile offered to cooperate with Japan in collecting the...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

Town's energy need blows in the wind

TACHIKAWA, Yamagata Pref. -- On a cloudy winter afternoon, a cold, fierce wind blowing from the Sea of Japan relentlessly turns three large windmills on a hill. Inside a nearby building with an oval-shaped roof, a man in work clothes keeps an eye on the windmills' control console, checking the rotors,...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1997

Oil spill damaging region's tourism

MIKUNI, Fukui Pref. -- After shattering the hopes of local fishermen for a good catch this season, the oil spill from a wrecked Russian tanker has also started to hurt this region's tourism industry.Mikuni's nationally renown Tojimbo district, with its spectacular cliffs and views of the Sea of Japan...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 1997

Season's coldest front hits western Japan

The season's coldest weather front brought heavy snow to mountainous areas of western Japan on Jan. 8, disrupting travel by road, rail, ferry and air.The Meteorological Agency said the cold air mass was 35 degrees below zero. It is located about 5,400 meters above the Korean Peninsula, was moving south,...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 1997

Canoeing group offers disabled people recreation, not rehabilitation

OSAKA -- On a riverside road, a man in a wheelchair tries to unload a canoe tied to the top of his car. A stranger stops his vehicle nearby that also carries a canoe, walks down to him and offers to help. They later go to the river together, chatting about their vessels and currents. This is the kind...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 1997

Oil spill starts taking toll on marine environment

MIKUNI, Fukui Pref.-- Oil from a wrecked Russian tanker continued Jan. 8 to wash ashore on the Sea of Japan coast, dealing a serious blow to the local environment and economy.Stormy weather continued to hamper cleanup efforts in the spill, which could turn out to be the worst in the nation's history....
JAPAN
Jan 7, 1997

Major oil spill hits Fukui coast as weather wards off cleanup

Oil slicks from a wrecked Russian tanker in the Sea of Japan started washing ashore Jan. 7 on the northern Honshu coast and cleanup crews were powerless to stop a possible environmental disaster because of stormy weather.A Maritime Safety Agency spokesman said a 10-km wide slick broke up overnight into...
JAPAN
Jan 7, 1997

Video journalist zooms in on substance

Tetsuo Jimbo interviews, videotapes and edits -- all by himself.With a camcorder, tripod, light and other equipment all small enough to fit into a bag Jimbo, 35, has made television reports about the Great Hanshin Earthquake, Aum Shinrikyo and many other events since 1994. Recalling his debut in spring...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1997

Simple precautions could save lives, doctor says

Yutaka Tsutsumi isn't pushing for an eye-catching medical discovery like a cure for cancer. He simply wants doctors to become aware of the need for safety measures, like washing their hands.Still, the assistant professor at Tokai University in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture, believes his mission could...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1997

Long holiday scatters well wishers

The number of people who visited shrines and temples during the first three days of 1997 was nearly 1 million less than last year, the National Police Agency reported Jan. 6.According to the agency, 86.72 million people visited shrines and temples during the traditional period for yearend thanksgiving...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1997

Reform decisively, leaders of economic groups warn

Leaders of the nation's four major economic organizations on Jan. 6 warned that the economy will remain sluggish this year unless the government embarks on a clear course toward full-scale reform.At the same time, the leaders said they are not so worried about the so-called "Japan-passing" trend whereby...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

Nissan chief predicts autos will remain Japan's top industry

While some analysts say Japan's auto industry has matured and has little room for growth, the president of Nissan Motor Co. believes the industry will continue to be Japan's leading sector in the 21st century."There may be a new industry that will grow in the future, such as the information business,...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 1997

Tokyo blames discrimination for lack of plans to hire foreigners

Despite the recent reversal of the Home Affairs Ministry's policy, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not take immediate action to hire permanent foreign residents for general clerical positions, Gov. Yukio Aoshima has indicated.Aoshima said he has no plans to launch a study group to discuss the...
JAPAN
Jan 2, 1997

Virtual idol Kyoko Date breaks new ground in cyberspace project

She sings and dances, favoring the style of teenage pop diva Namie Amuro. She's got what it takes to make it as an idol of today -- boyishly cute looks and a wardrobe of tight, satiny shirts and shorts.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 1997

Will Japan be able to compete in the IR revolution?

In the past, a country's competitiveness was decided mostly by the productivity of its industries.

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