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JAPAN
Jan 21, 2003

Economy, foreign attack bills lead new Diet session

The Diet convened its 156th session Monday, with the economy and a set of bills to give the government more powers in the event of an attack topping the agenda.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2003

Japan backs U.S. plan on North Korea

Japan reiterated its support Monday for a U.S. plan to strike a new deal with Pyongyang that would replace a 1994 U.S.-North Korea agreement for the North to scrap its nuclear development program.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2003

The folly of inflation targets

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said recently the next governor of the Bank of Japan must take aggressive action to fight deflation, giving rise to expectations of inflation targeting among government and ruling coalition officials. I doubt, however, that inflation targeting will cure deflation. In...
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2003

DPJ attacks Koizumi on deflation, jobless rate

The Democratic Party of Japan, holding its annual convention Saturday in Tokyo, adopted a 2003 policy platform stepping up criticism of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for failing to stop deflation or curb rising unemployment.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Japan names UNESCO ambassador

The government approved on Friday the appointment of Teiichi Sato, former administrative vice education minister, as Japan's first ambassador to UNESCO, officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Widen scope of disaster law: Ishiba

Legislation to protect Japanese nationals in case of military emergencies should be debated within the framework of the existing Disaster Measures Basic Law and will require further discussions with the heads of municipal governments, Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2003

Clamor for consumption tax hike getting louder

Cabinet ministers and business leaders have begun calling for a consumption tax hike to cover rising social security costs stemming from the aging population.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2003

LDP expresses support for Koizumi's war on deflation

The Liberal Democratic Party, holding its national convention Thursday in Tokyo, sounded a note of support for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's determination to battle deflation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2003

Minimum Haneda burden pledged

Transport minister Chikage Ogi pledged Thursday that her ministry will do everything it can to minimize the financial burden from the Haneda airport expansion project on local governments in the Tokyo area.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2003

Prince to assume Emperor's duties while he recovers

Crown Prince Naruhito will take over Emperor Akihito's constitutional duties while his father has surgery for prostate cancer and undergoes rehabilitation, the government said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2003

Koizumi stirs diplomatic row with surprise Yasukuni visit

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a surprise visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon, a move that is likely to rekindle anger in South Korea and China -- countries in pivotal positions at a time of mounting concerns over North Korea.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2003

Moscow summit a ratings winner for Koizumi

The public approval rating for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi now stands at 54.6 percent, up 4.6 percentage points from December, according to the results of a Kyodo News survey released Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2003

Britain's far right poses a rising threat

BRUSSELS -- The press in England has had a field day over the past 20 years chronicling the rise of the Continent's far right. The first chance came in the early 1980s with the emergence of France's National Front led by Jean-Marie Le Pen, a man who believes the Americans built the gas chambers in the...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2003

North Korea sanctions possible

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe suggested Sunday that Japan may consider imposing sanctions on North Korea.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2003

Tokyo, Seoul agree on need for unity over North Korea

Japan and South Korea reaffirmed Saturday the importance of close cooperation among the two nations and the United States to seek a peaceful solution to the problem of North Korea's nuclear program.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2003

Japan urges Pyongyang to reverse decision

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday urged North Korea to immediately reverse its decision to pull out of the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2003

Group reveals additional 40 suspected abduction victims

An influential citizens' group investigating the abduction of Japanese citizens to North Korea released Friday a list of 40 more cases that it wants the government to look into.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2003

Government plans to up stock prices

The government will take all necessary steps to shore up stock prices, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2003

Economic gauge indicates a state of contraction

The key gauge of the current state of the economy dipped below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in November for the first time in 10 months due chiefly to a decline in industrial output, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2003

Abduction suspect gathered military info

A Korean resident in Japan suspected of having been involved in the abduction of a Japanese national in 1977 is also believed to have gathered military information for North Korea, investigative sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Businessman to head state body for small firms

Businessman Koichi Minaguchi will head the Japan Finance Corp. for Small Business, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Tokyo hoping for swift response to IAEA ultimatum

Japan wants North Korea to respond promptly to an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution giving it a final opportunity to halt the reactivation of its nuclear facilities and dismantle its nuclear weapons program, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a news conference Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2003

Slump has silver lining: Cosmo chief

The economic slump offers unprecedented opportunities for new firms looking to carve out a niche in Japan, according to Kumi Sato, president of Cosmo Public Relations Corp., a Tokyo-based marketing consulting firm.
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2003

Time to rock economic boat

After remaining in the doldrums for more than 10 years, the Japanese economy is now plagued by deflation. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei index has fallen to the 8,500 level, and the nation's unemployment rate remains high. Last fall the government announced a policy package for expediting...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jan 6, 2003

Atavistic racism: greatest impediment

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- A central argument of many observers of Japan, myself included, is that there has been very little change and no leadership. The two are interwoven: leadership is required to generate and manage change. The Japanese system that was quite appropriate, dynamic and robust in the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2003

Non-bureaucrat lands public post

Koichi Minaguchi, a former vice chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Ex- ecutives, will be the new governor of the Japan Finance Corporation for Small Business, government sources said Sunday.

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