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Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2002

Former Foreign Minister Tanaka tenders Diet resignation

In a surprise move, former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Friday tendered her resignation to the House of Representatives in an apparent move to take responsibility for allegations that she misappropriated her secretaries' salaries.
EDITORIALS
Aug 9, 2002

A setback in fiscal reform

Earlier in his administration, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi projected an image of aggressive leadership as he called for "no pain, no gain" structural reform. His bold plans included streamlining the bloated government budget. With the economy still struggling to recover, however, he seems to have...
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2002

National servants looking at 2.03% reduction in wages

The National Personnel Authority recommended Thursday that the Diet and Cabinet introduce a 2.03 percent cut in monthly wages for national government employees for the current fiscal year.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2002

Koizumi to avoid Aug. 15 shrine visit

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will not visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the 57th anniversary of the end of World War II, to pay his respects to the nation's war dead, the top government spokesman said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2002

Government to file charges against Nippon Ham subsidiary

The government will file a criminal complaint against a unit of Nippon Meat Packers Inc. if it finds that the firm abused a beef-buyback program by disguising imported meat as domestic, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 7, 2002

Keep the antinuke torch burning

That fateful moment is etched in the minds of the Japanese people: At 8:15 a.m., Aug. 6, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima. Inscribed on the memorial cenotaph for the deceased victims, located at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, is a vow "never to repeat the mistake." The...
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2002

Suzuki bribe info faxed to property firm

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office mistakenly faxed a witness account about indicted lawmaker Muneo Suzuki's bribery case to a Tokyo real estate firm in June, a top official of the office said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2002

Defense Agency investigates data leak

The Defense Agency opened an investigation Tuesday into a suspected case of blackmail involving data allegedly leaked through a subcontractor hired to help develop a 1.1 billion yen computer network for the Self-Defense Forces.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2002

48.1 trillion yen cap approved for fiscal '03 budget

The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy approved Tuesday the guidelines for budgetary requests for fiscal 2003, capping outlays at 48.1 trillion yen.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Glitches, protest greet launch of resident registry network

The government on Monday launched a national resident registry network that encodes people's personal information and gives everyone an 11-digit number. But glitches emerged, some municipalities refused to go online and critics cried "Big Brother."
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

FSA to relax rules on stock sales at banks

The government plans to ease rules on commercial banks selling stocks at their branches through affiliated brokerages to encourage individuals to invest in the stock market, Financial Services Agency sources said Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2002

Risks preclude nuclear option for Japan

WASHINGTON -- "Just like the Constitution . . . the amendment of (Japan's nonnuclear principles) is also likely."
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2002

Law eyed to prevent 'wangiri' phone scams

Toranosuke Katayama, the minister of telecommunications, said Friday his ministry may submit a bill to the Diet in the fall to put an end to the phone scam known as "wangiri."
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2002

Kokubunji snubs state resident registry

The western Tokyo suburb of Kokubunji on Friday became the latest municipality to refuse to take part in a national resident registry network that the central government plans to launch Monday, saying it will not join the system until a law to protect personal information is enacted.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2002

Report cites 'age of anxiety' triggered by Sept. 11 attacks

In response to last year's terrorist attacks against the United States, the government's annual defense white paper, released Friday, emphasizes the unstable international security situation and the importance of the Self-Defense Forces in dealing with new types of threats.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2002

Koizumi, ministers unite on austerity

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed Thursday with his key economic ministers to compile an austere budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in April 2003, ministers said.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Emergency defense legislation believed too vague

Political dynamics aside, even some Defense Agency officials admit the emergency-contingency bills the ruling coalition plans to carry over to the next Diet session were flawed from the start.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2002

Defense bills need thorough review

As the regular Diet session draws to a close, several key bills remain on the table. Among these are three defense bills designed to deal with a direct attack on Japan, real or perceived. The proposed legislation, however, is flawed in so many ways -- including the lack of provisions for civilian protection...
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2002

Imports shunned for domestic food: survey

The overwhelming majority of Japanese consumers tend to buy domestic food products rather than imports, according to a Cabinet Office survey released Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2002

Koo backs expansionary fiscal policy for Japan

Richard Koo appears to be one of the small group of dissenters vocally critical of the economic and fiscal policies of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Cabinet.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2002

Fixed-point environmental checks to start in 2003

The Environment Ministry decided Saturday to conduct fixed-point environmental observations starting in fiscal 2003 in an effort to ascertain the impact of global warming and other factors on the environment, ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

Sakura Bank fundraising for Koizumi scrutinized

Senior officials of the former Sakura Bank collected donations from firms the bank was lending to for Junichiro Koizumi before he became prime minister, informed sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

Outside expert named minister at Washington embassy

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Friday named Naoyuki Agawa, a professor of law at Keio University, as minister in charge of public relations at the Japanese Embassy in Washington as part of her efforts to carry out reforms by appointing outside experts.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Kawaguchi faces uphill battle over reform effort

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is set to map out her plan on ministry reform in August, but she faces a tough job satisfying a weary public and proposals from diverse circles on how to put the scandal-tainted ministry on track.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Government to outline law to protect citizens in case of attack on Japan

The government on Tuesday expressed its intention to outline legislation aimed to protect the life and property of citizens in the event of a foreign attack on Japan, government officials said.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Explosion in child abuse reported

The number of reported child-abuse cases increased 16-fold between fiscal 1990 and 2000, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Five species set to be added to nation's endangered list of flora and fauna

Five species are to be added to the current list of 57 endangered Japanese plants and animals on Aug. 2.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Locally designed regulatory reform zones pushed

The Council for Regulatory Reform released a report Tuesday calling for establishment of so-called special regulatory reform zones, backing the government's deregulatory efforts.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
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