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JAPAN
Oct 13, 1997

Guidelines 'clarify' SDF role, Hashimoto explains

the government has not changed its interpretation of the war-renouncing Constitution in relation to the newly reviewed Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said Oct. 13.Rather, Hashimoto said, the government has clarified the Self-Defense Forces' roles in emergencies.The...
JAPAN
Oct 9, 1997

Tokyo adds medical aid to North Korea food offer

Japan will resume food aid to famine-hit North Korea after a 15-month hiatus, the Cabinet said Oct. 9, announcing that 67,000 tons of rice as well as 94 million yen in medical equipment will be handed over.Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka said Japan will donate $27 million to the United Nations...
JAPAN
Oct 8, 1997

LDP approves $27 million in food aid to North Korea

The Liberal Democratic Party gave the go-ahead Oct. 8 to a government plan to send $27 million in food aid to North Korea, a move widely regarded as a swap to enable Japanese women now living there to visit their homeland.The aid, to be formally approved by the Cabinet as early as Oct. 9, is to be provided...
JAPAN
Oct 8, 1997

Effects of Kim's ascension too early to predict

Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi said Oct. 8 that it will be difficult to judge any immediate changes in North Korean policy under the new leadership of Kim Jong Il and that developments in the communist state will be closely watched.Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka echoed Obuchi's assessment.Commenting...
JAPAN
Oct 7, 1997

$250 million pledged to Mongolia development effort

An international aid group on Oct. 7 pledged about $250 million to help the economic development of Mongolia, a country struggling in its switch from a Communist-style economy to a free market.The pledge for fiscal 1998 was made at the 6th Mongolia Assistance Group Meeting, held in Tokyo. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,...
JAPAN
Oct 2, 1997

Internet carriers from four nations plan Asia-Pacific network

Carriers from South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan will sign a deal later this month to connect their Internet circuits, KDD President Tadashi Nishimoto said Oct. 2.DACOM Corp. of South Korea, Telstra Corp. of Australia, Hong Kong Telecommunications and KDD will sign a memorandum in the middle...
JAPAN
Sep 29, 1997

Corporate tax cut tied to size of income base

Any reduction in the corporate income tax should be considered only within the scope of revenue that can be gained by expanding the taxable income base for companies, a top Finance Ministry official indicated Sept. 29.
JAPAN
Sep 19, 1997

Osaka business forum addresses Kansai decline

Four consul generals gave varying takes on the business climate in Osaka during the 100th Osaka International Forum on Sept. 18.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1997

Embassy to hold service for Diana

The British Embassy will hold a service Sept. 20 dedicated to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, for the British community in Japan, the embassy announced on Sept. 16.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 1997

Australian minister queries Tokyo on Isahaya project

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JAPAN
Sep 2, 1997

Trade chief appeals for corporate tax cuts

Amid rising concerns over the nation's economic prospects, trade chief Shinji Sato renewed calls Sept. 2 for a significant reduction in corporate taxes to stir up business sentiment and ensure domestic demand-led growth.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 1997

Singapore values U.S. in Asia, Goh says

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said August 29 that his country supports the Japan-U.S. security treaty because it values the presence of the U.S. in the region and sees the review of the Japan-U.S. defense guidelines as beneficial in securing transparency.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 1997

Parties agree on limit of Japan's wartime assistance to U.S.

Minesweeping activities will be among the 42 proposed steps that Japan would take to assist U.S. forces in case of war in Asia now that the ruling parties have reached a consensus.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 1997

NGOs to focus on global warming

KYOTO -- Nongovernmental organizations from eight prefectures are organizing events between Aug. 23 and Aug. 31 to raise awareness of global warming as a precursor to December's third Conference of Parties (COP3) of the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 1997

Reform panel agrees to upgrade Environment Agency

The Administrative Reform Council agreed Aug. 19 to upgrade the Environment Agency to a full-scale ministry to respond to higher priority being placed on environmental protection by the international community.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 1997

Youths learn about horror of nuclear war

HIROSHIMA -- Although the world has become more aware of the dangers of atomic weapons, nuclear testing continues, Tatsuya Hayashi of the Hiroshima YMCA said August 4 at the opening of the three-day 1997 Youth Peace Seminar.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 1997

Ikeda refuses to specify Japan's crisis zone

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda declined July 31 to specify the geographical scope of "areas surrounding Japan" that, according to a new bilateral defense cooperation guideline, would require Japanese military support for U.S. forces in the event of war.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1997

Analysis: Bank's penalty an attempt to assuage public

Finance Ministry's decision July 30 to order Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank to refrain from extending loans to new customers until the end of the calendar year was an attempt to show that it is seriously trying to tackle wrongdoing in the financial markets.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1997

Bolivian envoy touts seeds of investment

Bolivian Ambassador Jorge Balcazar Aranibar, who finishes his assignment and departs for home July 31, believes the seeds have been sown for a stronger relationship with Japan.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 1997

U.N. in need of $1 billion to reform itself

The United Nations needs $1 billion to stabilize its financial situation as it undergoes reform, the undersecretary general for administration and management at the U.N. said July 29.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 1997

Ratifying nuclear test ban treaty may pressure holdouts

Signatory countries to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty must ratify it in order to put pressure on India and North Korea to follow suit, said the chief of a preparatory commission for the treaty organization.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1997

Ambassador urges new development strategies

Efforts to formulate a new development strategy are becoming increasingly important as the world community seeks to establish a common framework for development in the post-Cold War era, Japan's ambassador to the U.N. said July 24.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 1997

Development aid conference begins today in Okinawa

A two-day international conference on development will open July 24 in Okinawa Prefecture to seek out and promote more effective forms of development assistance.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 1997

New MITI vice minister calls for change

As the global community enters an age of overwhelming competition, Japan must increase its efforts to revamp economic structures and create a new system with greater efficiency, according to Osamu Watanabe, who on July 11 was appointed vice minister for international trade and industry.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 1997

Japan firms urged to take lead in environment

The World Wide Fund for Nature has called on Japanese businesses to establish a council to fight global climate change and take a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions before a key conference in December in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 1997

Okinawa to host development talks

Japan will host an international development conference in Okinawa Prefecture on July 24 and 25 to seek ways of promoting development assistance, Foreign Ministry officials said July 4.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 1997

Organ donors' rights become key issue

Now that the Diet has passed a legislator-proposed bill to allow organ transplants from brain-dead donors, some patients may have a chance in the near future to receive organs in this country. The new law ends a 30-year self-imposed ban on such transplants by the medical profession.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1997

Homeless undercut kiosks with used magazines

Some homeless people around JR Shinjuku Station run a thriving business selling discarded magazines at discount prices, but kiosks are complaining that their "illegal" rivals are damaging their sales.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1997

Japan to push for China WTO entry at Denver

Japan will promote the accession of China to the World Trade Organization at the upcoming annual meeting of the world's top leaders in Denver, said Kazuo Ogura, deputy minister for foreign affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1997

Shizuoka sports fans fall for 'futsal' fever

TENRYU, Shizuoka Pref. -- When Mario Yasumitsu, a second-generation Japanese-Brazilian, moved to Japan from Latin America, he packed the daily necessities and one "futsal" ball.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?