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JAPAN
Jan 15, 1999

Town mergers, decentralization go together: Noda

Mergers of cities and towns should be promoted along with decentralization to reduce administrative costs, said Takeshi Noda, the new home affairs minister.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1999

LDP, Liberal Party clear last coalition hurdle

The Liberal Democratic Party and Liberal Party reached final agreement Wednesday on controversial security issues, eliminating the last remaining obstacle to the parties' launch of a coalition government.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 1999

Cohen, Norota discuss Pyongyang, defense guidelines

Defense chiefs from Japan and the United States agreed Wednesday that Tokyo, Washington and Seoul should continue to closely cooperate in developments on the Korean Peninsula.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 1999

New debate on surname use urged by Justice Ministry

Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura said Tuesday he has urged Liberal Democratic Party officials to restart discussions on revising the Civil Law to allow married couples to retain separate family names.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 1999

Miyazawa to attend ASEM powwow

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa will depart for Frankfurt Thursday to attend a two-day meeting of finance ministers from Asia and Europe.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 1999

LDP, Liberals muzzle bureaucrats

The Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party agreed during working-level talks Friday to abolish a system in which bureaucrats answer questions in Diet deliberations instead of Cabinet ministers, beginning in the 2000 regular Diet session.
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 1999

Courting risks in Angola

Twice in the last two weeks, U.N.-chartered aircraft have crashed in central Angola. In both cases, the fate of the passengers and crew -- 24 people in total -- is unknown, as is the cause of the crashes. Neither the government nor the rebels of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1999

Partial treaty for two isles' return denied

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka denied a media report that Japan is considering proposing an interim treaty with Russia to ensure the return of two of the four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 1999

Coalition panels outrule SDF for armed U.N. operations

The Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party confirmed Wednesday that the Self-Defense Forces will not participate in United Nations armed operations, according to representatives of the two parties.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 1998

Political scene in '98 churned by opposition realignment

The nation experienced a series of events that considerably changed the political scene in 1998, including the resignation of a prime minister.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 1998

Tax cuts in sight, public now worried by huge budget

With a record 81.86 trillion yen budget for fiscal 1999, the government is determined to put an end to the prolonged economic slump. But both the general public and those in the business community still worry about the nation's fiscal health.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 1998

52.78 trillion yen 'zaito' draft targets credit crunch

The Cabinet on Monday approved a draft for a 52.78 trillion yen fiscal investment and loan program for fiscal 1999, up 5.7 percent from the current year.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 1998

Japan to dispatch rice tariff lobbyists

Staff writer
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1998

Obuchi backs missile strikes on Iraq

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed support Thursday for U.S.-British missile strikes against Iraq, saying that Iraq violated agreements with the United Nations to cooperate with arms inspections by the world body.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 1998

Tokyo-Pyongyang tensions elicit more Defense disclosure

Five-year-old tensions between the U.S. and North Korea are intensifying, and Japan is growing increasingly nervous about the prospects of another missile launch from its reclusive neighbor.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 1998

Clarify constitutionality of Japan PKO role: Ozawa

Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa reiterated on Wednesday that the government should clarify its stance on interpreting Self-Defense Forces' participation in United Nations military peacekeeping operations, as it pertains to the Constitution.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 1998

Economy mired but beginning to move: EPA

Though the economy remains in in contraction with continuing weakness in corporate investment, the Economic Planning Agency said in its monthly economic report Tuesday that "there is a whiff of change in the air."
JAPAN
Dec 3, 1998

LDP backs Liberal Party Diet reforms

The government hopes to submit bills to the next ordinary Diet session to abolish the current system of having bureaucrats, instead of state ministers, answer lawmakers' questions during Diet deliberations, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 1998

Seeking Refuge: Process not worth it, chosen one says

Second in a three-part series on Japan's refugee policy
JAPAN
Dec 2, 1998

China remarks falsely reported, Nonaka says

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka criticized some foreign media entities Wednesday for misunderstanding and falsely reporting his remarks during Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit last week.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 1998

Obuchi hints SDF may play U.N. military role

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi indicated Wednesday that the government may study the possibility of revising existing legislation that prevents the Self-Defense Forces from taking part in U.N. military operations.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 1998

Planned Pyongyang missile launch unverified

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said on Wednesday that he is unable to confirm reports that North Korea is preparing to launch another ballistic missile by the end of this year.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 1998

Obuchi repeats recovery pledge as new Diet session opens

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi renewed his pledge Friday to attain positive economic growth in the next fiscal year and put the nation on a recovery path by fiscal 2000.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 1998

New Komei comes out against nonexistent budget

The government's annual budget for fiscal 1999 hasn't been compiled yet, but Takenori Kanzaki, leader of New Komeito, is already against it.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 1998

Obuchi, Inamine agree to reopen Okinawa dialogue

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Okinawa Gov.-elect Keiichi Inamine agreed Tuesday to work closely on issues weighing on the island prefecture, including the regional economy and reorganization of U.S. military bases.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 1998

State maintains SDF position in rebuttal to Ozawa

The government still maintains its interpretation of the Constitution barring Japan from engaging in collective defense, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Tuesday, rebutting an earlier remark by Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 1998

Coupons for foreign residents considered

The government is studying whether to distribute merchandise coupons to foreigners living in Japan with permanent residency, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 1998

Clinton, Obuchi to focus on economy

U.S. President Bill Clinton will arrive in Tokyo Thursday afternoon for a two-day visit, instead of arriving early in the morning as originally scheduled, a top government spokesman said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 1998

LDP-Liberal coalition plan on hold until next meeting

Despite Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's expectations of establishing cooperative ties between the Liberal Democratic Party, which he heads, and the Liberal Party, it is still uncertain whether an agreement will be reached at the next meeting of party leaders, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said...
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1998

State awaits heliport solution as Inamine defeats Ota

The government will abandon its controversial plan to build a sea-based heliport off the northern Okinawa city of Nago and instead seek a solution based on the policy platform of Okinawa's newly elected governor, Keiichi Inamine, a government spokesman said Monday.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.