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Web-only Exclusives
November 30, 2000

From Our Correspondent: Hirohito and the War
A conversation with biographer Herbert Bix

From Our Correspondent: A Rough Road Ahead
Bad news for the Philippines - and some others

From Our Correspondent: Making Enemies
Indonesia needs friends. So why is it picking fights?

Asiaweek Time Asia Now Asiaweek story

Week of September 12, 1997

Press reports predict that Foreign Minister Ikeda Yukihiko will lose his job in a cabinet shuffle this month. But Finance Minister Mitsuzuka Hiroshi, who heads the sweeping financial deregulation program, will stay. Ikeda has been expected to leave after taking responsibility for December's hostage crisis in Peru.


Week of September 5, 1997

PM Hashimoto Ryutaro criticized visiting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to lift the closure of the Palestinian territories. Trade and military talks between the countries went ahead, but Hashimoto's remarks played prominently in oil-rich Arab countries which supply most of Japan's imported energy.


Week of August 29, 1997

TOKYO ADMITTED that the security review it held with Washington included cooperation in possible conflicts over the Taiwan Strait. Beijing immediately denounced the talks as interference in its internal affairs. The Japan-U.S. defense agreement began in 1978.

GROUND WAS BROKEN for two nuclear reactors in front of a small group of dignitaries and press corps in North Korea. The $5-billion dollar project will be carried out by a consortium of Japanese, South Korean and U.S. companies called the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization

A GOVERNMENT REFORM panel headed by PM Hashimoto Ryutaro recommends reorganizing the country's 22 ministries and agencies into 13 bodies, according to press reports. The foreign and justice ministries will be unchanged. Not decided is the separation of the finance ministry's fiscal and financial supervisory functions.


Week of August 22, 1997

MORE THAN 100 Chinese war victims and their families filed a lawsuit in Tokyo, demanding compensation for germ warfare the Japanese army allegedly conducted during WW II. They are demanding $9.2 million in damages for the plagues they say army scientists created during the war.

THE WORLD'S SECOND CALF cloned from an egg cell, born on Aug. 5 in Japan, was created by fusing a fetal cell taken from an artificially fertilized egg with an unfertilized egg without a nucleus. The method could produce up to 200 identical animals from a single fertilized egg. The technique is close to becoming commercially viable


Week of August 8, 1997

A Gulliver's Travels theme park opened in Kamikuishikimura, the village that once was the site of the Aum Shinrikyo's chemical weapons factory. The community finished demolishing the religious group's facilities in June. It wants to boost tourism and restore its reputation as a quiet country retreat.


Week of July 25, 1997

Japan's emergence into a more active political role internationally is measured in incremental steps. Remember the great debates before the first-ever deployment of peacekeeping troops in Cambodia in the early 1990s? One issue was whether the soldiers should carry even handguns (they went there so armed). Last week, there was another step outward when Tokyo sent its military planes abroad to evacuate Japanese nationals trapped in strife-torn Cambodia - the first time air-force carriers have been used for such a purpose. Three C-130 air-force transport planes have arrived in U-Tapao naval base in southeastern Thailand, in preparation for a possible rescue mission. There are about 370 Japanese nationals currently in Cambodia.

Researchers will discover the mechanism of aging by 2018, the Science and Technology Agency said in its five-yearly projection of scientific progress. Other forecasts include development of an AIDS vaccine by 2007. However, only 26% of the agency's predictions have been realised over the past 25 years.


Week of July 18, 1997

Paris replaced Tokyo as the city with the world's highest living costs, according to the Japanese trade ministry. Tokyo's prices were 98% of those in Paris, and 127% of those in New York. The falling prices reflect the decline of the yen against other major currencies. The comparison includes consumer goods and taxes.


Week of July 11, 1997

JAPAN-RUSSIA Moscow will offer Tokyo concrete plans for jointly developing the Kuril Islands. Foreign Minister Yevgeni Primakov made the statement to his Japanese counterpart Ikeda Yukihiko when they met in Hong Kong for the turnover ceremonies. Russia has occupied the islands since the closing days of WW II.


Week of July 4, 1997

In the nation's first-ever referendum on the construction of a waste disposal plant, 80% of those voting in Mitakecho, Gifu Prefecture, said no to a controversial facility. Voter turnout was 87.5%. It was the third time a local government had put an issue to a referendum in Japan, and more seem on the way.


Week of June 27, 1997

The Diet enacted a bill recognizing brain death as the legal definition for the end of life. The new law makes it easier for human organs to be transplanted. Political parties allowed lawmakers to decide for themselves how to vote for the bill. The law passed with overwhelming majorities in both houses.


Week of June 20, 1997

Hot Property Goes Unsold

If you can't fix it, sell it. Japan wants to get rid of its nuclear fuel-reprocessing plant in Tokaimura. There was an explosion and fire at the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., or Donen, in March, which shut the facility down. After the usual round of denials and recriminations, investigators duly criticized the government for inflexible management that was unable to adapt to new conditions. They recommended selling the facility to the highest bidder.

But no utilities want to buy the 20-year-old plant. Donen is outdated and unprofitable, even though it can reprocess 90 tons of spent nuclear fuel - about 10% of Japan's output - per year. Power companies have a new plant in Rokkashomura coming online in 2003. It will be capable of reprocessing 800 tons of spent fuel yearly.

ONLINE INCOME Cyber-business - the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet - has grown by a factor of 40 in one year, according to government figures. There were 2,217 homepages engaged in business as of Februrary 1997. Only about 20% of them are making a profit, though, according to those who responded to the survey.

ACCUSATIONS Pyongyang accused Tokyo of meddling in proposed four-way peace talks involving the two Koreas, China and the U.S. Last month, Japan had pressed the North to heed a call to start the meetings. Meanwhile, Tokyo has held off sending food aid to the North, due to the alleged abductions of Japanese nationals.


Week of June 13, 1997

JAPAN-RUSSIA A sign of growing ties: the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov will dock in Tokyo in June. It will be the first Russian warship to do so in more than 100 years. In May, President Boris Yeltsin proposed an annual summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart, saying: "We have good relations with Japan now."


Week of June 6, 1997

Japan's Outstanding Problem

Last year's promise by Japan's banks that they would be able to handle their bad loans has gone unfulfilled. When they revealed their fiscal 1996 results on May 27, several were shown to still be staggering under huge, virtually uncollectible, debt.

According to the reports of 20 major banks, they have about 16.44 trillion yen outstanding, down about 5 trillion yen from last year. For the year to March 1997, they wrote off 6.2 trillion yen in loans.

Those figures do not include the loans the banks provide to their own subsidiary financing companies, which come to about 2.9 trillion yen. Totalling all those figures brings their debt to nearly 20 trillion yen, and many analysts believe these are only "formal" figures, which do not account for bad debt they are not required to report.

ISLAND DISPUTE The Japanese Coast Guard headed off a flotilla carrying protesters from Hong Kong and Taiwan headed for the Diaoyu - Senkaku in Japanese - Islands. China, Japan and Taiwan claim the small outcroppings, which lie about halfway between Taiwan and Okinawa. The demonstrators were not able to reach the islands.


Week of May 30, 1997

The booming U.S. economy is sucking up Japanese cars and other exports so fast that it helped boost Japan's trade surplus by more than $7 billion in April, the largest surge since 1992. The sales tax rise effective April 1 is cutting down imports, especially of American cars, which declined 50%.


Week of May 23, 1997

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Meeting in Fukuoka, Japan, the ADB predicted Asia's "robust economic growth" would continue. By 2025, it said, Asia would earn 57% of the world's income, up from the current 40%. But calling the region's environmental record "dismal," it warned that Asia could become "dirtier" and "less ecologically diverse."


Week of May 9, 1997

CHINA-JAPAN Despite warnings from Beijing and Tokyo, Japanese activists are preparing to land on the Senkaku - Diaoyu, in Chinese - islands. The two governments are playing down the dispute over the remote outcropping, which flared in 1996 when a group of Japanese erected a lighthouse there.

AUM TRIAL Exactly one year into his trial for 17 crimes involving the Aum Shinrikyo religious group he led, Asahara Shokou denied participating in the sect's 1995 nerve-gas attack in Tokyo. "My disciples made it, " Asahara told the court. He also denied responsibility for the murders of anti-Aum activists in 1989 and 1994.


Week of May 2, 1997

DRUGS DISCOVERED Japanese customs officials in Hososhima found 70 kg of amphetamines labeled as honey on the North Korean freighter Jison-2 . They arrested the ship's captain and two Korean residents of Osaka. Police suspect the drugs were meant to be resold by a Japanese crime syndicate.

PM Hashimoto Ryutaro told cabinet ministers to use their upcoming trips to West Asia, Africa and Latin America to promote Japan's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. Japanese ministers traditionally travel abroad in late April, when a string of holidays coincide, forming "Golden Week."


Week of April 25, 1997

Amid jeering from anti-U.S. military protesters, the lower house passed legislation allowing American bases on Okinawa to stay in place, even if landlords refuse to lease land to them. PM Hashimoto Ryutaro said the agreement was necessary for stable relations with the U.S. "Don't sacrifice Okinawa," one activist shouted.


Week of April 18, 1997

RUSSIA-JAPAN The two countries are nearing an agreement in which Tokyo will lend $500 million to Moscow to finance three large projects. The loan will complete a $1.2 billion package signed in 1991. Russia already has about $12 billion in outstanding debt to Japan.

LOOKING UP: Job prospects for the most recent crop of graduates look better. In a survey, 40 of 100 companies questioned say they plan to increase hiring fresh college graduates. Only 10 said they plan to reduce the number. The job market for new job seekers has been tight for years amid the country's prolonged recession.


Week of April 11, 1997

Some 3,000 young violinists, all trained under the regimen developed by Suzuki Shinichi, performed at their graduation ceremony on March 27 in Tokyo. It was the 43rd Suzuki Method Grand Concert. Master Suzuki, 98, was in attendance

ON SHAKY GROUND Seismologists at the University of Tokyo admit that they cannot predict earthquakes, and to hope to do so is unreasonable. A draft government report , to be released this summer, all but admits a 32-year-old program to provide early warning of seismic disturbances has failed. The 1995 earthquake that devastated Kobe caused the renewed look at the prediction research.

SALES TAX The national sales tax jumped from 3% to 5% on Apr. 1. Consumer buying is expected to cool, but in the run-up to the higher rate, car sales in March shot up 20% and department store sales rose more than 10%. Retailers are promoting "anti-5% shock" campaigns to encourage the public to continue spending.


Week of April 4, 1997

Japan-U.S. Despite calls for a reduction, the two countries agreed to maintain the current level of American troops - at about 47,000 - in Japan. The announcement was made when Vice President Al Gore stopped in Tokyo on his way to Beijing. Washington has vowed to keep its troop levels throughout Asia - about 100,000 - indefinitely.


Week of March 28, 1997

Five major computer chip makers - Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC and Fujitsu - expect fiscal year 1997 to be a turn-around from 1996, which saw a 23% drop in pre-tax profits. They expect a possible 18% increase in earnings, based on a recovering market buoyed by active investment in information hardware.


Week of March 21, 1997

In the midst of its financial crisis, Japan's January balance of payments showed a dramatic 150 billion yen surplus in current accounts, the first in 17 months. The cheaper yen explains part of the change. Bookkeeping anomalies for car exports also helped. Tokyo says the good numbers are only temporary, the general trend is bad.


Week of March 14, 1997

IMMIGERATION PROBLEMS: Tokyo officials asked Beijing to stem a rising tide of illegal Chinese immigrants from the mainland. Japan wants China to tighten coastal security and crack down on the gangs which smuggle the people, mostly from Fujian province. It will also impose heavier penalties on those in Japan who assist the job seekers.


Week of March 7, 1997

Some 788 landowners in Okinawa rejected plans to force them to again lease land to U.S. military bases after existing leases expire on May 14. Local officials say the agreement is mandatory because of Japan's obligation under its security treaty with the U.S. In Tokyo, the official line was "It's premature to comment."


Week of February 28, 1997

Aum Case Continues: If you thought Asahara Shokou had turned over a new leaf after accepting responsibility in court late last year for the fatal Tokyo subway gas attack almost two years ago, guess again. He is as belligerent as ever. The chief judge in his case, which started in April, has banished the Aum Shinrikyo cult founder from the courtroom many times for misbehaving. Asahara has reportedly shouted at judges and tried to intimidate former disciples as they testify. And his contrition was short-lived: Asahara later implied his disciples carried out the attack without his knowledge. He has said in recent weeks: "Just go ahead and lynch me," and "everyone is lying, lying!" Meanwhile, his sect has dwindled to the point where Japanese authorities believe it is harmless and haven't bothered banning it.

Red ARmy Arrests: Authorities say they have captured at least five Japanese Red Army members. Tokyo and Beirut are working together closely to confirm the suspects' identities. The group is believed to be behind the May 1972 attack at Tel Aviv's Lod airport that killed 26 people and wounded 80.

Bank problems: With stock prices dropping, banks face gloomy prospects before they close their fiscal books in March. Moody's Investors Services downrated four banks from "stable" to "negative." And managers are nervous about the government's proposals to shift away from protective policies and let poorly run banks sink or swim.


Week of February 21, 1997

After 55 days, the government and the Tupac Amaru rebels holding 72 hostages inside agreed to hold direct negotiations, following pressure from Japanese PM Hashimoto Ryutaro.

Citing a string of cancelled appearances, women's magazines have stepped up speculation that 33-year-old Crown Princess Masako is pregnant. The palace says "recent reports are nothing but rumors," but admits that the princess "was not in good physical condition" in December and January.


Week of February 14, 1997

The neighbors have exchanged angry charges about responsibility for the Russian tanker Nakhodka, which sank in the Sea of Japan in January, causing a massive oil spill. Moscow says the ship hit an unidentified floating object. Tokyo says she was simply too old.


Week of February 7, 1997

The Asia Philharmonic Orchestra made its debut in Tokyo Jan. 24. Music director Chung Myung Whun hopes that the pan-Asian ensemble will promote friendship and cooperation - and reveal the musical side of Asians. "In the West, a lot of people think all we do is work and try to earn money," he said

Meeting Japan's PM Hashimoto Ryutaro and Korean President Kim Young Sam held a weekend summit in the Japanese spa town of Beppu on Jan. 25-26. The leaders discussed such issues as ties with North Korea and the 2002 World Cup, and promised to promote friendly relations.

Come together Japan's top toy firm Bandai and video-game maker Sega are to merge on Oct. 1. The new entity will be called Sega Bandai Ltd., with 0.76 Sega share being applied to every Bandai share. The firms hope the merger will increase their competitiveness and strengthen their position in the entertainment market.


Week of January 31, 1997

World war II Chinese victims of chemical weapons and explosives abandoned by the Japanese after the war will be allowed to sue in a Tokyo court, say lawyers for the Chinese. As a group, the plantiffs will be seeking $1.7 million in damages from the Japanese government.


Week of January 24, 1996

Prosecutors raided the offices of Mitsubishi Oil and arrested a former director and an ex-official of Mitsui Mining on fraud charges. The two allegedly funneled $21 million to Izui Junichi, a broker, via irregular oil deals. Izui, re-arrested on fraud, is known to have donated funds to politicians from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.


Week of January 10, 1997

Former PM Hata Tsutomu, along with 12 MPs, deserted the main opposition New Frontier Party to form Taiyoto or the Sun Party. "Japan will collapse if it is left as it is," Hata said at the launch ceremony. He will seek an alliance with the third-largest Democratic Party, which has 52 seats in the lower house.


News from Japan in 1996


News from Japan in 1995


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