Japan PM urges military discipline
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Japan's PM Yasuo Fukuda calls for greater discipline from defence officials following a series of scandals.
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Economic sanctions against North Korea  are "one option," but care is needed in deciding whether to  take that step, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura  said on Thursday, a day after Pyongyang warned Japan that  imposing sanctions would be tantamount to war.
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Japan's PM Yasuo Fukuda calls on sumo wrestling officials to take action, after the death of a trainee.
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Japan's prime minister, a staunch U.S. ally in Iraq, refused on Wednesday to withdraw Japan's troops from the country, taking a tough stance in the face of demands by militants threatening to behead a Japanese hostage unless the soldiers leave.
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Japanâs defence chief said today that Japanese troops should remain in Iraq until the country is properly rehabilitated, possibly until late 2005.
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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi  said Wednesday he would not withdraw troops from Iraq despite a  threat by a militant group to behead a Japanese hostage within  48 hours unless Tokyo pulled its forces out.
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Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday he would resign in hope of making it easier to extend a naval mission in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, sending shockwaves through Japan.
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Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday he will press his country's case in Washington this week for reducing what he called the "the excessive burden" placed on Okinawa by the presence of U.S. troops.
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Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura pressed the United States to reduce its military presence in Japan, saying it was &quot;very important&quot; and that Tokyo expected a &quot;reasonable solution.&quot;
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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is considering announcing an end to Japan&#039;s military mission in Iraq ahead of his meeting with US President George W. Bush later this month, the foreign minister said.
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TOKYO - Japan on Friday increased pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to take the initiative in investigating the cases of his country&#39;s abductions of Japanese in a prompt and sincere manner, warning Tokyo could otherwise impose economic
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Chinese President Hu Jintao asked Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to stop visiting a war shrine in Tokyo that China and other Asian nations say symbolizes Japan&#39;s militaristic past, a Japanese official said.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hinted on Saturday in unusually strong terms that failure to secure extension of Japan&#39;s military support role for US troops in Afghanistan risked his job.
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Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday urged Japan to properly treat its war time history with an eye to the future, and called for a halt to visits by Japanese leaders to a shrine honoring World War II criminals.
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South Korea on Wednesday urged Japan to carefully consider possible negative effects on the North Korean nuclear talks before imposing economic sanctions on Pyongyang for its kidnapping of Japanese citizens.
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Japan will not apologize again for its World War II military brothels, even if the U.S. Congress passes a resolution demanding it, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament Monday.
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Japan&#39;s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is  set for a rocky appearance before Australia&#39;s parliament with  war veterans on Tuesday calling for an apology over Japanese  war crimes and environmentalists demanding an end to whaling.