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Journalism of Courage
Aug 3: Japan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June stood at an all-time high of 3.5 percent for the second consecutive month, a government report said Friday. The rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent for men, but fell 0. 2 points to 3.6 percent for women, the management and coordination agency said in the report.
The jobless rate hit 3.5 percent in May and June 1996, as well as in May this year. "We don’t know how long this trend will last, but we need to keep our eye on it," an agency official said. Agency officials said a trend of workers quitting jobs to look for better employment continued, particularly among middle-aged women. The number of the unemployed increased by 20,000 among women between 45 and 54.
Also contributing to the high level of unemployment was the number of people who became jobless "involuntarily" — meaning they have been fired. Sackings rose 30,000 to 560,000, the first increase in nine months.
Seoul firms go North
Seoul on Friday gave five South Korean business firms including Samsung Electronics Co., (SEC) and Kolon Corp. approval to set up joint ventures in North Korea. The approval came five days ahead of talks in New York on an inter-Korean peace treaty and was "made in line with the policy of pursuing economic exchanges and cooperation to assist reconciliation and mutual trust," the Ministry of National Unification said. SEC plans to invest five million dollars to build facilities for an electronic Telephone switching system in Rajin-Sonbon, the Stalinist North’s sole free trade zone. Three other smaller companies–Shinwon, Parau Fisheries and Kum-O Food–plan to respectively invest in a sweater and jacket making factory, a fish processing plant and noodle and potato starch manufacturing facilities.
US may block air pact
The United States warned it would block a proposed marketing alliance linking Air France and the US carriers Delta and Continental in the absence of an overall aviation accord between Washington and Paris. "Until an acceptable bilateral agreement is in place, we are not prepared to approve code-sharing relationships or strategic alliances for French carriers or allow them to have significant capacity increases," Assistant Transportation Secretary Charles Hunnicutt told a Congressional hearing.
Hunnicutt said the United States seeks an "open skies" accord with France, which would allow market forces to determine prices, routes and flight frequencies.
Hunnicutt said Washington had proposed a three-year transition period leading upto open skies while Paris wants an "open trans-Atlantic regime" phased in over nine years.
