1.   Until the Food Protection Bill became law, the ministry had no power to ban dangerous pesticides.

2.   The ministry had direct control over every aspect of foreign trade.

3.   And the ministry has relaxed rules to make it easier for the Japanese to invest more abroad.

4.   As part of that reform, the ministry has given pension fund managers more choice about who can handle their money.

5.   Asked if the ministry had plans to propose a second supplementary budget to spur recovery, Takemura said no such plans were being discussed.

6.   A ministry spokesman confirmed that the ministry does have a plan to create a network of fibre-optic cables.

7.   A spokesman for the foreign minister, Hubert Vedrine, said the ministry would not have an official comment until Friday.

8.   Congress is reviewing the award amid charges that the ministry may not have followed standard bidding procedures.

9.   Critics point out that the ministry has a checkered record on managing free markets.

10.   Hayami said today that his comment had been misconstrued, and Miyazawa denied that the ministry had any plans to intervene.