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Philip Brasor
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 31, 2014
Call the sitter: Parents resort to online services out of economic necessity
Most Japanese parents who use babysitters do so because of work obligations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 29, 2014
Fashion takes a baby step in right direction
The fashion industry has been criticized for promoting impossible body images by pressuring models, directly or indirectly, to remain as skinny as possible. Nevertheless, so-called plus-size models have become well-represented in the industry over the past 30 years. In the beginning, it was a necessary...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 24, 2014
Consumption tax hike projected to increase appeal of electronic money
Your stash of u00a51 coins is about to get much bigger.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 22, 2014
Waiting for the death-penalty debate that never comes
The media breathlessly cover murder trials and profile suspects who face the death penalty, but once a sentence is handed down, they fall back.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 18, 2014
Believe it or not, pay phones are here to stay
Since 2002, the number of pay phones nationwide has dwindled by two-thirds.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 15, 2014
Olympics highlight the need for foreign blue-collar laborers
In a recent column, Tokyo Shimbun sportswriter Masaru Ogawa called on past and future Olympic athletes to come forward and talk about what he sees as the biggest problem facing the Tokyo 2020 Games: lack of construction workers. Next year, work on venues will start in earnest, but Japan is already burdened...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 10, 2014
Government's new scheme to bolster social security is still hopeless
The welfare ministry plans to spend u00a55.3 billion to 'increase' collections of national pension premiums.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 8, 2014
Media complicit in normalizing xenophobia
Since Japanese reporters are averse to characterizing domestic right-wing positions as being extreme, those positions come across as being normal, even sensible.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 3, 2014
In Japan, you can leave it all up to the moving company
It's often described as one of the most stressful events of human life — but in Japan moving house is virtually a breeze.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 3, 2014
Tax structure encourages getting wasted
Alcohol manufacturers have figured out ways to use the tax system to their advantage.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 1, 2014
Trite TV drama about children's home misses a chance to edify and entertain
Groups including the National Council for Children's Group Homes and Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto have accused NTV of 'violating human rights' and displaying 'prejudice against the children as well as the staff who are working in these childcare institutions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 26, 2014
For young women sex industry offers safety net the government doesn't
Young women with little education and no prospects for marriage face a dire job situation, except for one area.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 22, 2014
Japan takes baby steps toward a proper debate about animal rights
On Jan. 10, convenience store chain Family Mart started selling a new bentō (boxed lunch) with a heavy-duty name to complement its hefty ¥600 price: Famima Premium Koroge Wagyu-iri Hamburger Bento, which "contains" high-quality Japanese ground beef. For an added touch of extravagance, it also came...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 18, 2014
Consumption tax rush approaching peak time
Many who want to avoid the higher consumption tax by buying now may not save as much money as they think.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 15, 2014
Samuragochi scandal shows that tin-eared classical music fans can be suckers for stories
What makes Mamoru Samuragochi's story interesting is not that he got away with his subterfuge for so long, but that the media, the public and even professional musicians accepted the story as being proof of his value as an artist.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 12, 2014
Regional bank hits on novel way to attract business
Chiba resident wins big on year-end lottery thanks to local bank.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 8, 2014
NHK drama takes a wild stab at a dying art
The hero of 'Uzumasa Limelight' has made his living for half a century as a kirare-yaku in sword-fighting movies. Kirare-yaku have a specific role: Their job is to die on screen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 4, 2014
When will they learn: Old folks still falling for swindlers
Telephone swindlers are finding new, inventive ways to cheat old people.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 3, 2014
The housing conundrum: To own or not to own
The population is not increasing and there's a shrinking pool of potential buyers for the home you bought 20 years ago, or 10 years ago, or even yesterday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 1, 2014
Paternity testing opens up a world of hurt for families — and family courts
The paternity test procedure can now cost as little as ¥30,000, which means it's affordable to anyone. Recently, an increasing number of Japanese men have been carrying out DNA testing on their children, usually because they suspect their wives of cheating.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?