Tag - agency

 
 

AGENCY

Masanobu Ogura (center left), then-minister in charge of policies related to children, receives a petition from Hiroki Komazaki (center right), founder of nonprofit organization Florence, in Tokyo on Sept. 1.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023
Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers
The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.
Delivery trucks at a parking area along the highway in Chiba Prefecture in April
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage
The planned expansion of the visa framework is to attract foreign nationals to the logistics industries and to address the driver shortage problem.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended since October 2022 after a positive doping test.
TENNIS
Sep 13, 2023
Simona Halep to appeal four-year ban for anti-doping rule violations
The 31-year-old former Wimbledon and French Open champion had been provisionally suspended since October 2022.
Officers of Chiba Prefectural Police department and child consultation center workers use a model house to conduct joint training in the city of Kimitsu in Chiba Prefecture last November.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2023
Record 219,000 cases of child abuse logged in Japan in fiscal '22
Over half of the total cases were reported to child consultation centers by police.
Digital transformation minister Taro Kono (right) speaks during a news conference at the Digital Agency in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2023
Japan to test use of My Number cards for alcohol and ticket sales
The agency will work with private business operators to examining whether use of My Number cards will help improve the efficiency of identity checks.
Masanobu Ogura (right), minister in charge of policies for children, speaks during a meeting of an experts' panel held Tuesday in Tokyo to discuss a planned system to require people seeking jobs related to children to submit certificates proving that they have no record of sex crimes.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2023
Planned sex-offense barring system drafted for child-related jobs
The Children and Families Agency plans to submit a bill to establish the system during this autumn's extraordinary Diet session.
Parents of children who were victims of sex crimes hold a news conference from behind partitions in Tokyo in July 2020.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2023
Japan to bar sex offenders from work in day nurseries and schools
A system certifying candidates as having no such convictions is being discussed by experts after cases involving sexual abuse by teachers and babysitters.
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2023
Japan plans to move some residency applications online by 2025
The expansion of online services is part of the Immigration Agency's efforts to meet the Digital Agency’s plan of achieving a “digital society” by 2025.
Digital minister Taro Kono (right) tries out a device that allows the use of My Number cards as health insurance cards at Chigasaki City Hall in Kanagawa Prefecture on Aug. 9.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2023
My Number and beyond: What's holding back Japan’s digitalization?
The transition from analog to digital in the public sector has been a long-standing challenge for the country, spanning at least the past two decades.
Passengers queue to board a shinkansen bullet train at Tokyo Station in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2023
Typhoon Lan set to crash Japan holiday week
Typhoon Lan is expected to make landfall Tuesday in central Japan, with warnings of heavy rain and flooding during the annual Bon summer holidays.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have agreed on Japan's visa exemption for Brazilian visitors during their summit in May.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2023
Japan to give Brazilians visa-free entry for short stays
Japan will allow Brazilian tourists to visit the country on short stays without visas starting Sept. 30, the government said Thursday, creating a reciprocal entry exemption between the two nations following a summit earlier this year.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) sits next to digital minister Taro Kono while speaking at a government review meeting on the My Number national identification cards.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023
Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?
Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
The newly created Children and Families Agency unveils its signboard last month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2023
Japan to promote new certification tackling child abuse
Set to launch in April 2024, the move is in response to the rise in abuse consultation requests — hitting record highs 31 years in a row.
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Minato Ward
JAPAN / Society
Aug 4, 2023
Foreign minors born, raised in Japan to be eligible for residency
The move comes in response to a controversial revision to the asylum law that was passed earlier this year.
Digital Minister Taro Kono discusses the My Number system inspection at a government meeting in Tokyo on June 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2023
My Number woes put digital minister Taro Kono under pressure
Another misstep could deal a further blow to the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and jeopardize the political standing of Kono.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2023
Japan's personal data commission inspects Digital Agency over My Number woes
The government's Personal Information Protection Commission has conducted an on-site inspection of the Digital Agency over problems involving My Number personal identification numbers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 12, 2023
My Number troubles are turning into a bigger headache for the government
Opinion polls have indicated latent public dissatisfaction with how the Kishida administration has been handling the matter.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2023
Commission to investigate Japan's Digital Agency over My Number card woes
The commission is considering taking the rare step of issuing administrative guidance to the agency over the issue, which has shaken public trust and sapped support for Kishida's Cabinet.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2023
Fujitsu halts residence certificate system as issues over My Number cards mount
The glitch adds to growing public concerns over My Number identification cards after a spate of reports detailing leaks of private information in recent months.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2023
Taro Kono expects 'big benefit' from use of AI by central government
The digital minister is eager to promote the active use of generative artificial intelligence by government workers.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals