Tag - agency

 
 

AGENCY

JAPAN
Jan 14, 2016
Government eyes transfer of two agencies' functions to prefectures
Some functions within the Cultural Affairs Agency and Consumer Affairs Agency could be relocated to Kyoto and Tokushima prefectures, respectively, under a government plan to be finalized in March, sources said.
BUSINESS
Jan 13, 2016
Panel to ease rules for paid accommodation in private homes
A panel of experts set up by Japan's health ministry and tourism agency have agreed to ease regulations regarding paid accommodation in private homes as the number of overseas visitors to Japan continues to surge.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2016
Magnitude-4.5 quake hits northeastern Japan; no tsunami alert
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.5 jolted northeastern Japan on Monday, but there were no fears of tsunami, the Meteorological Agency said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2016
U.S. sues VW over Clean Air Act violations; liabilities could theoretically top $90 billion
The U.S. Justice Department on Monday filed a civil lawsuit against Volkswagen AG for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act by installing illegal devices to impair emission control systems in nearly 600,000 vehicles.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2015
Ambulance response times fall to Japan's worst ever
The average time taken to transport a patient to a hospital by ambulance following an emergency call was 39 minutes and 24 seconds in 2014, the worst on record, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2015
Japan to double tourism budget for fiscal 2016 to further lure visitors
The government plans to double the tourism agency's budget for fiscal 2016 to step up efforts to attract more foreign tourists, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2015
Laser incidents targeting aircraft reported in eight prefectures in past five years, says NPA
Laser incidents targeting aircraft have been reported in eight of the 47 prefectures since 2010, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2015
Cultural Affairs Agency transfer to Kyoto assumed as talks proceed
Kyoto's quest to host the Cultural Affairs Agency took a step forward last week, after education and culture minister Hiroshi Hase said talks in Tokyo on the issue would proceed under the assumption the move to Kyoto will take place.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2015
NRA's 'new management' call for Monju reactor proves divisive
Two decades after a sodium leak and fire shut it down and nearly six decades after it was first conceived, the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, suffered another blow Wednesday when the Nuclear Regulation Authority called for it to be turned over to another operator.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2015
Japan wants U.S. advice on procuring defense equipment
Japan's new agency for defense equipment procurement is tasked with utilizing advanced civilian technology for public purposes and needs to learn from the United States how to make procurement less costly and more efficient, its chief said.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2015
Nuclear regulator urges new Monju reactor operator to enhance safety
Japan's regulatory body opts to urge the science minister for a new entity to run a trouble-prone prototype fast-breeder reactor, after insufficient progress in safety management.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2015
Foreign tourists' spending in Japan hits record ¥2.6 trillion amid Chinese 'explosive buying'
Spending by foreign tourists in Japan hit a record ¥2.60 trillion ($21.7 billion) in the January-September period, already surpassing the all-time high of ¥2.28 trillion for the whole of last year, the government said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2015
New JICA head envisages 'effective approach' for ODA
Shinichi Kitaoka, the newly appointed president of Japan International Cooperation Agency, said he wants to carefully study the needs of recipients and work to provide development aid effectively given the country's limited financial resources.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2015
New sports agency chief Suzuki pledges 'new direction' for 2020 Olympics preparations
Former Olympic swimming champion Daichi Suzuki believes the launch of Japan's new sports agency can help lift the gloom surrounding Tokyo's preparations for the games.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2015
Defense Ministry launches new equipment management agency
The Defense Ministry launched a new agency Thursday to centralize its logistical needs and deal with the development, procurement and export of defense equipment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 27, 2015
Will bureaucrats stymie Kyoto's bid to lure central government bodies out of Tokyo?
Every decade or so, it seems talk arises in Japan about relocating the functions of the central government outside the capital.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2015
Tsunami of 80 cm strikes Japan after Chile quake; alert lifted
Small tsunami up to 80 cm high struck Japan early Friday morning, a day after a powerful earthquake off the coast of central Chile, the Meteorological Agency said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2015
Riverbank ruptures leave three dead, 22 missing; Sendai urges over 400,000 to evacuate
Torrential rain and flooding in eastern Japan had claimed three lives as of Friday, with 22 missing in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, after the Kinugawa River broke its banks.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2015
Japan begins 'research whaling' season off coast of Hokkaido
Japan's so-called research whaling season began Saturday off Kushiro, Hokkaido, to study the impact of minke whales on local fisheries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2015
Olympic swimming champion Suzuki tipped to lead new sports agency
The government is making final arrangements to tap Daichi Suzuki, who won the men's 100-meter backstroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, as the first chief of a sports agency to be launched next month, sources said Thursday.

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