Tag - family

 
 

FAMILY

The total fertility rate dropped to 1.5 children per woman in 2022 from 3.3 in 1960 on average across OECD countries, a report from the organization has said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 21, 2024
Birth rates halve in richer nations as costs weigh, OECD report says
Many in OECD member countries are now choosing to have children later in life or not at all, the report said.
Emperor Naruhito speaks during a news conference at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday, ahead of his visit to Britain from Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2024
Emperor recalls time with British royals ahead of visit to U.K.
"I have very fond memories of the Queen driving a car and inviting me to a barbecue," Emperor Naruhito said.
Renho (left) and incumbent Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike are both pushing for child care policies in their campaign pledges for the Tokyo gubernatorial election next month.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2024
Koike and Renho take aim at Tokyo's declining birth rate
In unveiling their campaign manifestos, both gubernatorial contenders have pledged to bolster child-rearing policies.
Fukushiro Nukaga, speaker of the House of Representatives (right), speaks during a news conference after the first meeting of ruling and opposition parties on imperial family succession in May.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2024
Japan to put off agreement on imperial family measures
Parties are at odds over a proposal to allow female members to retain their status after getting married to commoners.
Emperor Naruhito (left) meets with Luxembourg's Crown Prince Guillaume at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024
Emperor Naruhito meets with Luxembourg's crown prince
At the meeting the Emperor expressed his gratitude for the sympathy from Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri for people and areas affected by the Noto quake.
Empress Emerita Michiko visits Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024
Japan's former Empress Michiko recovers from COVID-19
The former empress tested negative for the COVID on Monday morning.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko enjoy cycling at the Imperial Stock Farm in Tochigi Prefecture in May.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024
Photos of Emperor Naruhito's family released
Among the images are seven photos taken by the emperor with his own camera.
Tomomi Bitoh, 33, Japan's top ultrarunner, stretches as she takes part in a workout session around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2024
As Japan's birth rate drops, runner freezes her eggs to sustain motherhood dream
Last year Tokyo authorities started offering subsidies of up to ¥300,000 ($1,900) for women aged between 18 and 39 to have their eggs frozen for future pregnancies.
Japan’s birth rate has been in decline for decades as more women choose to get married and start a family later in life.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 5, 2024
Japan’s birth rate hit new low in 2023
The latest figure of 1.20 is 0.06 point down from the previous year in 2022 and the lowest since the government started keeping records in 1947.
A photo of Princess Yuriko taken on May 22, 2023, before her 100th birthday. She turned 101 on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024
Princess Yuriko, oldest member of Japan's imperial family, turns 101
The great-aunt of Emperor Naruhito has also become the oldest member of the imperial family born in or after the Meiji Era, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet guests during the spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo on April 23. The imperial couple will make a state visit to U.K. in late June.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024
Japan's emperor and empress to pay three-day state visit to U.K.
The imperial couple will arrive on June 22, but will spend the first three days in private engagements before the official state visit from June 25 to 27.
Royalty took the top image spots on the June 3, 1924, edition of The Japan Times. In addition to Japan's imperial celebrations, the paper nodded to the birthday of Britain's King George V.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jun 1, 2024
Japan Times 1924: Tokyo gaily makes merry
After having suffered from a devastating earthquake the previous year, a royal wedding brings back a celebratory mood to the capital.
Some 2,181 morning-after pills were sold at 145 pharmacies across the nation, with Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture recording over 200 sales each.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 20, 2024
Morning-after pill buyers back prescription-free sales following trial
Some 27% of purchases were made on Saturdays and Sundays, when many clinics are closed.
Representatives of the ruling bloc and opposition parties meet in Tokyo on Friday to start discussions on possible relaxations of the imperial family's strict succession rules.
JAPAN
May 17, 2024
Lawmakers begin talks on Japan's dwindling imperial line
Japan currently has only one heir: Emperor Naruhito's 17-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito.
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
For decades in Japan, one parent — almost always the mother — has been granted legal custody when a marriage ends.
Princess Aiko visits an exhibition featuring Japanese literature from the Heian period held at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
May 12, 2024
Princess Aiko visits Heian literature exhibition
It was the first time for the 22-year-old princess, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, to perform official duties alone.
Japan’s custody system may soon change with the introduction of joint custody, though issues like a lack of protection against domestic violence and abuse must also be tackled.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2024
Joint custody alone won’t fix Japan’s flawed system
Japan could be on the verge of adopting joint custody. While to some this is a step in the right direction, it may not be enough to protect families.
Taro Aso (center), vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, hands the party's proposals for securing a sufficient number of imperial family members to Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga (left) at the parliamentary building on April 26.
JAPAN
May 8, 2024
Interparty talks on shrinking imperial family may start next week
The talks are likely to focus on retaining female imperial family members after marriage and adopting male relatives.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak to evacuees at a shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024
Emperor Naruhito marks five years since enthronement
The emperor's first five years on the throne were largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Apr 29, 2024
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
Among official records in Japan, the "koseki" is key to discovering where you came from. However, it's not without controversy.

Longform

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