Tag - family

 
 

FAMILY

An employee organizes baby supplies at a store in Siheung, South Korea, on Tuesday. A lack of babies is speeding up the aging of South Korean society, generating concerns about the growing fiscal burden of public pensions and healthcare.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 28, 2024
South Korea keeps shattering its own record for lowest fertility rate
The number of babies expected per woman in a lifetime fell to 0.72 last year from 0.78 in 2022.
Under a proposed joint custody system, if parents cannot reach an agreement, a family court would make a decision based on the interests of the child and family relations.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
Government panel proposes allowing joint child custody
Based on the report from the Legislative Council, the government plans to submit a related bill during the ongoing ordinary session of parliament.
Equinox, ridden by Christophe Lemaire, wins the autumn Tenno Sho horse race on Oct. 29 at Tokyo Racecourse.
JAPAN / History
Feb 15, 2024
Imperial family boasts enduring bond with horse racing
Emperor Meiji saw the need to improve the quality of domestic horses to boost Japan's standing with Europe and the U.S.
Japan is the only country with a law requiring married couples to adopt the same surname. In 95% of cases, it is women who take their husband's name.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2024
The land where single surnames are the only option
The business lobby recently joined calls for Japan to accept separate surnames after marriage. What, then, is standing in the way of change? Politics.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko pose for a photo at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Dec. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 1, 2024
Japan emperor hopes for expanded support for needy people
Emperor Naruhito, in a New Year's message on Monday, expressed his wish that support will expand for people facing difficulties.
Princess Kako speaks with Japanese Peruvians in Lima on Nov. 3 during an official visit to Peru.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2023
Japan's Princess Kako turns 29
The princess attended more events in the past year than before, reflecting the removal of COVID-19 pandemic-linked restrictions.
Empress Masako turned 60 on Saturday
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2023
Empress expresses feelings of gratitude and hope as she turns 60
Empress Masako turned 60 on Saturday as she expressed her deep gratitude to all those who have helped her.
Customers look at products on display outside a drug store in Tokyo on Friday. As part of a trial, 145 stores nationwide will be allowed to sell morning-after pills until the end of March.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 27, 2023
Japan to start trial of over-the-counter sales of morning-after pills
The health ministry will allow 145 stores nationwide to sell morning-after pills until the end of March.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet guests during the autumn garden party at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Nov. 2.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2023
LDP to consider imperial law revision for stable succession
The focus of discussions will be, in part, on whether to allow Japan to have a female emperor.
Seiko Noda (right), head of a suprapartisan group of lawmakers discussing assisted reproductive technology, addresses the group's general meeting held in the Diet building on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2023
Bill on sperm and egg donors seeks disclosure of some information
The draft seeks to allow information that is not personally identifiable, such as height, blood type and age, to be disclosed without donor's consent
Prince Hisahito is the only male member of the imperial family eligible to ascend the throne in the generation after Emperor Naruhito and his younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, who is the father of the 17-year-old prince.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2023
LDP to create new team on imperial succession
Prince Hisahito, Crown Prince Akishino's 17-year-old son, is the only member of his generation currently eligible.
A community health worker speaks during a meeting with pregnant teenagers, teen mothers and their partners, in Navotas, Metro Manila, in 2016.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 28, 2023
Can new law help tackle Philippines' teen pregnancy emergency?
The costs of teen pregnancies in the country are high, with around 30% of the population now under 15 years old.
Lawyers Kazuyuki Minami (left) and Masafumi Yoshida (right) representing a transgender woman show off signs that say "unconstitutional" and "sent back" to a lower court, during a news conference Wednesday in Tokyo after a Supreme Court decision.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 25, 2023
Supreme Court hands down landmark decision on transgender rights
A law requiring sterilization surgery to change a person's legal gender has been declared “unconstitutional."
Kanata Kimoto had his womb and ovaries removed in Thailand when he was 24, so he could have his legal gender status changed. Now he questions whether such an invasive and costly procedure was necessary.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 22, 2023
Calls grow to abolish Japan's surgery requirement for gender change
Between 2004 and 2022, a total of 11,919 people had their gender changed through the law in Japan.
Empress Emerita Michiko, who turned 89 on Friday, walks with her husband, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, at their residence in Tokyo on Oct. 6.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2023
Empress Emerita Michiko turns 89
The former empress enjoys observing seasonal insects and flowers at her residence.
Tohoku Imperial University, the predecessor of Tohoku University in Sendai, opened its doors to three women in 1913, who became the first female university students in Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2023
Ceremony marks 110 years of women at Japan universities
The predecessor of Tohoku University in Sendai opened its doors to three women in 1913, who became the first female university students in Japan.
Demonstrators during a Women's Day march in Tokyo on March 8
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 28, 2023
Consent issue casts shadow on safe abortion in Japan
The law stipulates that abortion must be carried out in the early stages of pregnancy with the consent of one's spouse.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako release young barfin flounder and shrimp into the sea during the 42nd annual national marine convention in the town of Akkeshi in Hokkaido on Sept. 17.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2023
Talks on imperial succession stall under Kishida administration
The prime minister has said that ensuring stable imperial succession is "an issue that cannot be put off," but no concrete steps have been taken.
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 6, 2023
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
To fight its abysmal birthrate, Seoul offers fertility treatments, cash bonuses and free child care, but only for straight, married couples.
Vivian Tung eats her first meal since the egg retrieval surgery. Tung is one of a rising number of women in Taiwan opting to freeze their eggs to give them the option to have a child later in life.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 2, 2023
A rising number of women in Taiwan are freezing their eggs
Demand for egg freezing has surged, with the number of women opting for the technology up 86% over the past three years.

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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?