Tag - free

 
 

FREE

Passengers walk through the departure lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2024
Over ¥300 million in taxes not collected from foreign tourists in 2022
In cases where the amount of duty-free purchases exceeds ¥100 million, authorities notify travelers of consumption taxation.
Fast Retailing booked its third consecutive year of record earnings on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024
Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing posts 31% rise in full-year profit, beats estimates
Operating profit rose 31% to ¥500.9 billion in the 12 months through August from ¥381.1 billion a year earlier.
Elementary school student Yugo Hirata, who uses a wheelchair, swims with the assistance of Edogawa-ku General Gymnasium staff member Michiyo Tominaga at a dedicated facility for people with disabilities in Tokyo on June 22.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 15, 2024
Projects eye better sports facility access for people with disabilities
Efforts are being made to create a network linking specialized sports facilities for people with disabilities with general public facilities.
Fahmi Fadzil
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 8, 2024
Malaysia shelves web traffic re-routing plan after censorship concerns
The directive, which was supposed to take effect on Sept. 30, had sparked concerns about increasing online censorship and potential damage to Malaysia's digital economy.
An elevator at the Stade de France commuter train station in Saint-Denis, near Paris, France. Paris built highly accessible accommodation for competitors in the 2024 Paralympic Games, but overall, the city remains difficult to navigate for people with disabilities.
PARALYMPICS
Sep 2, 2024
Paris is utopia for Paralympians until they leave the athletes village
It will be decades before the city's streets, sidewalks and parks achieve even a semblance of the Paralympic Village’s accessibility.
 Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
A revision of the current system is being considered to prevent goods bought tax-free from being resold within the country.
Travelers in front of a Suntory duty-free shop at Kansai International Airport in December
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2024
Duty-free sales at Japan's department stores tripled in May
Record sales were achieved with the help of a significant influx of Chinese tourists and the yen’s weakness.
People involved in an appeal trial over forced sterilization head to the Osaka High Court in February 2022.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Japan's top court to take measures for disabled plaintiffs
It will be the first time for the top court to implement measures for disabled people on a large scale.
From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 16, 2024
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think
We discuss everything from accessibility in Tokyo to dealing with trains and the country’s shifting attitudes.
An audio work by Saga University's Art Works to Listen and Imagine project is available on the internet.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Apr 8, 2024
Experiencing art exhibitions through listening
Events and exhibitions are being held to encourage visitors to appreciate artworks with their ears and imagination.
Demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on March 18 as justices hear arguments on whether the 
government has the right to encourage social media companies to remove content it deems misinformation. 
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2024
It's just fine if public officials block you on social media
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision should reduce the frequency of litigation over social-media blocking. But it won’t eliminate it altogether.
A Sapporo municipal official uses a telephone relay service at the city office in April last year.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 14, 2024
Phone relay service helps hard of hearing government staff
The service facilitates communication for workers hard of hearing and those with speech impediments by connecting them with operators online.
Japan's revised law on eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities is scheduled to take effect in April.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2024
Websites in Japan becoming more friendly to people with disabilities
Japan's revised law on eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities is scheduled to take effect in April.
Diagnosed at a young age with a rare variant of glycogen storage disease type IV, Mark Bookman went on to distinguish himself in academia in both the United States and Japan.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Feb 19, 2024
New film honors life and legacy of disability pioneer Mark Bookman
Free screenings of THE new documentary on Japan-based disability rights advocate Mark Bookman will be held around Tokyo on Feb. 24, 25 and 27.
Foreign tourists at a duty-free counter in a department store in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2024
Duty-free sales at Japan department stores hit record high in 2023
The rise reflected the weak yen, as well as an increase in the number of foreign visitors to Japan.
Hiroko Higashino, who was born with three fingers on her right hand, plays an AI-powered piano during a rehearsal for a Christmas concert in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2023
AI-assisted piano allows disabled Tokyo musicians to perform Beethoven
To assist players, the Anybody's Piano tracks the notes of the music and augments the performance by adding whatever keys are needed but not pressed.
An Albanian communist hangs a banner with Enver Hoxha's image in a public cemetery in Tirana in April 2012 to mark the anniversary of the hard-line Stalinist dictator's death.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2023
When freedom does not bring about justice
From communism to capitalism, Lea Ypi's book,"Free: Coming of Age at the End of History" reflects on Albania's transition to freedom.
Welcia Holdings, Japan’s largest drugstore chain, is one of the first Japanese companies to respond to China easing its ban on group tours to a raft of countries last week.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2023
Japan drugstore chain boosts duty-free counters on China bets
The company plans to offer duty-free services at 1,000 stores, up from about 260 currently, and it expects tourists to travel beyond Japan’s major cities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 24, 2023
Airbnb’s newest venture is in Japan’s most hidden village
Airbnb has partnered with one rural family to offer two lucky guests a free two-night stay in their traditional thatch-roofed home.

Longform

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