Tag - fyi

 
 

FYI

Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 3, 2012
Volunteers struggle to track neediest residents
Welfare commissioners cover a broad array of tasks, including regularly checking in on elderly and disabled residents, looking for signs of child abuse, providing local residents with information about services, and even helping them dispose of garbage.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 27, 2012
Tohoku in rebuilding bubble
As Tohoku struggles to rebuild from last year's quake and tsunami, money continues to pour into the region in the form of central government subsidies for cleanup, repair and reconstruction.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 14, 2012
Literary awards run spectrum
When writer Shinya Tanaka won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize last month, he said, "I deserve this," paraphrasing U.S. actress Shirley MacLaine at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1984.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 10, 2012
Student count, knowledge sliding
Education experts have for years been lamenting the academic decline of young Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 27, 2011
Many angles to acquiring Japanese citizenship
Nationality has long been a controversial issue in Japan. For most, it is something they are born with; for others, it is something they had to fight for. For some, nationality may be a source of pride, while for others, it may be the cause of discrimination.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 6, 2011
Tax, pension breaks called favoritism for homemakers
The tax and social security systems have long been seen as favoring full-time homemakers over working women because they are based on single-income households.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 12, 2011
Nuclear fears reawaken mass anger
Compared with the West, and recently the Middle East, which has been swept by civil uprisings, Japan is not commonly known for having large-scale demonstrations or violent antigovernment protests.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 5, 2011
Welfare rise: sign of economic, aging times
The Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to maintain the minimum standard of wholesome and cultured living. Thus to help those struggling to make ends meet, the government provides financial aid according to poverty level while encouraging them to get back on their feet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 14, 2010
Is prefectural alliance a step toward superstates?
OSAKA — After years of planning, a regional alliance of seven prefectures was created earlier this year and held its first meeting this month.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 17, 2010
Kindergartens, day care centers may merge
When it comes to finding a place to park the kiddies for the day, working parents generally have two options: kindergartens and day care facilities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 26, 2010
Taxation about striking the right balance
With the country mired in fiscal debt, the government is depending more than ever on finding stable sources of tax revenue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 20, 2010
Expat clubs boast bygone cachet
OSAKA — In the years following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when Japan ended nearly 2 1/2 centuries of isolation, Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe in particular saw a large influx of Western men in uniform, merchants, teachers and clerics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 29, 2010
Elementary schools to get English
Starting next fiscal year, all elementary schools will be required to introduce compulsory English lessons for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 30, 2010
Capital crimes soon to lose statute
The Democratic Party of Japan-led government recently approved a bill to abolish the statute of limitations on crimes that could be punishable by hanging in a move experts say signals a major shift in the justice system.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 20, 2009
Abortion still key birth control
People may be surprised to know abortion has been legal in Japan since 1949, more than a decade earlier than in other industrialized countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 11, 2009
Todai still beckons nation's best, brightest but goals diversifying
For more than 130 years, the University of Tokyo has been unrivaled as the gateway to elite careers for thousands of hopeful candidates who pass the exam to get in.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 28, 2009
Japan's funerals deep-rooted mix of ritual, form
Funerals in Japan incorporate a unique mixture of religion, tradition, culture, ritual and geography that to the outsider may appear perplexing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 21, 2009
The past, present and future of fortunetelling
From the traditional "omikuji" — sacred lots — people draw at shrines and temples to learn their New Year's fortunes, to the horoscopes displayed on commuter train video screens to distract strap-hangers, Japanese society is immersed in fortunetelling.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 24, 2009
Christianity's long history in the margins
Prime Minister Taro Aso may be a proclaimed Christian, but as far as the spread of the faith among the populace, it finds only a marginal presence.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 10, 2009
Recession won't sour Valentine's
Valentine's Day is fast approaching and stores are geared up to cater to that special time when women give their romantic others a sweet treat and, in the Japanese workplace, offer colleagues tasty tidbits out of gratitude.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
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