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November 22, 2024
 

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GOVERNMENT

Shizuo Aishima's son next to a photo of his father in March. Aishima was one of the executives of spray-dryer Ohkawara Kakohki arrested on charges of illegal exporting in 2020. The charges were later dropped by prosecutors.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 21, 2024
Ohkawara investigators referred to prosecutors over falsified documents
Executives at Ohkawara Kakohki were arrested in 2020 on suspicion of illegally exporting chemical machinery, but the charges were later dropped.
There have been confirmed cases across the country of fraudsters using credit card information stolen through phishing to obtain digital currencies managed by local governments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 21, 2024
Japan's local digital currencies increasingly exploited by fraudsters
The fraudsters are believed to be targeting such currencies for the rewards that come with purchasing or making payments in the currencies.
Motohiko Saito speaks at a news conference in Kobe on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2024
Reelected Hyogo governor vows to serve with a 'humble heart'
Motohiko Saito returned for the first time in more than a month after being ousted from office over allegations of workplace harassment.
Motohiko Saito makes a speech following his reelection Sunday as governor of Hyogo Prefecture, a position he lost after the prefectural assembly unanimously passed a no-confidence vote against him in September.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2024
Hyogo governor reelected following ouster by assembly over harassment
Motohiko Saito garnered popular support despite strong opposition from political parties and a majority of Hyogo’s city mayors.
Kashiwazaki Mayor Masahiro Sakurai has expressed his willingness to conditionally green-light the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2024
Mayor accepting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant restart is reelected
Following safety inspections at the plant's No. 7 reactor, Tepco has finished its preparations to restart the facility.
Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Nov. 8.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2024
DPP leader clashes with governors over tax-free income limit
Prefectural governors fear that raising the ¥1.03 million limit would means less central government tax money for local services.
A bear sighting warning sign in a park at a residential area in the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture. Hanamaki has deployed along riverbanks artificial intelligence-equipped cameras that identify bears and alert city officials.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2024
Municipalities in Japan turn to AI and digital maps to prevent bear encounters
Akita Prefecture's online map consolidates reports of sightings and incidents while the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture has deployed cameras that identify bears.
In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government became the first among Japan's local authorities to issue green bonds.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 12, 2024
More municipalities tap green bonds as demand makes rates favorable
Green bond issuance by local government authorities in Japan has risen from ¥149.3 billion in 2022 to ¥443.1 billion in 2023.
Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono (right) and others call on users to stand still on the escalator in the city of Saitama in September.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 6, 2024
Stop walking on escalators, local Japanese authorities say
Prefectures and cities are using legislation or exploring other measures to discourage pedestrians from walking on escalators in the interest of safety.
An elderly woman lies on the floor of a classroom at an elementary school in Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, in March 2011 following the Great East Japan Earthquake earlier that month.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024
Tokyo government looks to ensure everyone has a bed at evacuation centers
The capital hopes to improve living conditions at evacuation centers and boost its disaster response capability.
Members of the public listen as a candidate for the Hyogo gubernatorial election speaks in Kobe on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2024
Campaigning kicks off for Hyogo gubernatorial election
Former Gov. Motohiko Saito is among seven candidates in an election that follows months of stagnated governance after allegations of misconduct surfaced against him.
The Miyagi Prefectural Government Building in Sendai. The prefecture plans to expand the option for a four-day workweek to all prefectural employees from fiscal 2026.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2024
Miyagi Prefecture to introduce four-day workweek for all employees
The program aims to reduce rising turnover and attract more applicants to government roles in Miyagi, the prefecture said.
People opposing tree cutting around Meiji Jingu Gaien stage a rally in the area on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2024
Tree-cutting begins in Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment project
Under a revised plan, 619 trees will be cut down, fewer than the 743 under the former plan.
A poster board for the Nov. 17 Hyogo gubernatorial election
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2024
Record seven candidates to run in Hyogo gubernatorial election
Among the seven is ousted former Gov. Motohiko Saito, who is seeking to return to office to "continue reforms."
New and strengthened rules aim to make street drinking a thing of the past in Shibuya's nightlife center — but the reality may not be that simple.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Oct 21, 2024
Can you drink in Shibuya and Shinjuku this Halloween? It depends.
Shibuya and Shinjuku are both planning on cracking down on street drinking this Halloween and beyond. But the problem might be bigger than a night of drunken revelry.
Former lawmakers cheer as the House of Representatives is dissolved on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024
Tottori assembly passes ordinance on election poster board use
The move came after many unrelated posters were displayed during the campaign period for the July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election.
Internal affairs minister Seiichiro Murakami speaks during an interview at the ministry in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 7, 2024
Japan's new internal affairs minister looks to boost regional revitalization
Seiichiro Murakami aims to increase the number of regional development cooperation volunteers from 7,200 to 10,000.
Shinjuku Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi (left) and Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2024
Tokyo mayors ask people to follow rules during Halloween
Shibuya and Shinjuku wards have each set an ordinance to prohibit drinking on the streets.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to a reporter on Sept. 27. Aggressive acts toward front-line workers, dubbed "customer harassment," have become a growing problem.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024
Tokyo passes nation's first customer harassment ordinance
The ordinance, however, does not include any criminal punishment for those accused of harassment.
A room in a temporary shelter in Kanagawa Prefecture for young people who have run away from home due to abuse and other reasons
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2024
Japan's children's agency looks to set up shelters for runaways
The agency has launched a project offering subsidies to prefectures and major cities that set up runaway shelters.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Russia launched intercontinental ballistic missile during attack on Ukraine, Kyiv says
A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during a test from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Northern Arkhangelsk region of Russia, in this still image captured from video released on Oct. 29.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’
SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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