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July 16, 2024
 

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GOVERNMENT

Vietnamese staff work at a seafood processing firm in Yamada, Iwate Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 17, 2023
86% of municipalities across Japan want more foreign workers, survey says
The poll underscores the serious shortage of workers in farming and other key sectors as the country grapples with a declining population.
A vote is held on conducting a preliminary survey on a potential nuclear waste disposal site, at the Tsushima Municipal Assembly in Nagasaki Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 12, 2023
Tsushima assembly approves request for nuclear waste site survey
If the island city decides to conduct the survey, it would receive up to ¥2 billion in state subsidies.
Police officers guide the Halloween crowd at the Shibuya scramble crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 31 last year.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 12, 2023
Shibuya’s mayor has a message for Halloween revelers: Don’t come
Shibuya’s scramble crossing has become the go-to spot for younger generations, but past incidents have fueled concern among officials.
Kaoru Sasaki (center) and her lawyers head to the Sapporo District Court on Monday for a damages suit seeking spousal benefits relating to her same-sex relationship.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 11, 2023
Sapporo court denies spousal benefits to same-sex couple
According to lawyers, the lawsuit is Japan's first centered on the family relationship of same-sex partners.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso (right) receives flowers in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday after winning a fifth term as governor.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2023
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso wins fifth term
Voter turnout rose to 56.63% from the record low of 53.46% logged in the previous election four years ago.
Students at Wakaura Elementary School in the city of Wakayama eat lunch in 2019. Wakayama Prefecture's school lunch program began in April 2017.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 3, 2023
Why a movement for free school lunches is spreading across Japan
By the end of this year, most of Tokyo’s wards will have policies to make lunch free in some form.
Mount Fuji has seen a large increase in the number of hikers, prompting a local government to devise new ways to control visitor numbers.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2023
Yamanashi governor proposes light rail system for Mount Fuji
The rail system, intended to address over-tourism, would replace the Fuji Subaru highway, which leads to one of the Mount Fuji’s fifth stations.
Foreign visitors in Kyoto. Local governments are rushing to use big data on spending by foreign visitors to analyze trends.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2023
Local governments tap big data on spending by foreign visitors
Such data allows authorities to analyze consumption trends in detail, "visualize" markets and place targeted advertisements.
Digital minister Taro Kono (right) tries out a device that allows the use of My Number cards as health insurance cards at Chigasaki City Hall in Kanagawa Prefecture on Aug. 9.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2023
My Number and beyond: What's holding back Japan’s digitalization?
The transition from analog to digital in the public sector has been a long-standing challenge for the country, spanning at least the past two decades.
A meeting is held in Tokyo on July 28 to decide on the recommended minimum wages.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2023
Some minimum wage hikes in Japan to top government recommendation
The new minimum wages for fiscal 2023, which began in April, will take effect in stages beginning Oct. 1.
A special committee of the assembly of the southwestern city of Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, voted Wednesday to adopt a petition calling on the city to accept a survey to examine whether it is suited to host a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear plants.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2023
Tsushima panel adopts petition for nuclear waste site survey
Such surveys are currently being conducted in the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai, both in Hokkaido.
Parents of private high school students in Osaka submit a letter to education minister Keiko Nagaoka (center, left) late last month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 12, 2023
Idea to make all Osaka high schools free sparks controversy
Private schools in Osaka Prefecture have voiced opposition to the plan, fearing increased financial burdens.
The streets of Kagoshima city on Wednesday amid strong winds from Typhoon Khanun.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 9, 2023
Japan prefectures drift away from posting disaster warnings on X
A growing number of prefectures have stopped posting disaster warnings on the platform due to limits on the number of free posts allowed.
Yukiko Kuwazuru (center), a member of the Shibuya Ward Assembly, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023
Tokyo ward deputy mayor resigns after calling assemblywoman 'pig'
The targeted assemblywoman said she was emotionally hurt, and that in the chat Shin Sawada had also exposed the address where she resides.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) and Digital Minister Taro Kono observe digitized administrative procedures in the city of Fukuoka on July 27.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2023
My Number report highlights errors by insurers and local governments
Roughly 20% of surveyed local governments followed the wrong procedures when linking My Number with disability records.
A promenade along the Sumida River in Tokyo in February 2020. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been trialing ferry services to make use of the city's waterways for commuting.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023
Tokyo trials ferries to ease congestion on roads and rail
After conducting two pilot programs in recent years, the city's government aims to launch commuter ferry operations in the current fiscal year.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a meeting of the government and ruling parties held at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday. The My Number system was among the issues discussed at the meeting.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2023
41% of local leaders seek delay to My Number card plans
The results come following a spate of personal data security errors in the My Number system.
A patch of ground after trees had withered and were removed in front of a Bigmotor branch in Higashisumiyoshi, Osaka Prefecture, on Thursday
JAPAN / Society
Jul 28, 2023
Dead trees bring fresh scandal to used-car chain Bigmotor
There is emerging speculation that the company may have perceived the roadside trees as a detriment to their business, possibly by obstructing the visibility of the displayed used cars.
The design for the Japan Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2023
Pessimism over Osaka Expo opening grows after construction head criticizes organizers
There is growing pessimism about the fate of the expo, with speculation that postponing the starting date might now be necessary in order to get everything completed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2023
Local governments in Tokyo spruce up donor gifts
Shinjuku Ward is considering a menu of unique gifts, such as crafts related to local industries including printing and dyeing, and a one-day 'mayor's experience' program.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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