Tag - japanese

 
 

JAPANESE

From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 19, 2024
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
The penitentiary houses the biggest population of foreign prisoners in Japan, and as such is taking measures to accommodate them in terms of language, culture, food and lifestyle.
Italian chef and restaurateur Massimo Bottura is increasingly focusing on passing on his knowledge to chefs such as Antonio Iacoviello.
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 18, 2024
Massimo Bottura: 'The Japanese let ingredients express themselves'
The renowned chef and restaurateur talks about passing on his legacy and the "transfer of emotions" involved in cooking a successful dish.
The colored patterns of Tsuguru "nuri," made in Aomori Prefecture, are achieved by applying multiple coatings of lacquer, which are later polished down to reveal layers of colors beneath.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
May 18, 2024
A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts
Described as “collector's items,” the works are being kept under wraps until their debut at a May 24-25 exhibition at Kudan House in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward.
Atsuhiko Kurokawa, the head of Tsubasa no To, is taken to the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Friday after being arrested.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Political group's chief arrested for Tokyo poll obstruction
Atsuhiko Kurokawa, who heads Tsubasa no To, allegedly disrupted the speeches of opponents during April's by-election in Tokyo along with two others.
The Tokyo court's ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Can AI-generated inventions be patented? A Tokyo court says no.
The ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
For decades in Japan, one parent — almost always the mother — has been granted legal custody when a marriage ends.
Toyota President Koji Sato announces the company's earnings results in Tokyo on May 8.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024
Japan firms brace for earnings slumps after marking record profits
Companies are concerned over the weak yen, global conflict and inflation hitting personal spending.
The rate of the U.S. dollar against the yen is displayed on an electronic stock board outside a securities firm in Tokyo earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024
Majority of Japanese firms say weak yen hurts profits: survey
About half of surveyed companies said a yen trading around ¥110 to ¥120 to the dollar would be appropriate.
A new system under which bicycle riders pay fines for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment is expected to be introduced in Japan no later than 2026.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Japan passes bill to introduce 'blue ticket' fines for cyclists
The new system will be applied to offenders aged 16 and above who breach traffic regulations.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
May 17, 2024
BOJ could raise rates as soon as June, ex-chief economist says
An increasing number of analysts have flagged the risk of a summer hike as the sinking yen raises the risks of the price trend moving higher.
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.
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024
Japanese billionaire sues Meta over investment scams using his image
Yusaku Maezawa is suing Meta for its negligence in regulating the use of his name and image in investment scams on its social media platforms.
Investigators are looking into whether the robberies were carried out by the same suspects.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024
Tochigi police suspect two men held over theft linked to similar crimes
The Tochigi police formed a joint investigation team with the Gunma and Nagano prefectural police after similar cases were reported in their respective prefectures.
Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2024
Japan’s economy contracts as consumers and firms cut spending
Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
The Waseda University campus in Tokyo. An 18-year-old male test-taker is suspected of using smart glasses to cheat during the university's entrance exam.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024
Man suspected of using smart glasses to cheat on Waseda University exams
Photos of the tests were posted on the social media platform X to solicit answers.
Residents who sought to stop the restart of the No. 2 reactor of the Shimane nuclear power plant hold up signs saying "The judiciary abandoned residents" and "Our voices did not reach it" on Wednesday in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, after a court dismissed their petition.
JAPAN
May 15, 2024
Court rejects petition to halt Shimane nuclear reactor
The court also dismissed residents' claim that evacuation plans for the 820,000-kilowatt unit in the prefectural capital of Matsue were inadequate.
Japanese companies are raising payouts to shareholders as the Tokyo Stock Exchange pressures firms to improve capital efficiency and valuations.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 15, 2024
Japan firms boost dividends and buybacks, aiding Topix amid TSE pressure
The moves come as the Tokyo Stock Exchange pressures companies to improve capital efficiency and valuations, and have spurred a rebound in the Topix index.
Police believe it’s highly possible that human bones found in a molten iron pot at Nippon Steel's Oita factory belong to a missing male employee.
JAPAN
May 15, 2024
Human bone-like objects found at Nippon Steel plant’s molten iron pot, with one worker missing
The police said it’s highly possible that the bones belong to an employee who had been reported missing, and are currently conducting DNA tests.
Gloomy economic conditions, especially weak consumption, raise questions over whether the Bank of Japan will be able to take further steps toward policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2024
Japan GDP data expected to show contraction for first quarter
The preliminary data is expected to show that spending by consumers and companies fell, while net exports dragged on growth for the first time in a year.
The Japanese view of China is deteriorating, characterized by a fear of arbitrary detention and the belief the country, economically, is past its peak. The Chinese see Japan as declining and too reliant on the United States. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2024
Can Japan and China bridge their ever-widening ‘perception gap’?
Despite the fear, many of the worries Japanese have about visiting China are unfounded. Bridging the gap requires both nations to resume exchanges.

Longform

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