Tag - local-government

 
 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 10, 2020
Japan governors face balancing act in reopening businesses amid pandemic
Governors are moving to lift emergency restrictions to get their prefectures up and running again, but can they strike the right balance between public safety and commerce?
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 9, 2020
Japan's hotels in a bind as mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients opt to heal at home instead
Despite legislative attempts to persuade mild and asymptomatic patients to isolate in hotels, most cooperating facilities are nearly empty.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 5, 2020
Japan to launch model project for land banks to manage plots left unused
The land ministry will begin a model project for so-called land banks this fiscal year, aiming to appropriately manage land plots that are left unused and find new ways to utilize them through regional cooperation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2020
Abe extends Japan's nationwide state of emergency, but prepares to relax some restrictions
The prime minister strikes a cautiously optimistic note, but adds that the situation remains grim for the country's strained health care system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2020
Governor moves to get Osaka back in business by mid-May despite pandemic
Despite the state of emergency, the governor appears eager to get businesses reopened before the government's expected extension ends.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 1, 2020
Cities in Japan flush bad image with upgraded public toilets
Municipalities are teaming up with corporations when carrying out renovations aimed at improving experience for tourists and families.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2020
More prefectures in Japan extend school closures amid virus uncertainty
Caution is the watch word for now when it comes to students and teachers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2020
Defiant pachinko parlors show limits of Japan’s shutdown request
As pachinko parlors continue to operate, disregarding appeals to shutter amid the coronavirus pandemic, local governments look to shame them into cooperation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2020
Coronavirus and LDP politics loom large over Shizuoka by-election
A Lower House by-election in Shizuoka Prefecture, the race for which officially kicked off Tuesday, is gaining attention nationwide, and not only for its possible national political impact.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 16, 2020
Japan's governors under the spotlight as coronavirus pandemic rages
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the national government to declare an emergency in seven prefectures. This, in turn, has put the spotlight on the powers and responsibilities of prefectural governors. Though often compared to state governors elsewhere, there are key differences.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2020
Governors seek state compensation for business closures due to virus
Japanese governors on Wednesday urged the state to compensate businesses so they can comply with requests to halt operations and cancel events, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2020
Local officials and residents fear influx from Japan's virus hot spots
With the number of novel coronavirus infections rising in Tokyo and other major urban centers, some concerned residents are fleeing to nearby prefectures where the number of cases is minimal.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’