Tag - mental-health

 
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December 21, 2024
 

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MENTAL HEALTH

The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2024
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The poll found that people worry most about their own health, plans for life after retirement, and the outlook for future income and assets.
Nobuko Nishizawa, the younger sister of Kotaro Nishizawa, director of a mental health clinic in Osaka who died in an arson attack three years ago, prays outside the site on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2024
Three years on, mourners remember those lost in Osaka arson attack
“My life completely changed," said one woman who lost her son in the attack on a mental health clinic in Osaka’s Kita Ward that left 26 dead.
From late 2025, platforms including Meta's Instagram, Elon Musk's X, TikTok and Snapchat must show Australians they are taking reasonable steps to keep out users under 16 or face fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million).
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal / ANALYSIS
Nov 29, 2024
Australia looks for ways to enforce its teen social media ban
From late 2025, social media platforms including Instagram, X, TikTok and Snapchat must show Australians they are taking reasonable steps to keep out users under 16.
The Social Media Minimum Age bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments which have legislated or said they plan to legislate an age restriction on social media amid concern about its mental health impact on young people.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 29, 2024
Australia passes social media ban for children under 16
The law forces tech giants to prevent minors from logging in or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
According to a recent survey by Child Fund Japan, a nonprofit, one in eight minors in Japan have experienced online requests from strangers to meet or for sexual photos. Despite the potential harms of social media, strong regulations are lacking.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 28, 2024
Japan doesn't need a social media ban, but it must protect children
Short of stopping minors from using social media, Japan needs to beef up its response to an evermore perilous online environment. One that adults often struggle to grasp.
In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 28, 2024
Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
The study showed that Alzheimer's disease can be predicted by identifying the "head-turning sign" in response to questions.
Workers remove flowers from a makeshift memorial outside the Zhuhai Sports Center in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province on Nov. 13, two days after 35 people were killed in one of the country's deadliest car attacks in years.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 20, 2024
Mass casualty attacks in China put focus on mental health as economy slows
The events have led to a spike in worries about the health of society in China, where attacks have occurred with alarming regularity throughout 2024.
Since inmates with mental disabilities often repeat similar offenses after a short period of time — partly due to a lack of necessary support — increased help from staffers with specialized knowledge is becoming crucial.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 18, 2024
Ministry ramps up support for prisoners with mental disabilities in Japan
One of the main targets is to reduce the recidivism rate, which tends to be higher for prisoners with mental and developmental disabilities.
For patients using donanemab, it will cost them about ¥3.08 million per year. But national insurance coverage will have the government shoulder most of the cost.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 13, 2024
Japan OKs insurance coverage of Alzheimer's drug donanemab
Donanemab became the second Alzheimer's drug that targets causative deposited plaque in the brain to win the coverage after lecanemab.
An expert committee convened by the health ministry has proposed introducing a limit on consecutive workdays.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2024
Japan to ban employees from working for 14 consecutive days
Employers are currently required to provide one day off a week, but loopholes mean some employees can work up to 48 days in a row.
In recent years, anglophone publishers have perked up to the potential of “healing fiction,” driven by a healthy appetite for East Asian literature. Japan figures prominently in this literary landscape, and a fondness for felines in the "iyashikei" (healing type) genre has proven commercially viable abroad.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 2, 2024
Cat companions and the 'healing fiction' boom
Japan's "iyashikei" (healing type) cultural products are gaining audiences, and non-Japanese readers are craving cozy feline literature in translation.
The health ministry’s report shows that the number of elementary, junior high and high school students who took their own lives in 2023 stood at 513, one fewer than last year's record of 514.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 29, 2024
Japan’s struggle with youth suicide sparks government initiatives
The health ministry’s report shows that the number of elementary, junior high and high school students who took their own lives remained alarmingly high.
Nearly two-thirds of parents of Australian teenagers reported concerns about their children's social media use, according to a 2024 survey by youth service ReachOut.
WORLD / Society
Oct 16, 2024
Australia's planned social media ban raises teen isolation fears
For teenagers from migrant, LGBTQIA+ and other minority backgrounds, an age block could cut off access to essential social support.
An office worker inside a commercial building at night in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2024
Widespread overwork and stress found in Japan's arts and health sectors
In the arts and entertainment sector, over 40% of technical staff and stage directors worked 60 hours or more in a week, a health ministry survey found.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his dog, Dekopin, who delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior to a game against the Orioles on Aug. 28
MORE SPORTS
Oct 6, 2024
The furry performance-enhancers that are sweeping the world of sports
Athletes from Shohei Ohtani to Naomi Osaka are using dogs to reduce stress and help enhance performance before and during high-stakes competitions.
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.
According to a man seeking compensation through the courts for his forced hospitalization at a psychiatric ward, it was clear from his medical records that there was no need for him to stay in hospital from 1988.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 1, 2024
Plaintiff denied compensation for decadeslong stay at hospital
Plaintiff Tokio Ito, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, claimed that he suffered emotional damage from the extremely long and involuntary stay.
Lewis Hamilton, who has been racing competitively since he was 6, says he has battled depression during childhood and as an adult.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 1, 2024
Hamilton reveals long battle with depression in Times interview
'I’ve struggled with mental health through my life, depression from a very early age,' the Formula One driver said.
Pedestrians in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York on Dec. 26, 2023
WORLD / Society
Sep 27, 2024
Chinese Americans face racism and mental health risks amid tensions
Survey respondents were presented with questions covering their experience of discrimination, political engagement and opinions on China-U.S. relations.
Public awareness and support for people with dementia has significantly improved in Japan over the years, but the long-term sustainability of such support systems is a concern, experts say.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 20, 2024
Dementia advocates worry public attitudes preventing diagnosis
Eighty percent of the public thinks dementia is a normal part of aging, meaning the need for correct diagnosis and care is possibly being neglected.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

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

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