Tag - parenthood

 
 

PARENTHOOD

Women with children interact in a lounge at a postpartum care facility in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2024
Private companies increasingly expanding into postpartum care
Companies such as Nestle Japan and Mitsubishi Estate have launched initiatives aimed at mothers and children
A line of children's clothes featuring slogans about lazy, uninvolved fathers have sparked an online backlash.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2024
Japan store pulls 'lazy dad' kid clothes after backlash
Some commentators called them an affront to hard-working fathers, while others said they highlighted the country's childcare gender gap that weighs heavily on women.
Passengers exit trains at Hamamatsucho Station in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 1, 2024
Paternity leave uptake in Japan hits record 30%
The new record represents a 13 percentage point increase from the previous year.
Hungary, which has increased its birth rate since 2010, has adopted policies that support those who want or have children, including financial incentives, housing subsidies and better work-life balance.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 31, 2024
Why do young people in Hungary want kids more than in Japan?
Marriage and birth rates are plummeting in Japan, while many young people in Hungary want families thanks to measures that support their choices in life and at work.
U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, addresses a crowd of supporters during a campaign event at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 27, 2024
J.D. Vance’s ‘cat ladies’ insult sparks criticism of Trump’s VP pick
Comments JD Vance made in 2021 disparaging "childless cat ladies” are drawing criticism from not only Democrats, but also some members of his own party.
Workers of Save the Children Japan make preparations on July 11 in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, to deliver food to households facing financial difficulties.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024
Japanese households worried about summer vacation food costs
A Save the Children Japan survey found that 89.4% of those applying for food aid said they lack enough money for adequate food due to rising prices.
A child gets a break from the heat thanks to a cooling mist machine at Sensoji temple in Tokyo.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 24, 2024
Whether it's the pool or the park, teach your kids how to be safe this summer vacation
Your children are likely to sneak out of the house for some fun while school is out. Make sure they know the importance of "squid sushi."
Newly hired central government workers listen to a video message by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a training session in April.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024
Japan weighs abolishing government workers' spousal allowance
A monthly spousal allowance of ¥6,500 ($42) is provided if the dependent's annual salary is below ¥1.3 million, and the child allowance is ¥10,000 per child.
Covers for paper fans used for oshikatsu activities are sold at a Sanrio shop in Nagoya.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024
60% of Japanese moms enjoy supporting their favorites through 'oshikatsu'
68.5% of mothers spend less than ¥50,000 a year on oshikatsu, with those who spend ¥50,000 or more and less than ¥300,000 accounting for 20.7%.
The Aichi Prefectural Police headquarters in Nagoya. Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested a 33-year-old woman and her common-law husband on suspicion of assaulting and causing the death of her 7-year-old daughter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 19, 2024
Mother and partner arrested over 7-year-old girl’s death
The girl, who died in May from septic shock, had been temporarily taken into protective custody twice between 2022 and 2023.
The child care program under discussion is aimed at addressing the issue of isolation of parents raising young children and fostering their growth through interactions with other kids.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2024
Japan discussing details of day care for all infants
Under the program, set to launch by fiscal 2025, day care services will be available for all children aged 6 months to 2 years.
Yusuke Goto (center) is taken to the Ebara Police Station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on June 19.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2024
Tokyo man arrested on fresh charges of killing his three children
Yusuke Goto admitted to the allegations, telling police officers: "I did an atrocious act. I'm sorry."
A woman holds a baby wrapped in a blanket as displaced Palestinians leave an area in east Khan Younis after the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of the city on July 1.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024
Gaza's pregnant women defy odds to give birth and protect their babies
For new mothers in Gaza, giving birth in a warzone is just the first step on a traumatic journey marked by constant fear and anxiety.
Ayaka Saito works on a lathe to make a part for a ship at Ena Seisakusho in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture. Saito, who has a 1-year-old child, takes comfort in the fact that her employer allows time off for workers for parenting duties.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 8, 2024
Special skills allow Fukushima mother to shine in full-time job
Her employer also lets her take time off to care for her child, a rare policy seen as pivotal in getting more women back to the workforce.
Police investigate the site where a newborn baby was found abandoned in a trash bin in Tokyo's Nerima Ward on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 4, 2024
Tokyo woman arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder newborn baby
A baby boy was found abandoned in a trash bin in Nerima Ward. The suspect partially denied the charges, stating she did not intend to kill the baby.
People holds a banner saying "Protect children from joint custody after divorce" during a rally outside the parliament building in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 25, 2024
Gender gap fuels disputes as Japan gets joint custody
The change has proved polarizing in a country where campaigners say sole custody acts as a bulwark against forms of domestic abuse.
Perhaps being seen in the company of your own children in the right places — playgrounds, schools, etc. — can make you seem more approachable and allow children to say exactly what’s on their mind.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 24, 2024
‘You’re a spy, then?’ The odd interactions of a non-Japanese father in Japan
Remember to keep your ears open whenever you’re near children and you’re guaranteed to hear something that’ll make you think.
The Supreme Court in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Society
Jun 21, 2024
Japan's Supreme Court recognizes transgender woman as parent
It was the first decision by the top court on whether to recognize a parent-child relationship in a case in which a biological father had a child after transitioning.
The total fertility rate dropped to 1.5 children per woman in 2022 from 3.3 in 1960 on average across OECD countries, a report from the organization has said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 21, 2024
Birth rates halve in richer nations as costs weigh, OECD report says
Many in OECD member countries are now choosing to have children later in life or not at all, the report said.
While the government aims to supply all public elementary school pupils with an electronic device for learning in school, communication between parents and teachers is still largely paper-based.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2024
Parents need digital tools to cope with 'first-grade barrier'
More flexibility and efficiency would lighten the load put on the families of public elementary school children, where paper-based communication is still too prevalent.

Longform

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