Tag - government

 
 

GOVERNMENT

Members of the Generation Z division at the Kitakyushu municipal government in Fukuoka Prefecture discuss ways to attract more young people to live in the city.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 25, 2024
Local governments setting up unique divisions to revitalize economy
Kitakata in Fukushima Prefecture has created a ramen division and soba division to promote local cuisine.
Members of the town assembly of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, discuss on Wednesday whether to accept a survey to examine the town's suitability for hosting a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024
Saga town begins discussions on nuclear waste disposal site survey
If approved by the special committee and the full assembly, the town mayor will need to make the final decision on whether or not to accept the survey.
Miyoko Kusunoki, an official of the board of education in Higashiura, Aichi Prefecture, shows the salt blocks that will be put up for sale on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2024
Rock salt worth ¥600,000 to be sold on Mercari by Aichi town
Higashiura started selling unneeded items from the town hall on the flea market app this month.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu speaks to reporters in the city of Shizuoka on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2024
Shizuoka governor submits letter of resignation over controversial remarks
He initially planned to quit during an assembly session in June, but he has been under pressure to step down earlier.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai speaks at a a news conference in Sendai on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2024
Miyagi governor suggests scrapping national sports event
The annual event is hosted in rotation by the 47 prefectures.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu speaks to reporters at the prefectural government office on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2024
Shizuoka governor to resign over gaffe
Heita Kawakatsu is under fire for a remark viewed as insulting to farmers and others.
Rescuers prepare supplies before entering Taroko National Park after an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2024
Local governments in Japan move to support quake-hit Taiwan
Areas in Japan hit by previous disasters are aiming to offer support for Taiwan.
Members of the Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad living in Tokushima Prefecture meet in the city of Yoshinogawa in the prefecture in December 2022 to learn from each other's experiences.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2024
Record 7,200 served as 'community reactivators' in FY 2023
The government aims to increase the number of community cooperators to 10,000 by fiscal 2026.
Heita Kawakatsu, governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, explains his remarks at the prefectural government office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2024
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu to resign over latest gaffe
"Unlike (those who) sell vegetables, raise cattle and make things, you are basically highly intellectual people," he said to newly hired officials.
As of December 2022, the village of Zamami, Okinawa Prefecture, had in its stockpile six of the nine items listed in a survey as necessary for women and 10 of the 11 items listed as necessary for babies and infants, doing much better than other municipalities in the prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 1, 2024
Municipalities push gender-inclusive disaster risk management
Some areas in Okinawa involve more women in decision-making and make an effort at stockpiling relevant items.
Hundreds lined up at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, which came to Japan for a 50-day exhibition.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Apr 1, 2024
Japan Times 1974: Some troubles reported at Mona Lisa's opening
Fifty years ago, a woman made a statement on the rights of the physically disabled by splashing paint on the Mona Lisa in Tokyo.
Takashi Kimura (center) won the Kumamoto gubernatorial election on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
Ex-vice governor wins Kumamoto gubernatorial election
Backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, Takashi Kimura will be the first new governor of Kumamoto in 16 years.
Participants take part in a matchmaking event organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government at Jindai Botanical Gardens on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2024
Tokyo, Tokyo, make me a match! Metropolis hopes AI app will spur marriages
The app will ask matrimonial hopefuls more than 100 questions as the capital seeks to curb declining numbers of marriages and births.
Shizuo Aishima's son speaks to reporters next to a photo of his father in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 21, 2024
Ohkawara execs to file criminal complaint against Tokyo police
The complainant's lawyer said that the execs hope to kick-start an internal investigation into the department’s misconduct.
A smartphone workshop is held in Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, in December in conjunction with the implementation of measures to stimulate consumption through cashless payments.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2024
Local governments engage elderly to ease adoption of cashless payments
Some older people and others who find digital devices difficult to operate continue to view cash as the be-all and end-all for making purchases.
Masaaki Okawara (center) and other plaintiffs celebrate in December after the Tokyo District Court ruled that police and prosecutors had falsely accused them of illegally exporting spray dryers. But the civil suit continues as both sides have appealed the ruling.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Mar 19, 2024
Japan's 'hostage justice system' faces renewed scrutiny
The long-criticized system has come under the spotlight as executives wrongly accused of a crime continue their legal battle.
Residents remove snow from rooftops together with workers from a snow removal company in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, in January 2021. In fiscal 2022, 49 people in Japan died during activities related to the clearing of snow. Of these, 39 people — or roughly 80% — were age 65 or older.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Land ministry goes digital to prevent snow-clearing accidents
The system is aimed at assessing the risks associated with snow removal at individual houses to avert mishaps, particularly ones involving the elderly.
A Sapporo municipal official uses a telephone relay service at the city office in April last year.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 14, 2024
Phone relay service helps hard of hearing government staff
The service facilitates communication for workers hard of hearing and those with speech impediments by connecting them with operators online.
Freezing one's eggs with the aim of having children in the future can be quite costly. It is thought to vary between ¥300,000 and ¥600,000 on average.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 11, 2024
Tokyo to continue offering subsidy to women seeking to freeze eggs
The metropolitan government says it will subsidize all who fit the criteria despite applicants exceeding budgeted spots by nearly tenfold.
A poster for digital coupons at a store in the city of Fukushima
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 11, 2024
Fukushima’s welfare coupon campaign highlights digital divide
A call center dedicated to the initiative received so many calls that telephone lines were overloaded.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores