Business Feb 27, 2017
Lower House approves record ¥97.45 trillion budget
The Lower House signs off on a record high ¥97.45 trillion budget for fiscal 2017 that gives priority to social security and defense.
National / Social Issues Jan 6, 2017
As welfare costs climb, gerontology groups propose higher age for definition of 'elderly'
by Mizuho Aoki
Japanese between 65 and 74 should no longer be classified as elderly because they are physically and mentally much younger than their counterparts were decades ago, says a proposal backed by two academic societies.Under the recommendation, released Thursday by the Japan Gerontological Society and ...
National Jan 4, 2017
A year into new system, Japan's My Number ID cards are not catching on
One year after the debut of the government’s My Number identification card system, less than a third of residents expected to be issued cards have actually received one.The system, which assigns a number for social security and tax purposes, launched in January 2016. Funds ...
Business Dec 2, 2016
Japan mulls record ¥97 trillion general account budget for fiscal 2017
The government plans to adopt a fiscal 2017 general account budget that’s worth more than ¥97 trillion, which would set a new record, sources said Friday.The budget will exceed the previous year’s initial budget for the fifth consecutive year, the sources said. The initial ...
National / Politics Sep 9, 2016
Tokyo governor announces plan to increase child care slots
by Magdalena Osumi
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on Friday announced a plan to boost capacity at day care centers for children in Tokyo to 17,000 as part of efforts to ease the country’s chronic shortage of such spots at care facilities.The number of children on waiting lists ...
Business Sep 6, 2016
Ministries' budget requests for fiscal 2017 top ¥100 trillion third straight year
Government budget requests for fiscal 2017 totaled ¥101.47 trillion, topping ¥100 trillion for the third straight year, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.The requests for the general account budget for the year that will start next April 1 were bigger than the initial budget for ...
National / Social Issues Aug 5, 2016
Record social security benefits paid in Japan in fiscal 2014
A record ¥112,102 billion in social security was paid out in fiscal 2014, up 1.3 percent from the previous year.
Business / Economy May 10, 2016
Japan's national debt climbs to a dizzying ¥1,049.37 trillion
Central government debt stood at ¥1,049.37 trillion — or just over 1 quadrillion — at the end of March, up ¥4.78 trillion from three months earlier, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.The growing debt reflects a lack of financial resources amid ballooning social security costs ...
National / Politics Apr 13, 2016
LDP subcommittee recommends expansion of 'working population' to people 18 to 74 years of age
by Reiji Yoshida
The government should revise its definition of “the working population” and aim to have working environments where people of all ages, especially the elderly, can work flexibly, a policy subcommittee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed Wednesday.In its statistics, the government currently defines ...
National Jan 13, 2016
Japan's labor ministry to investigate why 2 million workers are on wrong pension program
by Tomoko Otake
The labor minister pledges to look into why around 2 million firm employees are members of a pension program for the self-employed.
National Jan 4, 2016
My Number gets nationwide kickoff amid security concerns, distribution hurdles
The new personal identification system for social security and taxation matters kicks off amid data security fears as local governments struggle to distribute the ID cards.
National / Social Issues | DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES Jan 3, 2016
Options available to mitigate dangers of living alone with dementia
by Tomoko Otake
At first glance, it's hard to tell what's wrong with Keiko Sawada. As casual exchanges continue, however, it becomes increasingly clear the former bar hostess has serious memory problems.