Masako Tsubuku - The Japan Times

BUSINESS / Economy / YEN FOR LIVING

Apr 8, 2017

'Nekonomics' does its bit to keep Japan's economy purring

In our last column we talked about the economic effectiveness (keizai kōka) of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Keizai kōka is often used as an indication of how much money a given scheme or phenomenon adds to a particular economy. As we pointed out, the number only takes into consideration the positive effects of the phenomenon or scheme, and in that regard it's interesting to look at one that has received a good deal of attention lately because of how clearly it illustrates the growth of a certain phenomenon: namely, the market surrounding cats, or, what professor Kasuhiro Miyamoto of Kansai University has dubbed "nekonomics," or the "economics of cats."

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Apr 2, 2017

Temporary disaster housing has an unforeseen permanence

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake left 110,000 people in three prefectures without shelter. Most of these people moved into emergency evacuation centers while the authorities prepared temporary housing for them.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Mar 25, 2017

Reassessing the negative impact of hosting the 2020 Olympics

The estimated cost of the 2020 Olympic Games has increased astronomically since Tokyo won the right to host it. On Dec. 22, Asahi Shimbun reported that the estimated price could be as much as ¥1.8 trillion. The original bid estimate for constructing new Olympic venues was ¥499 billion and that is now ¥680 billion. Transportation costs have increased from ¥23.3 billion to ¥140 billion, security from ¥20.5 billion to ¥160 billion and "software" expenses from ¥257 billion to ¥520 billion.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Mar 11, 2017

Measuring the economics behind a shift to streaming

An article in the Feb. 17 issue of the Asahi Shimbun describes a restaurant in Osaka where diners can watch J. League soccer games. The restaurant has three TV monitors hooked up to Sky PerfecTV, one of Japan's satellite broadcast services. At the end of January, however, the J. League shifted its exclusive broadcast contract from Sky PerfecTV to a video streaming service called DAZN. The selling point of the restaurant was always J. League games, so now the business' satellite setup is worthless.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Mar 4, 2017

Will we ever see no obstacles in our way?

Infrastructure in Japan is up to world standards in most areas, and in terms of public transportation it often surpasses those standards — but there's one field it falls way behind: utility poles and overhead cables that carry electrical power and telecommunications.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Feb 25, 2017

Supreme Court records show that there were 64,637 filings for personal bankruptcy in 2016, an increase of 781 cases over 2015, thus marking the first increase in 13 years.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Feb 11, 2017

Resorting to adoption to avoid inheritance tax

Revisions to the inheritance tax went into effect in 2015, and related statistics for that year were recently made public by the National Tax Agency.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Feb 4, 2017

New housing options get smaller in the city

Last month this column discussed how lack of city planning in the suburbs had led to an over-supply of new housing that exacerbated the well-publicized vacant-home problem. It should be noted, however, that populations in suburbs throughout Japan are declining — some slowly, others rather rapidly.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Jan 21, 2017

Stress mounts as fees fall in Japan for home deliveries

The rise of online retailers has led to a race to the bottom for home delivery firms desperate to hold on to the huge amount of business these shopping sites provide.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Jan 7, 2017

Can the financial roadblock to marriage ever be dismantled?

On Dec. 20, an advisory panel assembled by the Prime Minister's Office drafted a final proposal for a bill that has a long-term goal of increasing the country's sagging birthrate.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Dec 31, 2016

Getting too cozy to the next-door neighbors

In its Dec. 20 issue, Asahi Shimbun reported on a couple in their 60s living in Saitama City. Two years ago their neighbor installed an Eco Cute system that uses heat pump technology to heat water more efficiently and, thus, reduce electricity costs. But since the system was installed, the older couple's health has been deteriorating, mainly due to loss of sleep. Eco Cute operates only at night, when electricity costs are low, and the couple claims that their neighbor's unit emits a low frequency hum, which keeps them awake. They sued the neighbor and the manufacturer of the Eco Cute unit.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Dec 24, 2016

Industry divided on government's casino gamble

In its zeal to ramrod some bills into law before the New Years holiday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party finally legalized casino gambling, a matter that has been in legislative limbo for a number of years. However, the problems that always prevented the bills from advancing in the past have not gone away, the biggest one being Japan's perceived penchant for gambling addiction.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Dec 10, 2016

Japan's humble school lunch: social leveler and sacred cow

Beyond the inculcation of good eating habits and an appreciation of wholesome food, Japan's school lunch program stresses the importance of community and helps children understand their responsibilities within the group.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Dec 3, 2016

Abandoned buildings still house problems

Japan's vacant house problem will become worse before it becomes better. According to government estimates there are 8 million residences in Japan with no one living in them, a number that Bloomberg reports will increase to 20 million by 2033, representing a third of all the homes in Japan. A good portion of these residences are abandoned. There are no plans for anyone to live in them ever again, a prospect that alarms the central government, as it should. Abandoned homes are firetraps. Often they are filled with garbage that breeds vermin and surrounded by overgrown vegetation. Unmaintained sewage systems and septic tanks can spread disease. They are eyesores that diminish surrounding property values.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Nov 26, 2016

Where to burn aging Japan's growing numbers of dead?

A sideshow of Japan's demographic crisis is that there aren't enough facilities available to 'process' these bodies.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Nov 12, 2016

Japan's laundromat bubble shows no sign of bursting

Almost every Japanese household has a washing machine, so why are so many of them using laundromats that cost them extra money?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Nov 5, 2016

Earthquake standards are on shaky ground

No one died in the recent earthquake that struck Tottori Prefecture, but the temblor was strong enough to cause extensive damage. Several thousand people are still in evacuation centers, which means it is not safe for them to live in their homes. Most of these houses were probably built before the latest building standards were put in place to minimize damage caused by large quakes, but what most people don't know is that these standards are not uniform throughout Japan.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Oct 22, 2016

Shocking blog post forces debate on the financial drain of dialysis in Japan

About 0.25 percent of the population requires dialysis, but this group is responsible for one-30th of the country's medical costs.

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Oct 8, 2016

New pension ceiling meant to help low-paid workers may hit housewives

A lowering of the eligibility cap for the ku014dsei nenkin pension plan leaves housewives working part-time with a choice: cut their hours to stay below the new ceiling or work more to offset the pension payments they will now have to make.

LIFE / Lifestyle / HOME TRUTHS

Oct 1, 2016

Tokyo faces declining condominium prices

In Japan's housing market, there has always been one verity: Certain parts of Tokyo will always be popular and, therefore, profitable for developers. However, according to various media reports, that verity may have collapsed, at least when it comes to new condominiums.

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