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April 28, 2024
 

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Jo Constantz
For Jo Constantz's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The annual South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, was held on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2024
Will AI help or hurt workers? At SXSW, that depends on who you ask.
According to a global survey from Slack, 42% of office workers say they’re excited about AI, but some 27% find the prospect concerning.
Elon Musk has gone as far as to say that with technological advances, “there will come a point where no job is needed.” Musk revealed his own artificial intelligence chatbot, dubbed Grok, last year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 9, 2024
Firms pausing hiring and axing staff quietly as AI craze persists
While some industry leaders have been outspoken about AI’s potential to transform work, there is caution over citing the new tech as a reason for cuts.
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers went on strike from Oct. 4 to 7 across the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 1, 2023
Unions in the U.S. are winning big for the first time in decades
Recent victories mark a potential turning point for the country’s labor movement, which has seen union ranks and power dwindle for decades.
A new study suggests that the benefits from shifting to a four-day week may last and grow stronger over time, rather than dissipating.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023
Employee health benefits of four-day weeks persist, study shows
Self-reported physical and mental health scores held steady over a full year of the pilot program, while work-life balance continued to improve.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2023
First real-world study showed generative AI boosted worker productivity by 14%
Lower-skilled workers benefited the most: With the assistance of AI, a firm’s least-skilled workers were able to get their work done 35% faster.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 21, 2023
Nearly half of firms are drafting policies on ChatGPT use
What those policies will look like may end up varying widely. Some firms have banned the chatbot, while others have embraced it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2023
As layoff wave sweeps the tech sector, a clear target emerges: middle managers
The moves come as middle managers are under increasing pressure, enforcing return-to-office policies and navigating new hybrid work arrangements.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 18, 2022
Workers will keep their power in the job market despite recession fears, study says
While fears of a recession may temporarily put a freeze on hiring, the study says that over the long-term, the market is likely to skew toward job-seekers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2022
Quiet quitting surges in finance as it gains steam across sectors
The share of workers who said they're 'very likely” or 'extremely likely” to try their hardest to do a good job for their company has waned overall since last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2022
Almost 80% of remote workers think they’d be fired for declining to return to the office
A survey also found that nearly 60% of employers say they'd be content with employees resigning rather than returning to the office.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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