National / Social Issues Sep 25, 2017

Number of middle-aged, first-time fathers on the rise in Japan

More men in Japan are waiting until middle age to start fatherhood but find that their greater experience can help offset some of the worries.

National Mar 21, 2017

More men juggle work commitments with caring for elderly parents

While women have long been the main caregivers for elderly parents in Japan, the country's rapidly aging population, coupled with the prevalence of smaller families in recent generations, has resulted in more men taking on the responsibility. Among them are a growing number of men ...

National Jan 18, 2017

Japan sees sharp rise in number of foreign nursing care students

Nursing care schools have seen a surge in the number of foreign students following a legal amendment making it easier for prospective caregivers to acquire resident status in rapidly graying Japan. The rise in foreign students training to become caregivers is a boon for schools. ...

Business Dec 15, 2016

Some Japanese firms are shedding the conventional culture of recruitment

Unlike many new graduates, Issei Iimura won't feel too nervous next spring when he begins working at Asatsu-DK Inc., a major advertising company in Tokyo. That's because university senior Iimura, 22, got not only a job at the company but also a mentor, Shotaro Nieda, ...

National / Social Issues Dec 13, 2016

Japan's hale seniors offer vital help in nursing care of elderly peers

With the rapid aging of Japan's population, healthy older people are providing indispensable support for the nursing care of their fellow seniors. Setsuko Kawaguchi, 65, works three to four days a week at the Ikoi no Mori nursing care facility in Tsu, Mie Prefecture. Starting ...

Business Dec 8, 2016

Some Japanese firms encouraging enterprising staff to moonlight

As the government pushes flexible working arrangements under its labor market reforms, more and more firms are letting employees take on second jobs. Struggling with a labor shortage, such companies seek to secure talented human resources by allowing employees more flexibility in their work. Some also ...

National / Social Issues Oct 30, 2016

Food drives on the rise as Japan's poverty woes expand

Food drives, volunteer activities to stockpile, donate and distribute food to needy people, are increasing in Japan as poverty expands. "There are people supported by the food you donate," reads a message on the Kizuna (bond) Box in the corner of a supermarket in Ushiku, ...

National Jul 17, 2016

'Cosmetic therapy' said to stem dementia's effect on seniors

Applying makeup may halt the progress of dementia among elderly people, helping keep their brains active, recent studies say. Cosmetic therapy also appears to be effective in treating depression in younger people and stress. In 2013 Shiseido Co., the nation's largest cosmetics firm, launched what it ...

National / Social Issues Jun 15, 2016

LGBT support grows among Japan schools

Standing before about 140 high school students, Subaru Yamashita describes how he is physically and emotionally male and that he is attracted to men. "There is more than just male or female when it comes to a person's physical and mental genders, and what sex ...

National Feb 21, 2016

Job-training programs give women a better shot at returning to workforce in Japan

Women who have spent years away from the office raising children are enrolling in specialized job-training programs, hoping these can help them re-enter the workforce. One such course, Kwansei Gakuin University's "Happy Career Program," has seen women with university degrees ranging in age from their ...