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Sawako Obara
For Sawako Obara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 11, 2016
Music therapy increasingly recognized in Japan for hospital patients and elderly
As Japan faces growing demands for geriatric care, some hospitals and municipalities are turning to music therapy to help people living with dementia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2016
Women starting to climb corporate ladders, but ascent is slow
Women aged around 50 who started working soon after the equal employment opportunity law came into force in Japan in 1986 are now assuming executive positions in major companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 21, 2015
Senior workers increasingly taking special leave to look after grandchildren
Amid an increase in two-income households in Japan, the rate of men who take paternity leave is extremely low, and the availability of day care services remains insufficient. So who looks is looking after the children? The answer is often grandparents.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 17, 2015
Hope, frustration as activists lament lack of women in Japanese politics
Japan sharply lags other developed nations in female representation in politics, having made little progress over the 70 years since the first women were elected to the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2015
More career-track wives working away from families
Tokiko Nakayama speaks to her 6- and 3-year-old sons via her computer at a company apartment for 20 to 30 minutes before going to work every morning.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2015
Elder care givers take on surge in demand
Elder-to-elder nursing care is expanding in Japan due to the aging of care workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2014
Renewing wedding vows a growing trend in Japan
Renewing wedding vows, a practice common in Europe and the United States for decades, has been slowly taking root in Japan over the past two to three years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2014
Interpreters with knowledge of Japan needed, Filipino caregiver says
Paladero Mon Angelo, a licensed Filipino care worker, won a Japanese speech contest this summer that emphasized the need for interpreters with a special knowledge of Japan's health care system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2014
Martial arts tricks ease pain for new moms
Wrist tendinitis and back pain are among the physical ailments that often affect new mothers, usually from the lifting and carrying required in caring for babies. To provide relief, a physical therapist in Japan has drawn up a parenting regimen that combines techniques from the Okinawan martial art of "kobujutsu" with daily movements and chores.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2014
Paternity blues: Social hurdles still high for Japanese men seeking hands-on fatherhood
An increasing number of Japanese fathers are taking a more active role in raising their children, but some also feel beaten down by a society that doesn't support their efforts.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world