November 30, 2023

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JAPAN

Society

Science & Health

"Changes in environment surrounding schoolchildren, such as increases in the amount of time spent using smartphones at home, can be considered as a cause" of poor eyesight, an official of the education ministry said.

JAPAN / Society

Nov 28, 2023

Record number of Japanese children have poor eyesight, survey says

The proportion of elementary, junior high and high school students with less-than-normal visual acuity have reached record highs.

Ayuko Kato, minister in charge of child policies. A group of children of Jehovah’s Witnesses have submitted a report to the Child and Family Agency detailing sexual abuse.

JAPAN / Society

Nov 28, 2023

Children of Jehovah’s Witnesses submit report detailing sexual abuse

By Karin Kaneko

The report said that the most common perpetrators of sexual abuse were “rank-and-file witnesses” and “elders.”

Protests in Shinjuku, Tokyo, last November, echoed demonstrations in several major Chinese cities that called for an end to Chinese President Xi Jinping's draconian “zero-COVID” policy.

JAPAN / Society

Nov 28, 2023

Chinese intellectuals increasingly attracted to Tokyo

By Takehiro Masutomo

An increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. following the COVID-19 pandemic has driven some graduates to Japan.

Toyosu, a reclaimed area and former industrial zone in the Tokyo Bay area, has become popular with a new wave of Chinese immigrants for its breathtaking views of the Tokyo skyline.

JAPAN / Society

Nov 28, 2023

A new wave of Chinese elites is flocking to Japan

By Takehiro Masutomo

Recent newcomers are affluent and financially savvy, and choose Japan after weighing the pros and cons of other potential overseas destinations.

Akina Shu has visited around 50 countries as a speaker and ambassador on the digital nomad lifestyle since 2020.

JAPAN / Society / FOCUS

Nov 27, 2023

Japan is enticing for digital nomads, but visa hurdles remain

By Anika Osaki Exum

While the country does not offer a digital nomad visa, the government is working on introducing one sometime in 2024.

Cabs not in operation are parked at a taxi company in Naha in October. Finding a taxi in parts of Okinawa Prefecture is becoming increasingly difficult because of a shortage of drivers.

JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa

Nov 27, 2023

Getting a taxi in Okinawa harder than ever amid driver shortage

The number of cab drivers working in the prefecture peaked at 10,041 in 2009 and declined to 5,246 in 2021.

Koshiro Takeuchi (left) placed third in the violin category of the Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris, while Miyu Kitsuwa took fifth.

JAPAN / Society

Nov 27, 2023

Japanese violinist takes third in international contest for young talent

Koshiro Takeuchi, 18, said he was "honored to win a prize in such a prestigious competition."

An official shot for this year’s lineup for NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen.”

Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder

Yoshiko Koide sits in a classroom at Nagoya College where she teaches a Japanese-language observation seminar.

How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku

By Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Italian cuisine that conveys appeal of Hachinohe

Italian cuisine that conveys appeal of Hachinohe

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