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JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 23, 2024

Noto quake highlights aging water systems in depopulating areas

Nearly 22,000 homes in Ishikawa Prefecture are still without water, and the shortage has sparked debate on how to maintain services in depopulating areas.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 24, 2024

Kishida pledges to expand aid to Noto quake areas

The prime minister apparently intends to reflect firsthand opinions in the government's restoration and reconstruction support measures.
When Fighters interpreter Shinju Sakuma set her mind on becoming a language liaison in sports, she picked a sport she enjoyed watching and an employer who thinks outside the box.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 26, 2024

Rookie female interpreter provides voice for foreign baseball stars in Japan

Shinju Sakuma, who will graduate from Rikkyo University in Tokyo this spring, is believed to be the first female interpreter in NPB history.
Light trails left by moving traffic in the Yeouido financial district of Seoul
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 26, 2024

South Korea unveils corporate value-boosting plan to replicate Japan

The plan to push companies to improve management and corporate governance has disappointed due to a lack of enforcement and concrete details.
Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 26, 2024

Warren Buffett endorses Japan trading firms in letter, boosting shares

Buffett’s letter to stakeholders said that the five trading companies have reduced the number of their outstanding shares at "attractive” prices.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2024

What to know about the ethics committee probing the LDP funds scandal

When the committee convenes later this week, at least five senior ruling party officials are expected to testify on what they knew about the scandal.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 28, 2024

Takarazuka Revue admits power harassment against dead member

According to the lawyer, Takarazuka Revue has indicated its readiness to apologize.
A Honda CR-V e:FCEV on display at H2 & FC Expo in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2024

Honda to sell plug-in hydrogen vehicle in North America, Japan

Japan's second-largest carmaker hopes to ease drivers’ anxiety over finding hydrogen stations by adding electric recharging capabilities.
An employee at the Apita Kisarazu shopping mall in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture. Pan Pacific International Holdings, the parent company of the firm that operates Apita, abolished its rules on hair color in 2022 following requests by its employees.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2024

Japan's retailers and restaurants ease dress codes amid labor shortage

More and more companies have abolished in-house rules prohibiting colored hair and piercings to help with hiring and retain staff.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 28, 2024

Japan issues urgent notice to schools after boy chokes to death

The first grader in the city of Miyama, Fukuoka Prefecture, is believed to have choked on a boiled quail egg contained in a stew served for school lunch.
Ayuko Kato, minister in charge of policies related to children, speaks during a Lower House budget committee session on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 28, 2024

Japan outlines bill for sex crime record checks by schools

Sex crime records would be checked for people applying to work and also for those who are already working.
Nissan is planning an autonomous vehicle ride-share service for Japan with a 2027 launch date to address a lack of taxi drivers due to the nation’s aging population.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2024

Nissan plans 2027 driverless ride-share service for aging Japan

Nissan will trial the service in Yokohama's Minato Mirai area, with 20 vehicles equipped with a safety monitor in each driver’s seat.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

Kishida says he will attend ethics committee hearing on funds scandal

In addition to Kishida, five senior LDP members will face the committee in front of a fully-open session of the Lower House on Thursday and Friday.
In many cases, the return gift that shows your appreciation should be worth half of what was originally given to you.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 1, 2024

Japan's return-a-gift culture isn't just for White Day

If you received a gift on Valentine's Day, White Day is your chance to return the kindness. Learn the verbs for giving with grace.
In Tokyo's 23 wards, the average unit price of new condominiums in 2023 soared about 40% from the previous year to ¥114.83 million, topping ¥100 million for the first time.
BUSINESS
Feb 29, 2024

Japan's average condo price hits record high for seventh year in 2023

The nationwide average price was pushed up by rising costs for construction materials and labor.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 29, 2024

Japan issues fresh warning against excessive yen moves

The warning by Masato Kanda, Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs, likely reflects Tokyo's desire to prevent further falls in the yen.
Takuya Usami, the curator at Mantenboshi, a stargazing observatory in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, said that a survey by the Environment Ministry had ranked the Noto region as among the best places in Japan for stargazing.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 29, 2024

Stargazing observatory in quake-hit Noto looks forward to reopening

“I want to show everyone little by little the beauty of the starry sky, one of Noto’s attractions," a curator at the observatory said.
Japan's factory output in January fell at the fastest pace since May 2020 due to a drop in automobile-related production.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 29, 2024

Japan factory output falls at the fastest pace in nearly four years

A production downturn in motor vehicles is also adding to concerns about the fragility of an economy that slipped into recession late last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

Kishida apologizes over slush funds scandal at ethics committee meeting

In a rare appearance in front of the committee, the prime minister also vowed to implement political reforms in the wake of the scandal.
Japan Airlines has kicked off an unmanned drone service to deliver goods and medical supplies in the remote town of Setouchi.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024

Japan Airlines starts drone service in remote areas for disasters

The carrier is working with local authorities in the town of Setouchi, a tiny inlet in Okayama Prefecture that's home to 8,000 residents.
Japan's unemployment rate fell to 2.4% in January from 2.5% in the previous month, with economists suggesting that the current recession is making firms hesitant to increase job postings.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 1, 2024

Japan’s tight labor market to keep upward pressure on wages

The unemployment rate fell to 2.4% from a revised 2.5% a month earlier, the internal affairs ministry reported Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 1, 2024

Japan may have lowest per capita GDP among major economies in 2060

The government estimate is likely to materialize if the country's productivity growth remains low as in recent years and the population continues to fall.
Agriculture minister Tetsushi Sakamoto shows a mock-up of a label for vegetables grown in a sustainable way at his ministry on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 1, 2024

Japan's farm ministry launches eco-labeling initiative for sustainable farming

The labels will serve as a visual cue for environmental efforts and are aimed at enhancing consumer awareness toward fostering a sustainable food system.
JAPAN / Society / First person
Mar 1, 2024

Ohtani is taken. It’s enough to make you cry.

It’s official, and it's over: Shohei Ohtani has left the future husband market and, in the blink of an eye, leveled a field of fairy-tale dreams.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

As ethics hearing unfolds, Diet falls into chaos over budget approval

The CDP sought to censure budget committee leader Itsunori Onodera over his decision to push through a final vote, and argued for more extensive debate.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2024

Japan bill would punish those who encourage unlawful gun ownership

The bill is also aimed at toughening requirements to qualify for possessing a so-called half-rifle hunting gun.
Business is booming for Japan's top airlines as the weak yen spurs the arrival of more foreign visitors, while local demand for international trips and domestic routes remains high.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2024

Japan’s top airlines to hire 3,700 workers in the next year

Business for the airlines is booming as the weak yen spurs the arrival of more foreign visitors.
Daihatsu saw its sales fall by about 60% in January amid a scandal over fraudulent testing.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2024

Japan auto sales down almost 20% in February

The decline reflected the effects of certification test scandals, with new vehicle sales at Daihatsu down roughly 80% and those at Toyota down about 30%.
Rina Gonoi, a former Self-Defense Forces member who accused colleagues of sexually assaulting her during her time in the military, speaks during an interview in Yokohama last December.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 2, 2024

Japanese ex-soldier wins U.S. award for fight against sexual harassment

The U.S. will honor former Self-Defense Forces soldier Rina Gonoi with the International Women of Courage Award.
The Japanese parliament building in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2024

Opposition again demands 32 Upper House members face ethics panel

Junichi Ishii, LDP parliamentary affairs chief in the Upper House, says the LDP intends to decide in early March on the plan to hold ethics panel hearings.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years