Commentary / Japan May 29, 2016
Japan won't go quietly into the night as population falls
by Anthony Fensom
For a nation that rebuilt itself from the ashes of war, the modern challenge of repopulation should surely not prove impossible.
Commentary / Japan Nov 19, 2015
by Hugh Cortazzi
Japan's political and business leaders appear to be taking an ostrich-like approach to the severe demographic challenges that lie ahead.
Commentary / Japan Nov 14, 2015
Taking a closer look at the child poverty rate
by Walt Gardner
Finding relationships between poverty and academic performance requires a nuanced approach.
Editorials Nov 2, 2015
The one-child policy may be gone in China, but the the one-child mentality remains.
National / Politics Oct 29, 2015
Abe convenes panel to tackle low birthrate, aging population
by Reiji Yoshida
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has tasked the panel of intellectuals and Cabinet members with providing ideas to overcome the demographics conundrum.
Commentary / Japan Oct 22, 2015
Finding the right approach to sex education
by Walt Gardner
Sex education in both Japanese and U.S. schools can stand a great deal of improvement.
National / Politics Oct 9, 2015
Abe counts on Kato to reverse sliding birthrate, labor exodus in aging Japan
by Isabel Reynolds
Prime Minister Abe is counting on his new minister in charge of population decline to inspire imitators. He’s a father of four.
National / Social Issues Oct 8, 2015
Women's group pressures Suga to retract birthrate-related remark
by Shusuke Murai
The group is demanding the government's top spokesman retract a remark in which he said that giving birth is a "form of contribution to the nation."
National Aug 28, 2015
The number of babies born in Japan in the January-to-June period rose 2.4 percent from a year earlier to 508,802, government data shows, suggesting it would lead to the first annual increase in five years. The country's population has been declining as the proportion of ...
Business Jul 8, 2015
As Tokyo shrinks, Olympics may be last blast
by Yoshiaki Nohara
Half a century ago, the Tokyo Olympics ushered in a golden age for Japan's capital, as industrial prowess made it the largest urban complex in history. Now the games are returning to mark the end of that growth. "This will be the final festival," says ...
Editorials Jun 21, 2015
Improving the employment situation for young people and working mothers is key to raising the nation's birthrate.
National / Social Issues Jun 16, 2015
Many parents say employers, finances deter them from having second child
A survey has found that three-quarters of parents cite economic and social obstacles to having a second child.