Editorials Aug 17, 2017
Regional banks' merger dilemma
Regional banks pursuing mergers to ensure their survival should also scrutinize their operations to find areas where they can improve their performances.
National / Social Issues Aug 7, 2017
Japan's shrinking rural population poses a dilemma for democracy
by Eric Johnston
Deep in the Shikoku wilderness, along a steep winding road above a dark green river, sits the tiny village of Okawa. It's located in a region sometimes dubbed by enthusiastic travel writers as the "Tibet of Japan" for its comparative isolation within the mountains. With ...
Commentary / World Aug 6, 2017
Japan Inc. might finally have to fatten paychecks
by Daniel Moss
After years of resisting wage hikes, Japanese companies are starting to recognize the need to lock in staff before they literally disappear.
National / Social Issues Jul 30, 2017
Ministry plans to create new system to deal with vacant land, buildings
The land and infrastructure ministry plans to introduce a new system to help prevent land and buildings, mainly in city centers, from becoming vacant, informed sources said Sunday. As part of the system, the ministry is studying the idea of enabling local government officials to ...
Editorials Jul 29, 2017
Land plots with unknown owners
The government needs to take measures to deal more effectively with land plots that remain unregistered.
National | KANSAI PERSPECTIVE Jul 23, 2017
Toyama embarks on compact redesign to foil natural disasters, depopulation at same time
by Eric Johnston
Since early July, floods and landslides caused by heavy rain have forced tens of thousands of people from Kyushu to Tohoku to evacuate, with nearly three dozen deaths confirmed in western Japan. The financial damage to Oita Prefecture alone now stands at over ¥20 ...
Business Jul 21, 2017
Most Japanese firms see positives in raising retirement age amid tight labor market: poll
More than half of Japanese companies are planning to raise the retirement age of their workforce, a Reuters poll shows, with many saying it would alleviate the labor shortage and harness the expertise of veteran workers. In the country, most companies require full-time employees to ...
National / Social Issues Jul 20, 2017
Ministry says more coordination needed as people with limited access to food stores set to increase
The internal affairs ministry on Wednesday urged the country's central and local governments to do more to address an expected rise in the number of people with limited access to grocery stores. An increasing number of people are expected to live in areas without nearby ...
National / Social Issues Jul 4, 2017
Younger Japanese urbanites increasingly being drawn to quiet rural life
In a move more commonly associated with seniors seeking a quiet place to retire, an increasing number of young couples are showing interest in relocating to the countryside from Tokyo and other urban centers, drawn by cheap land and hopes of a better environment ...
National Jun 27, 2017
Japan's regional universities innovate to survive amid depopulation, Tokyo draw
One day in mid-May, Benjamin Peters, vice president of a university in Miyazaki Prefecture, asked some students in English to explain the differences in thought between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes. The seven students, who had read English books on the philosophers to prepare for ...
Business Jun 21, 2017
As Japan Inc. inefficiency reigns, some see going paperless as a clear fix
by Shusuke Murai
Looking for a job in Japan? You might want to start off by writing a resume by hand and using your hanko (personal seal) to prove its authenticity. If you actually get hired, you may need to get used to faxing documents to clients. Japan ...
Editorials Jun 17, 2017
The case of a small Kochi village
Owing to depopulation, small towns across Japan need to find new ways to maintain representative government.