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July 04, 2025
 

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DEPOPULATION

Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 17, 2017
Why Japan's low birth rate makes economic sense
Japan's shrinking population may present a hidden advantage to navigating this century's artificial intelligence revolution.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 11, 2017
Airport hits sweet spot as honey proves to be runway success
Can sticky stuff stop the young leaving a small city in Shimane and bring in visitors too?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 8, 2017
Small Saitama town embraces sharing economy in bid to battle demographic drain
Yokoze, a quiet, scenic town of around 8,400 in the mountainous Chichibu region in Saitama Prefecture, isn't immune to the sweeping demographic change impacting hundreds of rural municipalities across Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2017
Rich nations need to find a cure for baby bust
Child-care subsidies and paid parental leave boost fertility rates by reducing the economic and opportunity costs of having children.
EDITORIALS
Oct 29, 2017
Building a sustainable social security system
The government and political parties need to offer the public convincing explanations on how the social security system can be sustained.
EDITORIALS
Oct 21, 2017
Slow regional revitalization
The demographic challenges confronting the nation are indeed enormous, but the regional revitalization policy of the Abe administration has so far accomplished little.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2017
Japan's oldest village by age sees LDP leadership as key for survival
Chikara Imai, 73, is quick to dismiss the new parties in Sunday's national election, saying old ties with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party is what the country's most elderly village needs for survival.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2017
As domestic market contracts, Uniqlo and 7-Eleven looks to make profits overseas
Stagnant spending and soft wage growth in Japan are forcing two of Asia's biggest retailers — Fast Retailing Co. and Seven & i Holdings Co. — to court overseas consumers to drive long-term growth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2017
Japan's demographic sweet spot
Japan will emerge as the only advanced economy that achieves the ultimate goal sought by policymakers — a new middle class.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 25, 2017
High tech, IT and robots are at forefront of Japan's funeral industry boom
From a sutra-chanting humanoid robot to automated cemeteries, technological innovation is changing how Japanese deal with funerary rituals.
EDITORIALS
Sep 22, 2017
Keeping land prices steady across Japan
Local government coffers in rural areas continue to be battered by falling land prices.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2017
Dying Japanese villages, towns run gas stands to keep vital supply chains going
In Shimukappu, a village in Hokkaido and home to a popular skiing resort, residents are to reopen the sole gas station, which closed four years ago as sales declined.
EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2017
Gas stations disappearing from rural areas
Gas stations provide vital functions for their community, especially in times of crisis. More needs to be done to preserve their numbers in depopulated areas.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 13, 2017
What will it take to convince Japanese to 'choose family'?
Without a societal model that makes family life appear important and attractive, perhaps it's no wonder that many Japanese people have stopped choosing it.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2017
Depopulated Kochi village suspends idea of direct democracy
Just three months after the village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, drew national attention by announcing it might abolish its elected council due to a lack of qualified candidates and introduce direct democracy, the head of the sparsely populated municipality said Monday that talks on the issue would be...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 28, 2017
Graying Japan wants automation, not immigration
A labor shortage could fuel the nation's next innovation boom.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2017
Japan's richest village having hard time luring low-pay workers to process its pricey scallops
Sarufutsu in the far north of Hokkaido is the nation's richest village, thanks to a bounty of scallops pulled from the Sea of Okhotsk.
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 7, 2017
Japan's shrinking rural population poses a dilemma for democracy
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.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2017
Japan Inc. might finally have to fatten paychecks
After years of resisting wage hikes, Japanese companies are starting to recognize the need to lock in staff before they literally disappear.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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