NEWSWORTHY
Tokyo firm to help non-Japanese find work under new visa category
A company called one visa Inc., which supports online visa applications, has announced plans to launch new services for foreign workers hoping to come to Japan under a newly created visa category. The Tokyo-based company will collaborate with Kansai University and Seven Bank to help ...
Labor union says 3,000 foreign workers laid off at Sharp plant in Japan
The companies told the labor union the job cuts resulted from Sharp’s cutback in production of liquid crystal display panels for smartphones.
46 Chinese workers disappear in Hokkaido after 11 arrested over visa issues
The investigation started when one of the workers died of an illness on Nov. 25.
Japan's Upper House begins debate on bill to expand use of foreign labor
Debate on a bill to accept more foreign blue-collar workers begins in the House of Councilors after the ruling bloc forced it through the Lower House the previous day.
The government plans to require companies hiring foreign nationals with planned new work visas to shoulder costs for their return home if the individuals cannot pay their own way.
Views from Tokyo: How long is your commute? What do you do during that time?
Those long commutes to work can be rough, luckily smartphones can help pass the time.
Views from Tokyo: Should Japan follow Canada and legalize recreational marijuana?
What do Tokyoites and tourists think of Canada legalizing pot for recreational use? Could or should it ever happen in Japan?
An empty space on a Japanese train, a full mailbox of diverse views on the 'gaijin seat'
Baye McNeil's recent Black Eye column on the "gaijin seat" garnered a great deal of attention. Here are some readers' responses.
For work rules in Japan to legally count, employers must hammer them home
Court precedents in Japan have reinforced that work rules lack legal power if they are not easily accessible and known to employees.
Indian women in Japan struggle to find their niche
After following their husbands to Japan, educated Indian women face obstacles tracking down work that matches their qualifications.
My husband is not my baby's father. Can my child take the dad's name?
A reader writes in to Lifelines asking for some advice on issues related to paternity and marriage.
New Japan residence status planned for foreign blue-collar workers
The Justice Ministry has announced the gist of draft revisions to laws including the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act to create two new types of visa.
