Can Japan's families remain relevant in contemporary times?
"Why don't they get married?" anguished parents wonder of their aging unmarried children. The various explanations boil down to two: "I don't want to" and "I can't" — can't for economic, social or psychological reasons; don't want to because, for example: "For meals there's the ...
The prime minister confirmed the “severe prejudice and discrimination” they endured as relatives of Hansen’s disease patients.
Japan's adoption rules changed to allow older kids' ties to biological parents to be severed
The program is aimed at providing a stable environment for children who cannot be raised by their biological parents because of economic difficulties or abuse.
In their first message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un since their group formed in 1997, families of Japanese nationals abducted to the country decades ago said they do not oppose the normalization of diplomatic ties if abductees are immediately returned home. In the ...
Sixty percent of parents and children in Japan use their smartphones or cellphones when they are together for family time, the highest percentage in a comparison with the U.S., South Korea and China.
Japan modernizing workplace conditions to lure new mothers back
With Japan's demographic challenges causing a workforce crunch that is proving difficult for companies to overcome, many are now offering flexible conditions to allow new mothers to return to full-time careers while maintaining their work-family balance. More women, afraid their careers will stagnate while they ...
Marriage quest finds some Japanese men looking to share household duties with female partners
Tokyoite Kiyoshi is 38 years old and is still waiting for luck in love. But when he finds his future life partner, he says he will be willing to handle family duties in the belief that men's and women's roles at home are equal. "I ...
To encourage more young people to start families, Japan must create an environment in which mothers can work and men do more to help out around the home.
Grieving parents on a mission to teach students about tragic results of overwork
Parents of young workers who died or killed themselves due to overwork have been traveling across Japan to speak about these tragic deaths to students. The encounters are sponsored by the government, which is seeking to tackle the widespread problem of excessive working hours. "My son ...
Amid labor crunch, firms woo graduates' parents to outdo rivals
As job openings outnumber job-seekers in Japan, graduates looking for employment have an upper hand. As a result, more firms are trying to woo their parents through seminars and home visits to get ahead of rivals. While students are keen to respect their parents' opinions ...
More men juggle work commitments with caring for elderly parents
While women have long been the main caregivers for elderly parents in Japan, the country's rapidly aging population, coupled with the prevalence of smaller families in recent generations, has resulted in more men taking on the responsibility. Among them are a growing number of men ...
