National Oct 26, 2019
The figure was up 3.6 percent from the end of last year as more technical interns and workers enter Japan amid a severe labor shortage.
National | Regional Voices: Hokkaido Oct 20, 2019
Muroran community spot fosters international diversity in Hokkaido
A community space in Muroran, Hokkaido, is connecting residents with others on the island who hail from countries as diverse as Thailand, Canada, South Korea and the United States. Once a month, they gather to take part in a so-called English Night where they can ...
Editorials Oct 15, 2019
The Brave Blossoms' performance is a sign of the opportunities that await and the advantages to be won if Japan does more to embrace foreigners and give them a chance to contribute.
National / Social Issues Sep 2, 2019
Muted in country of birth, three women fight for voice and choice in Japan
by Joel Fitzpatrick
As Japan's demographic sands shift, with its graying population, declining regional communities and doors inching further open to immigrant workers, three young female Tokyoites are envisioning a new way forward. One is Korean, one is Chinese and the other is Japanese, but they all want ...
National Aug 30, 2019
by Magdalena Osumi
On the eve of Disaster Prevention Day in Japan, communications experts urged authorities using social media to improve messaging targeting foreign residents of Japan and visitors to the country so that what they are trying to convey will come through loud and clear. Amid an ...
Commentary / Japan Aug 13, 2019
Japan needs to establish guidelines and infrastructure for multilingual support to foreign residents
by Keizo Yamawaki
It is high time that the national government formulated guidelines on what information it should disseminate in what languages.
National Jul 19, 2019
In ski hub Niseko, tension arises between locals and overseas residents
A growing number of complaints regarding an increase in foreign residents is straining relations in Niseko, an area in Hokkaido internationally known for its famous ski resorts. In the town of Kutchan, foreign residents make up over 10 percent of the population during winter. Tensions ...
National Mar 24, 2019
Japan wants more foreign nationals to join regional revitalization programs amid graying population
Foreign nationals living in Japan will be encouraged to join regional revitalization programs outside greater Tokyo and other big cities.
National Mar 22, 2019
by Magdalena Osumi
The record high of 2.73 million was driven by a surge in Vietnamese, Indonesians and Nepalese, the Immigration Bureau says.
National / Social Issues Mar 11, 2019
Eight years on, efforts among foreign residents in Japan to help one another after the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis have reached a crossroads. In many cases, foreign residents who were affected by the 2011 disaster created groups to look after one another. ...
National Jan 16, 2019
Tokyo's foreign residents prepare for worst at multilingual disaster drill
by Ryusei Takahashi
On the heels of a year marked by natural disasters — and with thousands of foreign workers expected to enter the country over the next few years — the Tokyo Metropolitan Government hosted a disaster drill Wednesday in Setagaya Ward to prepare foreign residents ...
National Nov 12, 2018
While more than half of Japanese feel that their communities are shrinking, only about 14 percent believe it is necessary for society to actively accept foreign workers and those wishing to settle in order to keep their regions going, a survey has found. The survey, ...