NEWSWORTHY
Tokyo pushes back on 'bizarre' death tax that deters expats
Considering a work stint in Japan? You'd better make it short, and you'd better stay alive. That's because the government subjects long-term foreign residents to inheritance tax of up to 55 percent on their worldwide assets — meaning heirs could be forced to give up ...
Despite growing presence, foreign residents' needs treated as accidental election issue
Despite the growing influx of foreign workers and residents in Japan, their perspectives have been largely ignored ahead of Sunday's Lower House election, according to the director of a nonprofit organization that supports immigrant children and youths in the country. Iki Tanaka, whose youth support ...
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike defends her recently launched party’s policy of denying foreign residents here the right to vote or run in local elections, stating that such measures are necessary to protect the national interest.
Japan's medical support system falls short amid influx of foreign tourists, residents
A high number of surveyed medical facilities noted language and communication issues, which they said could lead to inappropriate diagnoses or mistreatment.
Language barriers at Japanese medical institutions put foreign patients at risk: expert
Here's a little-known, unnerving truth about health care in Japan: for non-Japanese, the death rate is higher than that for Japanese. According to the health ministry, the age-adjusted mortality rates for Japanese men and women stood at 544.3 and 274.9 per 100,000 people, respectively, in ...
Things got real this Friday — real funny — as non-Japanese living in Japan admitted their biggest blunders, mistakes and unpopular opinions using the #gaijinconfessionfriday hashtag.
Record 2.38 million foreign residents living in Japan in 2016
A record 2,382,822 foreign nationals were registered as living in Japan as of the end of last year, a 6.7 percent increase from the previous year, the Justice Ministry said Friday. The total includes 228,588 staying on trainee visas, up 18.7 percent and also a ...
Group drawing on long-term foreign residents to help newcomers navigate life in Japan
Foreign residents in Japan may be at a disadvantage in some ways, but they are by no means powerless nor on their own, says Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Asian People's Friendship Society (APFS). In a recently launched program series, the organization is nurturing a new group ...
100 YEARS AGO Wednesday, NOV. 22 1916 Massive gold shipment arrives from Seattle When the Nippon Yusen Kaisha liner Sado Mura arrived at Yokohama early yesterday morning and was snugly berthed at the Customs Quay, consignees felt relieved. The vessel arrived from Seattle with a large consignment ...
Health ministry plans national survey to improve medical services for foreigners
The health ministry is set to conduct the first large-scale survey on the nation's medical infrastructure for foreign patients as part of efforts to improve services ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ministry sources said. Targeting some 4,000 hospitals and other medical facilities, the survey ...
Municipal volunteer fire brigades are taking on more non-Japanese
More than 200 foreign residents are members of volunteer fire corps in Japan, a survey has found, providing a much-needed boost as overall membership dwindles due to the aging population and low birthrate. While participation of foreign residents helps fire corps offer services in multiple ...
Over 80% of non-Japanese residents aware of 'Big One' threat, but not all prepared: survey
A recent survey by the Nagoya Municipal Government revealed that more than 80 percent of foreign residents in the city are aware of the risks of a Nankai mega-thrust earthquake and the devastation it would bring to the area. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake ...
