Tag - foreign

 
 

FOREIGN

Houses damaged by the New Year's Day quake in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2024
Measures set out to keep foreign trainees in work in quake-hit areas
The special measure was introduced after a deadly temblor rocked the Noto Peninsula and its vicinity in central Japan on New Year's Day.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on her visit to Kyiv on Jan. 7.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 15, 2024
Kamikawa’s surprise visit to Ukraine sent an important signal
As international support for Ukraine's war effort wavers, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa's visit to Kyiv last week showed that Japan remains a key Kyiv ally.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2024
Kamikawa's star rising as potential candidate to replace Kishida
Since Kamikawa took office in September, her reputation has been gradually bolstered by her energetic diplomatic trips.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, hold a news conference in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 7, 2024
Japan foreign minister promises aid for Ukrainian anti-drone system
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tokyo to provide the war-torn country with a drone detection system via a contribution to a NATO fund.
Indian migrant women in Tokyo often face stifling social expectations. In contrast, they may feel empowered in more egalitarian societies like Berlin.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 3, 2024
How patriarchy perpetuates among Tokyo’s Indian migrants
Indian migrant women in Tokyo struggle to break free from the patriarchal structures they experienced back home. But in Berlin, a different picture emerges.
Yoko Kamikawa
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 28, 2023
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa to visit U.S. and Europe in January
The trip, which comes as Japan prepares for a state visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the invitation of the White House, starts on Jan. 5.
A Brazilian of Japanese descent teaches Japanese to foreign nationals in July 2020 at the Homi housing complex in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, which is home to many foreign nationals, mainly of Brazilian heritage.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023
Some foreign fourth generation descendants of Japanese to be given long-term residency
The Immigration Services Agency will revise the residency status system to allow such people to effectively stay in Japan indefinitely.
Shiv Kumar (left) and Nirmal Singh say they are learning a lot about living and thriving in Japan while taking part in the Technical Intern Trainee Program. Their case, however, seems to be an exception to the norm.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Dec 18, 2023
Beating the odds on Japan's controversial foreign trainee program
Nirmal Singh and Shiv Kumar beat the odds on the Technical Intern Training Program, but luck shouldn't play such a key role in a government initiative.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa gives a speech at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2023
Japan to give $3 million to global refugee education fund
Japan is known for its traditionally strict refugee policy.
Japanese Ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi speaks at a news conference in Beijing on Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2023
Japan's outgoing China envoy regrets not being able to free prisoner
Hideo Tarumi met with the detained Astellas Pharma employee for the first time last week to "offer a personal apology."
Akihiko Tanaka (center) attends a meeting on the foreign technical trainee and skilled workers program at the Justice Ministry on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 30, 2023
Panel submits final report on Japan's foreign trainee program
After roughly a year of meetings, the cumulative report contains recommendations on a newly designed policy.
Akina Shu has visited around 50 countries as a speaker and ambassador on the digital nomad lifestyle since 2020.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2023
Japan is enticing for digital nomads, but visa hurdles remain
While the country does not offer a digital nomad visa, the government is working on introducing one sometime in 2024.
Technical trainees from Vietnam work at a knitwear factory in Mitsuke, Niigata Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2023
Japan's new foreign trainee program to enhance rights protection
Originally designed to transfer skills to developing countries, the program has long been criticized as a cover for firms to import inexpensive labor.
Kiyoto Tsuji, a state minister for foreign affairs (center), and Kazuchika Iwata, a state minister of economy, trade and industry (right), talk to Ukrainian officials during their visit to Kyiv on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2023
Japan state ministers visit Ukraine to examine recovery needs
The delegation included representatives from Japanese firms such as JFE Engineering and IHI, and agricultural machinery maker Kubota.
Yoko Kamikawa
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2023
Top diplomat vows Japan will 'take lead' in addressing Gaza crisis
Japan will proactively communicate with related nations toward the realization of a "two-state solution" to the crisis.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo on Oct. 21.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 8, 2023
Explaining Japan's nuanced approach to the Israel-Hamas war
Japan has the potential to influence the conflict due to its distinctive position within the international community.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speak as they wait for a group photo session during the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2023
G7 top diplomats call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Israel-Hamas war
The statement didn’t mention a cease-fire, only noting the necessity of humanitarian action.
Yogendra Puranik, the first person from India to win elected office in Japan, at the Indian cultural center he manages in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 6, 2023
Japan needs Indian migrants. How can it attract them?
India can help fill the domestic labor gap, but for migrants to succeed, Japan must embrace a genuinely intercultural approach.
In some cases, it's up to individual foreign residents to understand the unique tax implications of their home countries and Japan in order to avoid a penny-pinching retirement.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / Age Wise
Nov 5, 2023
Retiring in Japan? Be prepared to foot your own bills.
“In an ideal world, everyone should have retirement planning on their radar as soon as possible when working life begins.”
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (second from left) meets with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (second from right) in Ramallah, West Bank, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2023
Japan to provide $65 million additional humanitarian aid to Palestinians
During a visit to the region, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa did not comment on whether Israel's strikes on Gaza followed international law.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree