National May 31, 2017
The government plans to ease passport regulations to allow married women to have both their maiden name and family name included on their passports in fiscal 2019.
National / Social Issues Mar 4, 2017
Learning to stand up to domestic violence in Japan
by Rob Gilhooly
Satoru Tanaka tentatively pulls from his briefcase a well-thumbed sheet of plain paper, onto which has been sketched three smiling faces along with a simple but astute message: "Daddy's promise," it begins. "Always smile, and if you feel the urge to fight, take a ...
National Mar 2, 2017
Private country club must equalize membership rules to host Olympic golf competition: IOC
by Andrew McKirdy
Kasumigaseki Country Club will be stripped of hosting the Tokyo 2020 Olympic golf tournament if it does not allow women to become full members, the International Olympic Committee warned on Thursday. "At some point there has to be a cut-off," IOC Vice President John Coates ...
National / Social Issues Feb 8, 2017
JOC chief questioned in Olympic bid probe on France’s behalf
At France’s request, Tokyo prosecutors have questioned Japan’s Olympic committee president and others over allegations that dubious payments were made to win the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Jan 7, 2017
Are female scholars taken seriously in Japan?
by Philip Brasor
There is a small group of female TV personalities whose claim to fame is that they graduated from the University of Tokyo, the most prestigious institute of higher learning in Japan. Like most TV personalities, these women have no demonstrable talent, and in almost ...
Business | YEN FOR LIVING Jan 7, 2017
Can the financial roadblock to marriage ever be dismantled?
by Philip Brasor and Masako Tsubuku
On Dec. 20, an advisory panel assembled by the Prime Minister's Office drafted a final proposal for a bill that has a long-term goal of increasing the country's sagging birthrate. The bill's short-term goal is to promote "marriage activities" among employees of companies and other ...
National / Social Issues Oct 26, 2016
Japan slides to 111th in WEF gender equality rankings
by Beatrice Thomas and Ayako Mie
Japan's efforts to bridge the gender divide have failed to translate into substantial change, with the nation sliding to 111th in a global inequality ranking report released Wednesday. The Global Gender Gap Report 2016, an annual benchmarking exercise by the World Economic Forum (WEF), found ...
Commentary / Japan Jun 19, 2016
Why it pays off to hire women as managers
by Didier Andre Guillot
Research suggests that women can be better at making managerial decisions than men, a lesson Japan can benefit from.
Commentary / World Jun 14, 2016
by Rakesh Mohan and Anu Madgavkar
The world has a $12 trillion incentive to accelerate progress toward achieving gender parity.
Commentary / World Mar 8, 2016
How South Korea is failing half of its population
by William Pesek
Park Geun-hye's failure to act on this $13 billion problem hurts growth in Asia's fourth biggest economy.
National / Social Issues Feb 22, 2016
'Second generation' women of equal employment law favor job flexibility
by Mariko Umeoka
Noie Motohashi flew to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo last year, choosing an intern job at a pottery maker there over a job offered by a Japanese company. Despite the language barrier and cultural differences, the 22-year-old Tokyo art college student thought that the experience ...
Commentary / Japan Dec 31, 2015
Why Abe's 'womenomics' program isn't working
by Kevin Rafferty
There is a contradiction between the demands of 'womenomics' and Abe's call for women to have more babies.