NEWSWORTHY
Smoking rate in Japan has declined by half since beginning of Heisei Era in 1989
The proportion of smokers is dropping in Japan, with the figure in 2018 down by half from the rate of 36 percent when the Heisei Era began in 1989. Japan Tobacco Inc. attributes the decline to increasing health awareness, an aging population, tougher smoking regulations ...
Japan hopes to use the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics as an opportunity to become a more inclusive and accessible society, and in 2018 games organizers made some strides towards making it a reality. When hosting a major sporting event, people usually talk about what kind of ...
Hackers behind a massive breach at the Marriott International hotel group left clues suggesting they were working for a Chinese government intelligence gathering operation, according to sources familiar with the matter. Marriott said last week that a hack that began four years ago had exposed ...
Marriott security breach exposed data of up to 500 million guests
Hackers stole information on as many as 500 million guests of the Marriott hotel empire over four years, obtaining credit card and passport numbers and other personal data, the company said Friday as it acknowledged one of the largest security breaches in history. The full ...
The hotel industry will be listed as lying within the scope of the type two trainee status under the government's technical intern training program for foreign nationals, officials have said. The program has three statuses — type one for first-year trainees, type two for those ...
Top hotel chains in China apologize after dirty-cleaning expose goes viral
The Ritz-Cartlon and other five-star hotels in China apologized after a video exposing unhygienic cleaning proctices went viral online this week in the latest health and safety scandal to rock the country. Despite their luxury standards and high price tags, cleaning staff were shown wiping ...
Sex, drugs and ... slavery? Human trafficking hidden in U.K. hotels
Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll — nothing new for the hospitality industry but British hoteliers say loud music, used condoms and alcohol could hint at something darker: modern-day slavery. Add last-minute bookings, paying in cash or landing without luggage — all are warning signs ...
Overnight stays at Shimane 'dinosaur hotel' museum gaining popularity
The Okuizumo Tane Museum of Natural History in Okuizumo, Shimane Prefecture, is a rare complex that is both a museum and hotel, and a recent dinosaur exhibition has seen it become a real hit with children. Following the end of normal business hours at around ...
Japanese government to require wheelchair-accessible rooms at new hotels
The government said Tuesday it will mandate that new hotels over a certain size make at least one of their rooms accessible to people in wheelchairs. The revised barrier-free enforcement order approved by the Cabinet applies to hotels or inns with more than 50 rooms ...
First case of unlicensed private lodging in Japan sent to prosecutors
Four people are suspected of providing accommodation to tourists in Kyoto without obtaining a permit from the local government.
Major Japanese hotel chain operator Fujita Kanko Inc. opened its first overseas hotel in Seoul on Friday in a bid to capture demand from the growing number of Japanese travelers to South Korea amid easing geopolitical tensions on the peninsula. Hotel Gracery Seoul, developed with ...
Hotel association in hot spring city Beppu teams up with Airbnb
A hotel association in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, a city known for its hot springs, said Monday it will work with Airbnb Inc. to attract more tourists from abroad. A total of 111 hotels and inns that are members of the Beppu City Ryokan Hotel Association ...
