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September 18, 2025
 

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LABOR LAWS

EDITORIALS
May 5, 2018
A new status for foreign workers
The creation of a new term-limited residence status for veterans of the notorious foreign trainee program would be a welcome step forward.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Mar 25, 2018
Dodgy data spared Japan's workers from a labor system that's ripe for abuse, for now
At first glance, the discretionary work system looks like a dream come true in terms of work-life balance. On closer inspection, though, it has the potential to be a worker's nightmare.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 4, 2018
South Korean 'job nomads' follow their dreams to Japan
Millennials drawn to not only more jobs but also a perceived less competitive working environment.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2018
LDP refuses calls to redo flawed labor survey as debate delays budget talks
Political wrangling over an error-laden survey compiled by the labor ministry on what is known as the discretionary labor system shows no sign of subsiding, with the government persistently rejecting opposition calls for a redo of the probe said to underline Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's campaign to reshape...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Feb 25, 2018
Lessons on life, love and compassionate leave from a silly old bunny
Having just suffered a string of painful losses, this month I will explore compassionate leave (kibiki kyu016bka), the days you take off in Japan after the death of a close family member.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2018
Japan's discretionary labor system: What you need to know
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and government officials clash with opposition lawmakers over a proposal to expand an overtime work system called the discretionary labor system, here's a look at how the system works.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jan 28, 2018
Court cases shine a light on Japan's problem with paternity leave
Two cases currently before the courts show how the reality of Japanese workplaces can clash with government attempts to encourage fathers to help raise their children.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 3, 2018
In 2017, Japan woke up to the issue of discrimination
The year saw a landmark human rights survey and action on hate speech and pensions — but conditions remain dire for foreign 'trainees' and other workers alike.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 29, 2017
TV drama glorifies the Japanese scourge of working illegally for nothing
In the TBS drama 'Rikuo,' female factory workers work all hours — some of them unpaid — to make a new type of running shoe.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Oct 15, 2017
Duck and cover: Regulation by and for the state, through the Japanese people
Bureaucrats rustle up policies that require citizens to do their duty, however irrationally.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 1, 2017
NS Solutions case is latest battle in long war against sexual harassment
The ruling in the NS Solutions case should say a lot about where Japan stands now on the issue of sexual harassment, nearly three decades after the first ruling on this issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2017
Japan adopts guidelines to cut long work hours in construction, transport sectors
The government adopted guidelines on Monday aimed at addressing long work hours in the construction and transport industries.
EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 2017
Work-hour deregulation
The government's proposed scheme to exempt certain employees from legal work-hour regulations needs to be scrutinized from the viewpoint of protecting workers' interests from labor abuse.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jul 30, 2017
Are university teachers in Japan covered by the 'five-year rule'?
Careful reading of laws suggests that a 10-year exception to the new rule that makes irregular workers permanent doesn't apply to college teachers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
May 28, 2017
Job-juggling in Japan: a risky stunt with no safety net
The government has been pushing job-juggling lately, but I have reason to believe that its interests lie not with workers' health and security.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 14, 2017
Unions can offer a hand in dealing with recalcitrant employers
This week's query comes from A.R., who is having some problems with a less-than-cooperative former employer
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
Over 90% of low-income families in Japan struggling to feed children
Save the Children Japan domestic program chief Sonoko Kawakami speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in July. A survey conducted by the group in June has found that over 90% of low-income households with children face food insecurity.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
Tara Davis-Woodhall leaps to gold and finds redemption at world championships
Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates after winning the women's long jump final at the World Athletics Championships at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday night.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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