Commentary / World Dec 3, 2019
by Christopher A. Pissarides
Historical evidence shows that labor-replacing technological innovation does not lead to long-term changes in employment and unemployment rates in industrial countries.
Business Oct 16, 2019
GM and union close to deal to end month-long UAW strike after CEO Mary Barra joins talks: sources
General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers union were near a deal on Tuesday to end a 30-day strike that has cost the automaker about $2 billion after Chief Executive Mary Barra and President Mark Reuss took part in contract talks, according to ...
Asia Pacific / Politics May 17, 2019
Australian 'larrikin' ex-Prime Minister Bob Hawke dies at 89
Bob Hawke, a transformative and charismatic left-wing lawmaker with a "larrikin' streak who served as Australian prime minister from 1983 to 1991, died on Thursday aged 89, his family said. "Today we lost Bob Hawke, a great Australian — many would say the greatest Australian ...
National May 15, 2019
Health insurance law revised to limit coverage to Japan residents
The Diet enacted a legislative revision Wednesday to make the national health insurance program largely applicable only to workers and their dependents residing in Japan. The revision to the health insurance law is aimed at blocking use of the system by foreigners who have never ...
National Apr 21, 2019
Aging Japan to see 25% of breadwinners turn 75 or older by 2040: report
Japan's rapidly-aging society will see a quarter of its breadwinners turn 75 or older by 2040, the Nikkei daily has reported, citing a study from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. The total number of head-of-households who are 75 years of age ...
Business Apr 11, 2019
Japan's famed convenience stores look to cut opening hours amid labor shortage
Apart from culture, food and a superefficient rail system, one of the things that most impresses travelers to Japan is its convenience stores, bursting with sushi, alcohol, underwear and ready-made food available at all hours. Well, maybe not for much longer. The 24-hour konbini experience is ...
National Feb 27, 2019
No systematic cover-up of faulty jobs data at labor ministry, investigative panel says
A panel probing faulty jobs data denied there was a systematic cover-up at the labor ministry, saying top bureaucrats had been unaware monthly labor surveys were “conducted improperly.”
National Jan 10, 2019
Tens of billions of yen in jobless benefits unpaid due to faulty labor ministry data: sources
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday the government will decide whether to rework the fiscal 2019 budget after the ministry’s investigation.
National Jan 9, 2019
Japan's labor ministry knowingly published erroneous monthly labor survey: officials
The labor ministry has released monthly jobs data despite knowing that it did not satisfy sampling standards and was erroneous, officials said Tuesday. The revelation could undermine confidence in the accuracy of key economic indicators as Japan enjoys a prolonged phase of economic expansion. Under existing ...
Business Oct 4, 2018
by Kurumi Mori, Emi Nobuhiro and Kae Inoue
Two years ago, an online rant about the lack of day care in Japan went viral on social media and seemingly started a movement, prompting working mothers to stage demonstrations in which they demanded the government take them seriously and offer more child care. Since ...
National Sep 29, 2018
Survey finds most firms are not interested in work hour exemptions for professionals
Most Japanese companies have no plans to utilize a new government scheme that removes work hour limits for some highly paid professions, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday. Only 13 of 113 major firms that were polled are even considering adopting the "high-level professional system," ...
National Sep 28, 2018
Record 385 foreign nationals in Japan stripped of resident status in 2017
With cases linked to student status doubling from a year earlier, an official said a rise in foreign students may have pushed up the figure.