National Oct 25, 2019
Typhoon Hagibis highlights need for multilingual emergency alerts in Japan
Alerts in Japanese warning about the typhoon left many foreign visitors and residents confused about whether they should evacuate.
National | Regional Voices: Chugoku Oct 11, 2019
Do city assembly members need two tablets each? Concerns grow in Hiroshima over tax waste
This fiscal year, the Higashihiroshima Municipal Assembly handed out second tablets to all of its 30 members, at a cost of about ¥6 million. All members already had one tablet, but the move came after council members complained it was hard to see multiple documents ...
National Oct 4, 2019
Ministry confirms city in Osaka Prefecture will be barred from hometown tax donation system
The internal affairs ministry said Thursday it is sticking with its decision to exclude the city of Izumisano from the revised furusato nōzei hometown tax donation system. The ministry concluded again that the Osaka Prefecture city, does not qualify after failing to follow a ministry ...
National Sep 27, 2019
Five years after Ontake eruption, half of Japan's municipalities near volcanoes lack escape plans
With the nation marking the fifth anniversary of the eruption of Mount Ontake that killed 58 people and left five others missing, a government survey shows about half of the municipalities near active volcanoes do not have evacuation plans in the event of an ...
National Sep 1, 2019
Japan conducts emergency drills in preparation for the huge quake predicted to hit Tokyo area
The government conducted full-scale drills on Sunday — the official Disaster Prevention Day — in preparation for a powerful earthquake that is predicted to occur directly under the Tokyo metropolitan area. The drills were carried out under a scenario of a 7.3 magnitude temblor occurring ...
National / Politics | Regional Voices: Hokkaido Aug 30, 2019
In Hokkaido, Japan's youngest governor seen as 'safe driver,' but critics want him to go off script
When 38-year-old Naomichi Suzuki was elected governor of Hokkaido in April, he simultaneously achieved another feat: becoming the youngest serving prefectural leader in the nation. Although some initially counted on the young Suzuki to be communicative, or even outspoken, he has so far trodden carefully, ...
National Aug 2, 2019
Donations to Japan's hometown tax donation program topped record ¥512 billion in 2018
The annual total surged 40 percent, the steepest increase on record, as governments drew interest from around the nation with generous return gifts.
National | Beyond Tokyo Jul 26, 2019
In pursuit of a sustainable society, Nagano turns to AI to help craft policy
by Eric Johnston
When times are good, there is less political pressure at the local level anywhere to be economically efficient or carefully scrutinize predictions that a new public works project or expensive industrial or tourism promotion scheme will lead to prosperity in 20 or 30 years. But ...
National Jul 8, 2019
An increasing number of prefectural governments and ordinance-designated major cities are expanding the scope of disabled people eligible to take exams for regular jobs at public-sector offices to include those with mental or intellectual disabilities. Previously, the job exams had been available to people with ...
National Jun 21, 2019
New law holds government responsible for teaching Japanese to all foreign residents
by Tomohiro Osaki
The legislation places the onus for providing learning opportunities on the state but does not contain any concrete measures to fund.
National Jun 13, 2019
Toilet manners and traffic jams are top concerns amid Japan tourism boom, say local governments
Traffic jams and tourists' manners are recognized by many of Japan's tourist destinations as major issues that need to be addressed amid the sharp increase in foreign visitors in recent years, a government survey showed Wednesday. The Japan Tourism Agency survey, conducted in October and ...
National / Politics Jun 10, 2019
Osaka Ishin no Kai candidate Hideki Nagafuji wins Sakai mayoral election
A candidate from regional party Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) won Sunday's mayoral election in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, likely giving a boost to the party's push for local administrative reorganization. Hideki Nagafuji, a 42-year-old former Osaka Prefectural Assembly member, defeated two other contenders. Voter ...