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April 26, 2024
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Members of the Generation Z division at the Kitakyushu municipal government in Fukuoka Prefecture discuss ways to attract more young people to live in the city.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 25, 2024
Local governments setting up unique divisions to revitalize economy
Kitakata in Fukushima Prefecture has created a ramen division and soba division to promote local cuisine.
Members of the town assembly of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, discuss on Wednesday whether to accept a survey to examine the town's suitability for hosting a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024
Saga town begins discussions on nuclear waste disposal site survey
If approved by the special committee and the full assembly, the town mayor will need to make the final decision on whether or not to accept the survey.
Miyoko Kusunoki, an official of the board of education in Higashiura, Aichi Prefecture, shows the salt blocks that will be put up for sale on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2024
Rock salt worth ¥600,000 to be sold on Mercari by Aichi town
Higashiura started selling unneeded items from the town hall on the flea market app this month.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu speaks to reporters in the city of Shizuoka on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2024
Shizuoka governor submits letter of resignation over controversial remarks
He initially planned to quit during an assembly session in June, but he has been under pressure to step down earlier.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai speaks at a a news conference in Sendai on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2024
Miyagi governor suggests scrapping national sports event
The annual event is hosted in rotation by the 47 prefectures.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu speaks to reporters at the prefectural government office on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2024
Shizuoka governor to resign over gaffe
Heita Kawakatsu is under fire for a remark viewed as insulting to farmers and others.
Rescuers prepare supplies before entering Taroko National Park after an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2024
Local governments in Japan move to support quake-hit Taiwan
Areas in Japan hit by previous disasters are aiming to offer support for Taiwan.
Members of the Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad living in Tokushima Prefecture meet in the city of Yoshinogawa in the prefecture in December 2022 to learn from each other's experiences.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2024
Record 7,200 served as 'community reactivators' in FY 2023
The government aims to increase the number of community cooperators to 10,000 by fiscal 2026.
Heita Kawakatsu, governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, explains his remarks at the prefectural government office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2024
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu to resign over latest gaffe
"Unlike (those who) sell vegetables, raise cattle and make things, you are basically highly intellectual people," he said to newly hired officials.
As of December 2022, the village of Zamami, Okinawa Prefecture, had in its stockpile six of the nine items listed in a survey as necessary for women and 10 of the 11 items listed as necessary for babies and infants, doing much better than other municipalities in the prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 1, 2024
Municipalities push gender-inclusive disaster risk management
Some areas in Okinawa involve more women in decision-making and make an effort at stockpiling relevant items.
Hundreds lined up at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, which came to Japan for a 50-day exhibition.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Apr 1, 2024
Japan Times 1974: Some troubles reported at Mona Lisa's opening
Fifty years ago, a woman made a statement on the rights of the physically disabled by splashing paint on the Mona Lisa in Tokyo.
Takashi Kimura (center) won the Kumamoto gubernatorial election on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
Ex-vice governor wins Kumamoto gubernatorial election
Backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, Takashi Kimura will be the first new governor of Kumamoto in 16 years.
A smartphone workshop is held in Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, in December in conjunction with the implementation of measures to stimulate consumption through cashless payments.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2024
Local governments engage elderly to ease adoption of cashless payments
Some older people and others who find digital devices difficult to operate continue to view cash as the be-all and end-all for making purchases.
Residents remove snow from rooftops together with workers from a snow removal company in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, in January 2021. In fiscal 2022, 49 people in Japan died during activities related to the clearing of snow. Of these, 39 people — or roughly 80% — were age 65 or older.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Land ministry goes digital to prevent snow-clearing accidents
The system is aimed at assessing the risks associated with snow removal at individual houses to avert mishaps, particularly ones involving the elderly.
A Sapporo municipal official uses a telephone relay service at the city office in April last year.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 14, 2024
Phone relay service helps hard of hearing government staff
The service facilitates communication for workers hard of hearing and those with speech impediments by connecting them with operators online.
A poster for digital coupons at a store in the city of Fukushima
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 11, 2024
Fukushima’s welfare coupon campaign highlights digital divide
A call center dedicated to the initiative received so many calls that telephone lines were overloaded.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso speaks during an interview in February in the city of Morioka.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024
13 years after 3/11, Iwate looks to make best use of new infrastructure
The governor of Iwate also called on the central government to continue necessary reconstruction projects while listening to people in the affected areas.
Construction work for the relocation of the U.S. Marines Air Station Futenma is undertaken in the Henoko are of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture in January.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 2, 2024
Top court nixes Okinawa governor's appeal against U.S. base landfill
The decision is likely to be seen as an endorsement for continued work at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma relocation site in Nago.
Hideo Kojima (right), mayor of Ginan, Gifu Prefecture, hands his letter of resignation to the head of the town's assembly at the town hall on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2024
Gifu town mayor resigns amid sexual harassment allegations
Hideo Kojima, 74, a former town assembly member, was first elected mayor in November 2020 and was serving his first term.
Japan is aiming to reverse the trend of people marrying later in life, or not at all, as depopulation progresses throughout the country.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2024
AI plays cupid as Japanese authorities try to boost marriage rate
Some systems being used recommend partners based on an applicant's internet browsing history.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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