Tag - local-government

 
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July 27, 2024
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Masanori Matsugawa, mayor of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024
Ginowan mayor dies on official trip to Tokyo
The 70-year-old mayor was found dead in his hotel room after failing to turn up at the hotel's lobby at a prearranged time.
People who made hometown tax donations to the city of Narita in Chiba Prefecture take part in a tour on Sunday at Narita Airport in the city, which was offered as a return gift.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024
Japan's hometown tax donations top ¥1 trillion for first time
The number of people who received residence tax breaks through the system is also believed to have hit a record 10 million.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito holds a news conference on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024
Another Hyogo official dies after allegations against governor
The employee is the second person to die since a document on Saito’s allegations surfaced. The creator, a senior Hyogo official, also died in an apparent suicide.
An election observer (on the screen) remotely monitors early voting for the Kofu mayoral election in Kofu, Tottori Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2024
Tottori town becomes first in Japan to monitor voting online
Polling stations are decreasing as it is getting harder to find observers due to depopulation, and online monitoring is viewed as a possible solution.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito speaks to reporters on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2024
Hyogo governor stands firm on not resigning despite official's death
Gov. Motohiko Saito said he has "responded within the necessary scope" of his duties in relation to allegations of power harassment against him.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito bows at a news conference at the prefectural government office in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2024
Hyogo vice governor to resign over death of prefectural official
Vice Gov. Yasutaka Katayama's resignation comes after the death of an official who distributed a document about alleged harassment by Gov. Motohiko Saito.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito holds a news conference at the Hyogo prefectural office on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2024
Hyogo governor refuses to resign after union complaint
Motohiko Saito's refusal came in the wake of the sudden death of a prefectural official who created a document accusing him of wrongdoing.
Suzu General Hospital suffered a significant loss in the last fiscal year due to a decline in the number of patients.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 9, 2024
Public hospitals in quake-hit Okunoto area bleed red ink
The area in Ishikawa Prefecture was hit especially hard by the 7.6 magnitude quake that shook the peninsula on Jan. 1.
An interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, on June 6
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2024
Interim storage facility for nuclear fuel nears completion in Aomori
The site is expected to play a key role in Japan's efforts to establish a nuclear fuel cycle, but residents are concerned the temporary facility will become permanent.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, speaking in the city of Osaka on Thursday, explains his plan to propose measures to protect people from fraud.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 28, 2024
Osaka governor eyes ban on mobile phone calls at ATMs
The proposal is part of an effort to protect elderly people from fraud.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks at a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly session earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2024
Campaigning begins for Tokyo assembly by-elections
The Liberal Democratic Party and the regional party Tomin First no Kai are competing to become the biggest group in the assembly.
Internal affairs minister Takeaki Matsumoto
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2024
Point websites to be barred from Japan's hometown tax donation system
Donations collected via the sites will no longer be tax deductible under the hometown tax system.
The government will cover up to 50% of construction expenses for four takeoff and landing sites for flying cars, subject to a cap of ¥50 million ($313,500) per site.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2024
Japan to subsidize construction of first vertiports for flying cars
Post-construction, the transport ministry will use operational and utilization data from the facilities to develop guidelines for the construction of future vertiports.
Office employees drink outdoors in Kabukicho. Street drinking at night will be banned in certain areas of Shinjuku on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. However, the ban has no penalties.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2024
Tokyo's Shinjuku bans street drinking at night on Halloween
The move comes as Shinjuku has faced increased disturbances and other nuisances from young people moving from neighboring Shibuya.
Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe (second from right) and Aikasa founder Shoji Marukawa (second from left) hold rental umbrellas during a media briefing on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 19, 2024
Shibuya launches initiative to set up 150 new umbrella-sharing stands
The initiative envisions a reduction of 76.1 tons in carbon dioxide emissions and 29.1 tons in waste per year.
Internal affairs minister Takeaki Matsumoto bows after a bill to revise the local autonomy law was approved at a plenary meeting of the Upper House on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2024
Japan enacts bill for emergency state power over local governments
The purpose is to make sure that Japan can respond quickly to incidents not presupposed by existing laws.
The Henoko coastal district in the city of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2024
Okinawa governor's camp fails to secure majority in assembly poll
The tough election result is seen forcing the Okinawa governor to face difficulties managing the prefectural administration.
A growing number of local governments in Japan are selling reusable oversize waste collected from households on marketplace app Mercari.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2024
Japan local governments using Mercari app to recycle oversize waste
From clothing boxes to furniture, the initiative aims to raise awareness of reusing goods while reducing carbon emissions from incineration.
A "free school" in Tokyo's Kita Ward. In April, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government began providing subsidies to students attending free schools.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 14, 2024
Local subsidies for Japan's 'free schools' highlight regional inequality
Support groups are calling for uniform financial assistance nationwide for institutions aimed at those who have left mainstream schooling.
The Niigata Prefectural Government holds a seminar in January 2021 for parents of students seeking jobs.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 14, 2024
Japan in urgent need of personnel for local public service
A shortage of civil servants to support the lives of local residents is raising serious concerns.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Terunofuji, as he tends to do, returns to stamp his authority on sumo pretenders
Terunofuji (left) throws down Kirishima on Tuesday to build on his perfect record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japanese startups advised to internationalize to get some global mojo
Entrepreneurs who participated in the Beyond Japan Zero to X program last year share their experiences in the United States during a meeting in May in Tokyo.

Podcast

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

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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