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May 03, 2024
 

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REFORM

People work in an office where the majority of staff work remotely at the headquarters of Fujitsu in Tokyo in August 2020.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 19, 2023
Japan firms cut teleworking despite strong demand, survey shows
The ratio of workers using the telework system in Japan dropped to 22.2%, the lowest level since the coronavirus outbreak hit the country.
Sendai Station is one of the train stations to see the biggest gains in foot traffic compared to pre-pandemic levels.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2023
30% of Japan prefectures see crowds surpass pre-COVID levels
Based on an analysis of major train stations, 13 locations, or 28%, recorded more people than during the same period in 2019.
Workers at a WeWork coworking office in London
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 11, 2023
Flexible work will survive despite gloomy corporate signals
A growing body of research, trend data and surveys show that flexibility matters, and that work is now a thing we do, not a place we go.
Logistics companies have started asking truck drivers to use sleep-tracking devices.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2023
Japan truck industry monitors drivers' sleep ahead of overtime cap
Firms are asking drivers to use mattress sleep trackers and wearables as they ready for an expected industry-wide crunch once overtime is limited.
A recent report showed that the number of career bureaucrats leaving government to join startups had quadrupled over the two years through fiscal 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 8, 2023
Japan’s young civil servants are growing disillusioned
Big companies remain the most popular career option, attracting 34% of those who change jobs.
A new study suggests that the benefits from shifting to a four-day week may last and grow stronger over time, rather than dissipating.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023
Employee health benefits of four-day weeks persist, study shows
Self-reported physical and mental health scores held steady over a full year of the pilot program, while work-life balance continued to improve.
The financial district of San Francisco in May 2022
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023
Not all firms are ready for a four-day week — yet, says expert
The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most U.K. businesses participating don’t want to return to the five-day standard.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023
Not all firms are ready for a four-day week — yet
The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most U.K. businesses participating don’t want to return to the five-day standard.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2023
Defense Ministry urged to attract skilled talent from private sector
The recommendations come as the government plans to create a new recruiting system to employ highly skilled Self-Defense Forces officers as early as the next fiscal year, starting in April.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2023
A fulfilling job is a luxury of modern times
The idea that your work should pay emotional dividends — and not just the bills — would have seemed strange to most people before the 20th century.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2023
Remote work revolution becomes tug-of-war between bosses and fed-up staff
While workers don’t want to give up flexibility, leaders want teams back to boost collaboration and avoid a productivity slump.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2023
Japan workers are shifting from lifetime employment, LinkedIn's country head says
Firms also need to adapt to changing attitudes among workers who value family life and flexibility more than they did in the past, the company's first female country chief has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 1, 2023
How remote work connected employees making $19 an hour and $80,000 a year
Corporate employees who don't want to return to the office face tensions over how their demands compare with those of others who could never work remotely.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 18, 2023
More turn to four-day week, driving productivity and improving well-being
Out of 61 firms that took part in the world's biggest four-day week trial last year, 56 have stuck with the policy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2023
Lower Tokyo office vacancy rate gives relief to market after COVID-19
Historically, the city has recorded vacancy rates in the low single digits, but the market may be settling into a new normal of higher levels considering the change in work trends.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Longform
May 8, 2023
Japan's spin on 'workations' proves a hit
The market for the new work initiative that grew in popularity during the pandemic is predicted to be worth in excess of ¥100 billion in fiscal 2023.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2023
Japanese companies split over post-pandemic remote working
Some major companies have been shifting back to working at the office in principle. Others are cautious about fully returning to an office-based work style.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2023
77% of junior high school teachers exceeded overtime cap in fiscal 2022
In a sign of improvement, however, the data showed that fewer teachers are working 60 hours or more a week, which would put them at greater risk of death by overwork.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2023
Despite hurdles, more political candidates hit campaign trail with young children
Politics in Japan has long been considered the domain of those who are capable of committing to the duty 24/7, marginalizing the voices of families with young children.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 13, 2023
Virtual spaces coaxing Japan's social recluses back into society
Local governments and private companies are making efforts to establish unique 'club activities' based on common interests as the problem of social disconnection continues to spiral.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
'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.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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