Commentary / Japan Oct 11, 2019
The consumption tax hike delays painful spending reforms
by Yoichiro Sato
Kicking the can down the road on social security reform should not be a policy option.
National / Politics Oct 8, 2019
Free preschool education raises concerns over run on nurseries
The Oct. 1 start of a government program making preschool education free of charge has raised concerns about a possible increase in children waiting to be accepted into nurseries. The program covers children age 3 to 5 as well as those up to 2 years ...
National / Politics Oct 4, 2019
Abe opens Diet session with call for social welfare reform for all generations
by Sakura Murakami
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicks off the extraordinary Diet session by tweaking his social welfare vows to appeal more to seniors and people with disabilities as he targets Article 9.
Business Oct 3, 2019
A subcommittee of the Fiscal System Council launched full-fledged discussions Thursday to compile the budget for fiscal 2020. The budget compilation work for the coming fiscal year, which starts in April, is the first of its kind since the Reiwa Era began May 1 with ...
National / Politics | FOCUS Oct 1, 2019
Abe rolls the dice on his political legacy with tax hike
by Isabel Reynolds and Emi Nobuhiro
Shinzo Abe will almost certainly become the nation's longest-serving prime minister next month. Whether he will be remembered as a success could well hinge on how the economy weathers the consumption tax hike. Legislation raising the tax to 10 percent from 8 percent took effect ...
Commentary / World Sep 23, 2019
Younger Americans will contend with higher taxes or benefit cuts
by Robert Samuelson
There needs to be a better balancing of burden and benefits among America's generations.
National / Politics Sep 21, 2019
Japan's new social security panel eyes pension and medical care reforms
A newly established government panel for discussions on reforms to the social security system so that it benefits all generations held its first meeting on Friday. "We'll discuss sustainable reforms for pensions, medical care, elderly nursing and labor in light of the sluggish birthrate, the ...
National Sep 20, 2019
Abe vows to improve Japan's social welfare as population grays
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Friday to step up efforts to reform social security as Japan faces a multitude of challenges stemming from its rapidly graying population and low birthrate. "Reform toward social security for all generations is the biggest challenge," Abe said at the ...
National | Regional voices: Chubu Sep 20, 2019
Mie city's outreach to struggling residents in public housing pays off
Officials in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, are working to reduce rent delinquency among low-income residents of municipal housing, by visiting defaulters individually and compiling custom payment plans. They aim to support the public housing residents — half of whom are aged 60 or ...
Business Sep 18, 2019
Keidanren urges caution on using workers' insurance funds to aid Japan's 'ice age generation'
The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, on Tuesday called on the government to cautiously study its idea of using reserve funds under the employment insurance system for the purpose of assisting people in the employment "ice age generation." The push is part of Keidanren's proposals ...
National Sep 15, 2019
Elderly citizens accounted for record 28.4% of Japan's population in 2018, data show
Seniors accounted for 28.4 percent of Japan’s population and 12.9 percent of its labor force in 2018, both record highs, government data shows.
Editorials Sep 7, 2019
Japan's fiscal health is in dire straits, but record high budget requests do not show any sense of crisis by the government.