National
Takanawa Gateway, new JR Yamanote Line station name, fails to resonate with Tokyoites
A movement has been launched to rescind the name selected for the new station on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line situated between Shinagawa and Tamachi, which is scheduled to commence operation from 2020. As of 6 p.m. on Dec 10, an online petition to halt use of the new name had… Read
U.S. Marine accident off Japan categorized as severest 'Class A'
The U.S. military has categorized the fatal crash involving a fighter jet and a tanker plane off Japan's western coast last week as a "Class A" mishap, the severest category on its scale of four. The accident occurred when an FA-18 fighter jet and KC-130 tanker plane based in Japan… Read
Language skills remain major concern for foreign nursing care workers
While a new visa system approved by the Diet and to take effect in April has been welcomed by Japan's labor-short nursing care businesses, questions remain about how to provide sufficient Japanese language education for foreign workers. Despite the government's steps taken in recent years to relax rules on foreign… Read
Elderly owners having to put their aging pets in care
Demand for canine nursing homes is rising in Japan as elderly dog owners struggle to look after their aging charges who often require special care. With improved diet and medical treatment, dogs are living longer, but their aging owners, especially those in failing health, are increasingly worried about how their… Read
As Japan OKs law to let more foreigners in, tiny rural town wants to go further
Brazilian Luan Dartora Taniuti settled in the remote municipality of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture when he was nine. Leonel Maia of East Timor has been there nearly seven years. Filipina Gladys Gayeta is a newly arrived trainee factory worker, but must leave in less than three years. Japan's strict immigration… Read
Crown princess, on 55th birthday, says she is 'insecure' but vows to do her best as empress
Crown Princess Masako on Sunday pledged to do her best despite feeling 'insecure' about becoming empress in mere months, in a candid statement released on her 55th birthday. Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019 -- the first abdication in the Japanese imperial family in more than two… Read
Japan's military sees record spending: Nikkei
Japan's military looks to raise spending over the next five years in response to security challenges and to narrow Japan's trade surplus with the United States by buying U.S. equipment, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday. The Ministry of Defense looks to spend at least 27 trillion yen ($240… Read
Law enacted to create 10-day holiday around 2019 imperial succession
Japan on Saturday enacted a law to assign one-off holidays to celebrate the imperial succession next year, creating a 10-day Golden Week vacation period from late April. May 1, 2019, when Crown Prince Naruhito, 58, ascends the imperial throne, will be designated as a holiday. The rare 10-day vacation period… Read
Hope, anxiety in Japan over opening up to more foreign workers
Business leaders on Saturday welcomed Japan's move to accept more foreign workers as a way to ease the aging nation's acute labor crunch, but some local governments appeared unsure how they should brace for a possible influx of foreigners. "We welcome the enactment that is to earnestly deal with the… Read
U.S. Marines ID dead crew member in Japan warplanes crash
The U.S. Marines have identified a fighter pilot who died after his jet collided with a refueling aircraft during training off Japan's coast, leaving five other Marines missing and one rescued. Two pilots were flying an F/A-18 Hornet that collided with a KC-130 Hercules about 2 a.m. Thursday. The other… Read
