Recruitment issues undermining Japan’s military buildup
The SDF faces an uphill battle as it struggles with a falling birthrate and increased competition with the private sector over a shrinking pool of applicants.
Japan's births set to fall below 800,000 in 2022, hitting a new all-time low
Unless trends change this year, the annual total of newborns in the world's third-largest economy is on track to hit around 770,000, compared to last year's 811,604.
Japan approves use of highly autonomous 'level-4' self-driving vehicles from April '23
Limited adoption of the automated vehicles intended to lead to the technology's use in unmanned bus services in regions with falling populations and in self-driving delivery robots.
Downsizing death: Japan's funeral industry at a crossroads
The death care business is rethinking the services it offers in response to soaring bookings and sagging revenue in a rapidly aging nation
To ensure safe flight, the government will require operators to obtain a license issued under a newly launched system and have their drones inspected and approved.
Is it a bus or a taxi? For some small Japanese towns, the answer is both
Hybrid mobility services are helping cater to Japan's older citizens, many of whom live in areas where traditional forms of public transport are lacking.
Wood spirits: How Japan made the world’s first liquor from trees
History is being made by a technology that may help aging rural populations, reinvigorate the nation’s struggling forestry sector and shake up the global alcohol industry in unforeseen ways.
Workers will keep their power in the job market despite recession fears, study says
While fears of a recession may temporarily put a freeze on hiring, the study says that over the long-term, the market is likely to skew toward job-seekers.
Notes from Setouchi: An autumnal spectacle of light and shadow
Artworks in abandoned houses play with the natural light found on the islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
Notes from Setouchi: The art of loss brings lesser-known islands to life
Honjima, Takamijima, Awashima and Ibukijima open for the fall season of Setouchi Triennale 2022.
Record low number of young singles in Japan plan to marry, survey says
About 81% of men and 84% of women between the ages of 18 and 34 who have never married said they intend to tie the knot at some point.
Japan’s top refiner is gearing up for the oil industry’s decline
Eneos Holdings has an outline for fusing operations but is still discussing which of its refineries to shutter when, the firm's president has said.
