2020 Olympics fuel race to monetize autonomous driving
One day in December, a self-driving bus in Gunma completed an 18-km run from Maebashi to Shibukawa and back, dropping fare-paying passengers off at designated stops and navigating public roads. The driver, who got the bus humming with the push of a button, stayed behind ...
Not so lonely this Christmas: Britain's ethical businesses tackle isolation epidemic
Babies bounced on parents' knees, toddlers danced around the room and crackers were pulled with the elderly care home residents in their armchairs as everyone sang along to a medley of Christmas songs. Following 30 minutes of festive-themed joyful chaos, the multigenerational group spanning almost ...
Japanese trends you couldn't have missed in 2019
Amid the hard news of the past year, there were some trends that lit up Japan's media offered the nation a sense of, if not a little hope, at least some relief.
Elderly drivers in Japan would have to pass test to renew licenses under bill
The National Police Agency plans to submit the bill to revise the traffic law amid concerns over a rise in fatal crashes involving older drivers.
With eye on elderly, Japan to make automatic brakes mandatory for new cars from late 2021
Japan will oblige domestic automakers to have all new and remodeled passenger cars equipped with automatic brakes from November 2021 amid a rise in the number of accidents involving elderly drivers, the government said Tuesday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will also ...
Japanese securities firm SMBC Nikko to offer option of three-day workweek
SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. is planning to introduce in fiscal 2020 a system that allows employees to work three or four days a week, according to President Yoshihiko Shimizu. The measure is intended to support workers who need to take care of their parents or ...
Tokyo Fire Department releases criteria for halting resuscitation
The Tokyo Fire Department introduced on Monday criteria for stopping resuscitative efforts for patients in the terminal phase of illness. Until now the department had no clear guidance for how ambulance workers should respond if they are asked to stop resuscitative efforts. The new criteria call ...
New state funds proposed to help hospitals dump excess beds amid soaring medical costs
The finance and health ministries are thinking of setting up funds in each prefecture to support private hospitals trying to rid themselves of excess beds that are driving up medical costs, it has been learned. The idea calls for setting up a fund in each ...
The transition from Heisei to Reiwa came at a relatively peaceful time, with the nation's crime rate falling to a postwar low in 2018, an annual white paper released Friday by the Justice Ministry has shown. But the paper also said the 30-year Heisei Era ...
Japanese health ministry draws outrage for 'inconsiderate' poster on terminal care
The health ministry's attempt to use comedy to encourage people to discuss hospice care options with their families in advance fell flat with the public and was criticized as being in poor taste, prompting its withdrawal. The poster, released Monday, was meant to promote a ...
More effective measures must be taken to reduce accidents by elderly drivers.
Japan mulls expansion of pension coverage to include more part-time workers
The government is considering incorporating more part-timers into the employee pension program by requiring companies with smaller workforces to participate, according to government sources. Currently, companies with 501 or more employees must enroll in the kōsei nenkin program. Under the plan being considered, that threshold ...
