Commentary / Japan Oct 31, 2017
by Toko Shirakawa
To encourage more young people to start families, Japan must create an environment in which mothers can work and men do more to help out around the home.
Business / Corporate Oct 13, 2017
Eying Thailand's graying population, Japanese firms expand products and services for elderly
by Silpchai Prasarnsuklarp
A leading wheelchair maker and a hospital operator from Japan are seeking to expand in Thailand with an eye on products and services for the elderly as the Southeast Asian country's population rapidly ages. Matsunaga Manufactory Co., based in the of Gifu, expects to double ...
National Sep 18, 2017
Number of people in Japan aged 90 and above tops 2 million for first time
by Mizuho Aoki and Daisuke Kikuchi
The number of Japanese 90 or older stood at 2.06 million as of last week.
Voices | FOREIGN AGENDA Sep 13, 2017
What will it take to convince Japanese to 'choose family'?
by Nicholas Drapier
Without a societal model that makes family life appear important and attractive, perhaps it's no wonder that many Japanese people have stopped choosing it.
National Sep 12, 2017
Depopulated Kochi village suspends idea of direct democracy
by Eric Johnston
Just three months after the village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, drew national attention by announcing it might abolish its elected council due to a lack of qualified candidates and introduce direct democracy, the head of the sparsely populated municipality said Monday that talks on the ...
Commentary / Japan Sep 5, 2017
How Japan needs to change to welcome immigrants
by Noah Smith
National | CABINET INTERVIEW 2017 Sep 5, 2017
Japan must adhere to cap on social spending, new labor minister says
by Connor Cislo and Maiko Takahashi
Japan needs to hold fast in limiting the rise of social welfare spending, said Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Katsunobu Kato in a recent interview. To meet a spending limit set in fiscal 2015, Kato said he wants to adhere to a ¥500 billion ...
Editorials Aug 17, 2017
Regional banks pursuing mergers to ensure their survival should also scrutinize their operations to find areas where they can improve their performances.
National / Science & Health | A MATTER OF HEALTH Jul 26, 2017
Thanks to 'rejuvenation,' definition of elderly should go up 10 years, Japanese researchers say
by Tomoko Otake
In January, when researchers specializing in aging studies proposed that Japan redefine "elderly" as being aged 75 and older — instead of the current 65 — it raised more than a few eyebrows. In a nation with a rapidly aging population, where the sustainability of ...
National / Social Issues Jul 5, 2017
Japan's population falls for eighth straight year but number of foreign residents rises
Japan’s population fell last year at the fastest pace since the current survey started in 1968. As of Jan. 1, there were 125,583,658 Japanese nationals, down a record 308,084 from a year earlier.
National | FOCUS Jun 14, 2017
Japan's free preschool education plan requires a fiscal balancing act
by Noriyuki Suzuki
Education is a process that needs both long-term commitment and investment. So the government's move toward making preschool education free must sound attractive to many. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe views stepped-up investment in citizens as key to unlocking the country's economic potential. But there is ...
National Jun 4, 2017
Proving there is no age limit to marriage or romance, a growing number of Japanese in their late 40s and early 50s are taking their first shot — or even second or more — at tying the knot. Driven by a desire for a romantic ...