Japan: Sapporo Snow Festival opens
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Japan marks first rise in real wages in 5 years
Japan’s labor ministry says average monthly wages adjusted for inflation rose in 2016, the first increase in 5 years. The data is the preliminary result of a nationwide survey. The ministry says the average monthly wage, including bonuses and overtime pay, was about 315 thousand yen, roughly 2,800 dollars. That’s up 0.7 percent in real […]
Japan: Gov’t considers setting minimum marriage age at 18 for both genders
The government is considering setting the minimum marriage age at 18 for both genders, scrapping a provision introduced shortly after World War II that allows 16-year-old girls to get married, a government source said Thursday. The government is considering including a provision for the unified minimum marriage age in a bill to revise the Civil […]
More than 100, including 3 Japanese, hurt in fire near Manila
More than 100 workers, including three Japanese, were injured and at least three were missing in a fire that hit a huge factory south of Manila and sent thousands of employees scampering to safety, an official said Thursday. The fire at the House Technology Industries was under control but has not been fully extinguished nearly […]
Haneda Airport: Robots lend a helping hand to visitors
A fleet of robots was deployed to Haneda Airport in Tokyo to greet and assist the flood of visitors expected to arrive during the Lunar New Year holidays. The testing is being conducted with an eye toward having the guide robots working full-time at the airport from 2019. Eight robots will rotate in shifts up […]
Japan begins work on 60-hour overtime cap
Government’s reform initiative aims to reduce death from overwork. The Japanese government began formal discussions Wednesday on draft legislation that would limit overtime to an average of 60 hours a month throughout the calendar year. “Extended work hours are a structural problem, so it is necessary to reexamine corporate culture and business practices,” Prime Minister […]
Greater Tokyo sees net population inflow for 21st year
The number of people who moved into the greater Tokyo area exceeded that of people moving out by 117,868 in 2016, marking a net population inflow for the 21st consecutive year, the internal affairs ministry said Tuesday (1). But the inflow into the eastern Japan area–Tokyo and the three neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and […]
Map symbols should be revised in order to make Japan more visitor-friendly
A panel of government and private-sector consultants says several commonly used map symbols should be revised in order to make Japan more visitor-friendly. The members studied 90 pictograms that differ from international standards. Of 7 marked for review, they suggested 5 be changed. They include the signs for parking lots, first aid rooms and other […]
Protest against Trump’s immigration order in Tokyo
A protest has been staged in Tokyo against US President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions. About 30 people, many American residents, attended a rally near the US Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday. The protesters raised banners reading “No Muslim ban” and “Immigrants make America great” while shouting “Build bridges not walls” and other slogans. They called […]
Philippine police suspend war on drugs
The Philippine police have suspended nationwide anti-drug operations to focus on internal cleansing following the killing of a South Korean man by narcotics officers. On Monday, Police Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa announced that he will stop the use of the national police force in anti-drug operations and launch a massive purge of police involved in […]
