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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Short taxi rides in central Tokyo just became cheaper. Starting today (Jan 30), most taxis set their initial fare at about 3.6 dollars for just over 1 kilometer. The previous fare was about 6.4 dollars for the first 2 kilometers. Rides will get cheaper for up to 1.7 kilometers, but turn higher when the distance […]
A lunar New Year festival with more than 15,000 lanterns is underway in Nagasaki, western Japan. The Nagasaki Lantern Festival coincides with the Chinese New Year and symbolizes the city’s long history of exchanges with other countries. A lighting ceremony was held in Minato Park to open the festival on Saturday evening. The main display […]
A taxi driver in the Philippines who returned the valuable belongings of a businessman after they were left behind in his cab has been rewarded at home and abroad for his honesty. Reggie Cabututan, 30, was honoured by the city of Baguio and offered a chance to study and work in Australia. “All I did […]
The operator of Narita Airport near Tokyo says the number of foreigners who used the facility for international flights last year marked a record high and exceeded that of Japanese passengers. The operator says more than 32 million people flew to and from the airport’s international terminals in 2016. It says that with transit passengers […]
