Japan’s donation-based local tax system goes off the rails
Japan's Ministry of the Interior and Communications announced on June 25 that it would review the rules governing local taxes, based on a system of donations to the city of one's choice.…
Abandoned Japanese homes: A bust for locals but a potential gold rush for foreigners
As Japan faces an aging population and the headache of abandoned homes, a new law is a band-aid while interest by foreigners could be the ultimate solution.…
Japan’s first-ever racial profiling lawsuit filed this week
Three Japanese citizens of foreign origin claim they've been subjected to numerous unlawful searches and could file the first-ever racial profiling lawsuit in the country.…
Japan bans cannabis derivative HHCH after people who ate gummies felt sick
Japan officially considered HHCH, a synthetic molecule similar to cannabis, as a drug after several people recently fell seriously ill eating gummies containing HHCH. Its consumption and marketing will be fully banned from December 2.…
In Japan, the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the sterilization required to change gender
The Japanese Supreme Court has declared it unconstitutional to mandate genitalia removal for gender transition on administrative documents. It is a significant decision for LGBTQ+ rights in Japan, a rather conservative democracy where same-sex marriage is still prohibited.…
Scallops in Japanese schools for free, due to Chinese export ban
Unable to export seafood to China because of the ban following Fukushima's wastewater release, Japan is to provide 100,000 servings of scallops as free school lunches to school children across the country.…
Fukushima nuclear plant, a wastewater release plan, and Korean concerns
As the IAEA is about to give its conclusions on the safety of Japan's plan to release radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, concerns of Koreans have been growing.…
Japan stops its 4‑year export restriction on South Korea
Japan decided to stop export restrictions toward South Korea, which will mark the end of a four-year trade feud between the two countries.…
In Japan, lawmakers pass a Dementia Basic Act for elderlies to live with “hope and dignity”
With an aging population, Japan seeks to improve the care of people with dementia.…
South Korea seeks to improve ties with Japan with a plan for compensating victims of forced labor
South Korea released a plan to compensate Korean victims of forced labor under Japanese occupation. By not seeking reparation from the Japanese companies, relations between the two countries are expected to improve amid concerns about regional security with North Korea.…
Japan has counted more than 14,000 islands in its territory, twice as many as the last survey
Japan found that it has 14,125 islands after a survey updated the previous count that dated back to 1987. It will not change the overall area of Japanese territory or its territorial waters.…
Japan government plans to raise the age of consent from 13 to 16
In Japan, a bill is being worked on to substantially amend the penal code related to sex crimes. The age of consent for sexual intercourse could be raised from 13 to 16 years old.…
Japan to offer 700,000 yen more per child to families to leave crowded Tokyo for rural areas
Japanese government plans to offer up to 1 million yen per child to families who leave Tokyo metropolitan area, an additional incentive to reverse population decline in rural areas.…
In Japan, music schools don’t need to pay copyright fees for students who learn music, the Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court of Japan ruled that music schools don't need to pay copyright royalties for music played by students, dismissing the appeal made by the Japanese Society for the Rights of Authors.…
Online insults in Japan can lead to one year in prison
Japan passed a bill that makes online insults punishable to jail. The law will be revised in three years if it turns out to restrict freedom of speech.…
Sony to help Honda produce new electric cars in an uncommon move for Japanese businesses
Sony and Honda will join forces to produce innovative electric vehicles. An uncommon move in Japanese business.…
Board of Japanese brewer Kirin decides to withdraw from Myanmar
Kirin Holding was unhappy with last year's military coup, the board officially decided to withdraw from a joint venture shared with a military-affiliated company by June 2022.…
Nagasaki Prefecture mascots asked to be changed for gender equality
The two mascots of Nagasaki Prefecture, Ganba-kun and Ramba-chan, would display gender discrimination as the captain is a boy and the vice-captain is a girl.…
Why a Japanese Court again ruled that legislative elections were unconstitutional
A High Court of Japan considers the last general elections for the House of Representatives to be held in an unconstitutional state because the weight of each voter was not fairly distributed between districts.…
World news digest of January 28, 2022
Discover news from around the world that didn't make global headlines on January 28, 2022…
In Japan, 14% homes vacant, more than 42 million empty places in the world
While cities in Japan are overcrowded, rural areas are empty. Overall, about 10% of homes remain vacant among 20 OECD countries.…