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Japanese Society / Politics - Hiragana Times Archive
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Is Immigration the Solution to Japan’s Ageing Society?
Japan’s population looks like it is about to go into freefall. The country’s fertility rate – defined as the average number of children born to a woman aged between 15 and 49– stood at an estimated 1.2 in 2008. That is substantially less than the 2.1 needed to sustain a population in a developed country and a far cry from the 4.5 of 1947 that heralded the start of Japan’s brief but spectacular baby boom. ...
Japan’s Suicide Crisis
Japan’s suicide statistics make grim reading. National Police Agency (NPA) data published in June 2008 shows that 33,093 people took their own lives in 2007, marking the tenth consecutive year the figure has exceeded 30,000. It was also the second-highest number since the NPA began collecting data some 30 years ago, and not far short of the record 34,427 in 2003. ...
Rescue Megumi - Japanese Girl Abducted by North Korea
On the evening of November 15, 1977, in Niigata City, a girl (13 years old) in the first grade of junior high school at the time was rushing home after going to badminton club. From school to home was just a few hundred meters. After she said goodbye to her friends just 50 meters from home, she disappeared. ...
Gay Couples Living in Japan where People are Stereotyped
Life and love could not be more international for Mitchell ARMSTRONG and partner SATOH Kunihiro, who have been together since meeting through friends at a bar in Japan in 2005. In the beginning they were just friends, but that soon lead to the inevitable much more, and two months after their first encounter they moved in with each other into in an apartment in Tokyo. ...
Japanese Proficiency Required for Visa!?
Does anyone in the LDP ever think before they go on the record? Given the recent hash the Foreign Ministry made of floating the possibility of requiring foreign residents to have Japanese proficiency, it appears not. ...
Japan’s New Immigration Measures Further Alienate Foreign Residents
On November 20, 2007, new immigration measures came into force in Japan as the result of an amendment to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, further eroding the civil liberties of Japan’s foreign residents and receiving widespread condemnation from the international community and human rights organizations. ...
Prevent Hunger While Dieting!
Metabolic syndrome has become a serious issue in Japan. The term is mentioned every day on TV and in newspapers and advertisements. People are suffering from obesity and diseases associated with poor lifestyle habits due to excessive calorie intakes not only in Japan but also in many advanced countries. The number of people affected is approximately 1 billion. ...
The Great Tokyo Air Raid
— Passing the Record About an Unprecedented Massacre on to the Next Generation
The Kitasuna area of Koutou Ward is in the eastern part of Tokyo located between the Sumida and Arakawa rivers, and facing Tokyo Bay. Kitasuna is an old town that has been shaped by industry. Now, the area is packed with houses and apartments and is rather quiet. Back in World War II, however, Kitasuna was severely damaged by the Tokyo air raids. ...
Save the Lives of Little Creatures
The December issue of 2006 Hiragana Times featured an article called “Dogs are treated as family members, but behind the scenes ...” I work as a police officer. Dogs that are apparently stray or abandoned are often brought to my police station. Besides dogs, other animals are also sometimes brought to the station. ...
Background of Those who Slander Others on the Web
I often use the bulletin boards on the Internet. The other day I noticed someone had slandered my favorite writer. Since having read all of his books, I believe I understand his thoughts. The slanderer made his criticism by picking up only a part of what the author wrote, but it was obvious if you read all he wrote that the slander was entirely off the point. ...
The Shape of Japanese Women in their 20s is Ideal!
Many scholars have studied the ideal body shape for women. Among them is the survey carried out by Professor. Devendra SINGH, for the University of Texas. He explored men's thoughts on the ideal women's body. ...
In Japan, Women are Happier than Men!
There are only a few female politicians in Japan. In the workplace, men hold most of the important executive positions. The work offered to women is generally in the realm of assisting male staff and carrying out routine duties. ...
Japanese Wander Among Three Religions in 10 Days
From the end of December to New Year’s Day, Japanese take part in three different religions. As December starts, Christmas trees decorate shopping centers and the Christmas mood envelops the nation almost as if Japan was a Christian country, and as Christmas approaches, Christmas parties are held everywhere. ...
How will the “Year 2007 Problem” change Japan?!
Japan is now facing the "Year 2007 Problem." This looming predicament is due to the fact that a huge social restructuring will take place in Japan when the "baby boomer generation" begins retiring from 2007. The baby boomer generation (6.8 million people) was born between 1947 and 1949 and the population ratio of this group is extremely high compared to other generations. ...
Japanese Employees Want a Return to Lifetime Employment & the Seniority System
The Japanese employment system is now under review. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the secret of Japan's rapid post war economic growth were the lifetime employment and seniority systems. ...
Will the Japanese Tendency to Delay Marriage Change Japan?
The tendency of Japanese to delay marriage has become clearly evident. According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average marriage age last year was 29.6 years for men and 28.9 years for women. The late marriages are having a big impact on childbirth. ...
Women-Only Coaches Offering Shelter from "Chikan" are Flourishing
Most Japanese in big cities commute to office by trains so crowded that bodies stick together during rush hours. Exploiting these occasions are male passengers called "chikan" who grope women's bodies. Many women hesitate to shout out from embarrassment and shyness. ...
Young Japanese are Drifting between “Needs” and “NEET”
In Japan, 70% of junior high school graduates, 50% of senior high school graduates and 30% of university graduates quit their companies within three years stating that their job did not fit them. This phenomenon is called “Shichi-go-san.” (“Seven Five Three,” which has the same name as a Japanese festival for the ages). ...
The Impression of Japan Amoung Foreign Students in Japan is not Good
According to an OECD survey, the total number of students studying abroad around the world was approximately 1,900,000 in 2002. Looking at it geographically, the country that accepted by far the greatest number of foreign students was the U.S.A., which took in more than 500,000 students, followed by other Western countries including the UK, Germany, France and Australia. ...
Now, One Out of 20 Marriages are Mixed!
According to the statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there were 36,039 international marriages between Japanese and non-Japanese in 2003. This is about 5 percent of the 740,191 couples who married in Japan, which means an an average of one out of 20 marriages were mixed. ...
Small incident that I felt illustrated Koreans' thoughts against Japanese
I recently had a phone call from a reader who has read a copy of Hiragana Times for the first time. He is a hotel owner and praised the magazine. ...
"Ore, Ore" Fraud Increasing
This year, the number of so-called "Ore, Ore" ("It's me") frauds has been increasing. The fraudsters' trick goes like this. The criminal calls somebody's house and when the mother or grandparents pick up the phone, he pretends to be a son of the family, saying "It's me" in a fearful voice. ...
Are the Lives of Human Beings Worth Less than Insects'?
I was most shocked to recently hear the news about the murder of an 6th grade pupil in Nagasaki. A 6th grade elementary school girl was killed by a pupil in the same class. Japanese society seems to be deteriorating and the criminals are getting younger. Who's responsibility is this? I believe 11 year old children are pure. ...
Unexpected crimes are on the increase
Japan is well known as one of the safest countries in the world, but this reputation is beginning to unravel. Although Japan's crime rate is still low compared to other advanced countries, the present figure is about double the rate in 1980 and the highest number since World War II. ...
The small actions of a Japanese woman leave a big impression
Many people despair over the bad manners of today's young Japanese women, especially when they do their make-up on trains and sit with their feet on the chair in restaurants. But on the other hand, there are some nice women, too. ...
What has happened to the Police force that used to have the world's highest arrest rate?
I commute to my company by motor bike. The other night a truck driving in front of me hit a pedestrian on the left side of the road. To my surprise, the driver didn't stop. I chased the truck, but the driver kept going, even driving through red lights. ...
Japan’s Aid to Under-Developed Counties is the Second Largest in the World, but…
According to the OECD, the Japanese government offered US$ 8,859,000,000 in 2004 to developing countries. This is the second largest amount of aid after the U.S.A, which offered US$18,999,000,000 followed by France (US$ 8,475,000,000), Britain (US$ 7,836,000,000) and Germany (US$7,497,000,000). ...
Will Japan's Peaceful Constitution be Changed?
May 3rd is Japan's Constitution Day and a national holiday. Article 9 of Japan's Constitution clearly renounces war. Therefore, it is called a "peaceful Constitution," but Japanese are beginning to debate whether Article 9 should be revised or not. ...
Do you know all roads lead to Kasumigaseki?
Dear friends, do you know the jargon "Onobori-san"? Those who visit Tokyo are called "Onobori-san." The trains coming up to Tokyo are called "Nobori-Densha," or "Up Train" and trains leaving Tokyo are called "Kudari-Densha" or "Down Train." ...
