Nipponica

This city's board of education issued a notice to a junior high school that students should stay properly hydrated, after the school established a rule stating that "in principle, it is considered good manners not to drink (water or tea from a water bottle) during classes or tests," the Mainichi Shimbun has learned from the board and other sources.

This is the second story I have posted about insane school rules in Okegawa. Absolute madness to force students to dehydrate themselves because of 'good manners'.

When passengers and airport staff speak, the display shows a translation into one of 13 languages, including English and Chinese. This appears on a transparent display, allowing speakers to still see each other’s faces.

Click through to the article to see the photo of how this works. Pretty cool tech and I hope they keep it after the trial period.

Nikkei and JPX Market Innovation & Research will remove Lawson, a convenience store chain, from the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 on July 9 due to the company being designated as a stock "to be delisted" by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Lawson isn't going away but it is now co-owned by Mitsubishi & KDDI. But still, good night my dearest.

Japan's top court has ruled as unconstitutional a defunct eugenics law which saw 16,500 disabled people forcibly sterilised between the 1950s and 1990s.

The Supreme Court also ordered the government to pay damages to 11 victims, who were involved in five cases that were heard on appeal.

Wednesday's landmark ruling brings to an end a decades-long fight for justice by victims who have been demanding compensation and an apology.

It took almost 30 years from when this horrendous law was repealed for the victims of this tragedy to get some kind of reparation for what was taken away from them. One of the worst crimes of post war Japan.

A study conducted by the Japan Student Services Organization, an independent administrative agency, found that 90,719 foreign students were enrolled in Japanese language schools as of May 1, 2023. This is the largest number since the first JASSO study was conducted in 2011, and an 83.6% year-on-year increase of around 40,000 students.

Also, the article shows that the number of foreign students overall (including universities) is almost at the pre-COVID peak. The vast majority of foreign students come from China and other east/southeast Asian nations so there is still value in the Japanese dream in the region.

Since its arrival on Japan's shores a quarter-century ago, American membership-only warehouse food and home goods club retailer Costco has grown significantly and evolved into being seen by many as a consumption-driven savior for struggling local economies.

The CostCo bulgogi stick was the only thing keeping peace between Japan and Korea over the past decade. May it drip scalding hot meat juice on me for years to come.

The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday resumed flights of its Ospreys in Japan after suspending them following a fatal crash of one of its tilt-rotor aircraft off a southwestern Japanese island in November, a Defense Ministry official said.

Keep an eye to the sky.

All too many of my friends and acquaintances in Japan fall under the self-described “aspiring writers” label: people who write in private, but have yet to successfully pitch and publish an article, short story or — most formidable — a full-blown book. And yet, from fiction novelist Karen Hill Anton to memoirist Florentyna Leow (both previous contributors to The Japan Times), it is clear that non-Japanese writers can thrive in Japan. Some find career stability in teaching, translation or corporate work that frees up time for writing, while others find that the culture and vibrance of this country inspires their imaginations and world-building.

I sat down with three authors with books coming out in 2024 — Ellen McGinty, Ambika Nagino and Kristin Osani — to discuss the ups and downs of the publishing industry and the long (and very different) roads each of them took to seeing their books in print.

The central government said Friday that it will provide subsidies in August and September to slash electricity and city gas bills by ¥2,125 per month for the average household.

Good news but just a bandage on a gaping economic wound. The yen needs intervention for Japanese residents to remain competitive with the rest of the world.

During the fierce ground battles in Okinawa Prefecture in the late stages of World War II, Ie Island, located several kilometers off Okinawa's main island, housed a large airfield built by the Imperial Japanese Army. This was targeted by the U.S. military, turning the island into a horrific battlefield said to epitomize the Battle of Okinawa. Many young children were caught in the crossfire, and two of them, now in their 80s, shared their painful experiences with the Mainichi Shimbun.

No child should ever have to go through this. We need to keep these stories alive to help prevent them from happening again.

Aleph, which has most of the roughly 1,650 worshippers of Aum Shinrikyo's three successor groups, continues to worship the teachings of cult leader Chizuo Matsumoto, who went by the name of Shoko Asahara and was executed in 2018, as dogma. Authorities still believe that Aleph may conduct mass murders.

It is kind of amazing that the Aum Shinrikyo successors are still allowed to operate in the post-Abe assassination world when organizations like the Unification Church are being squeezed. Perhaps this is a first step towards that.

The man told the Mainichi, "In the workplace, there was always an unwelcoming atmosphere toward marriage and having children. I was very sad."

We don’t live in a world where the employer owns the employee anymore. Black companies like this should not be allowed to operate like this.

Japan successfully launched Monday its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite from a space center on a southwestern island, in a boost to the country's space aspirations following the vehicle's failed debut last year.

Space is back.

Emirates resumed flights of the superjumbo at Kansai International Airport on June 1, with daily round trips between Kansai and Dubai International Airport. Airlines had paused flights of A380s to Kansai as passenger numbers plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Love the big sky whales.

Japan will start issuing new banknotes on Wednesday, showcasing what it touts is the world's first use of cutting-edge holography that makes the portraits of historic figures look like they are rotating in 3D on the bills, one of their anti-counterfeit measures.

In the first design change in 20 years, the 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen bills will have bigger face value numbers printed on them than the current versions, so all people, regardless of age and nationality, can recognize them easily.

I do not think this is the typical "I don't like change" attitude but the new banknote designs are a huge step back. They look like a bunch of elements randomly completely thrown together and they lack the cohesiveness that the current set have.

The number of mental disorder cases recognized as work-induced in fiscal 2023 hit a record high for the fifth consecutive year at 883, up 173 from the previous year, the government said Friday.

The two biggest Japanese airline operators said the guidelines address customer behaviors such as badgering staff, irrational demands and physical violence, among other typical issues.

Obviously good for the employees of the two airlines and good for the passengers that have the decency to treat these employees like human beings. But, as a troublesome customer can be more than just a nuisance for an employee and be an actual safety hazard for a whole airplane full of passengers, should these guidelines come from the government level and have criminal penalties?

The survey was conducted by The Nippon Foundation in May and asked 1,000 Japanese aged between 17 and 19 about their attitudes on the issue, with 55.7 per cent saying they have little or no interest in the imperial family and 53.4 per cent saying they have no sense of closeness to the emperor or his family.

Not surprising considering the general disinterest in government & elections.

The hackers threatened that they have gained access to "very personal information regarding Japanese citizens" and "everything will go public" on Monday unless Kadokawa Corp., the parent company of niconico operator Dwango Co., pays a ransom.

Kadokawa, a major Japanese publisher, declined to comment on the latest development.

Cyber Security 第一

"It is highly unlikely it will respond in the future," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, that has remained in operation for longer than anticipated, surprisingly surviving three cold lunar nights.

Good night little one.