Nipponica

Japan's government will compile a comprehensive set of measures to address issues related to foreign residents and tourists in January, its top spokesperson said Tuesday, as its ministers met to discuss policies on foreigners for the first time under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

At a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the ministerial meeting was launched to enhance central government oversight of foreigner-related issues and "build a safe, secure, orderly, and inclusive society for the people and foreigners living in our country."

I'm going to assume this quote in this article is a bad translation: "build a safe, secure, orderly, and inclusive society for the people and foreigners living in our country." If not, apparently foreigners are no longer people according to the new government.

The government suggested on Oct. 30 that children should carry empty plastic bottles to repel bears, claiming the animals hate the sound of them crumpling.

The suggestion came from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Environment Ministry as part of a directive to boards of education nationwide that aims to protect children going to and from school. With bear-related incidents continuing across the country, countermeasures practiced in northern Japan regions such as Hokkaido and Tohoku were also included.

The 21st century samurai is much less cool.