Nipponica

“It’s important to strengthen the SDF’s defense capabilities to protect the lives and the peaceful livelihoods of the people,” Koizumi said in a meeting with Miyakojima Mayor Noboru Kakazu. “I believe the understanding and cooperation of those in the city are essential in this respect.”

Kakazu in response, said, “The most important thing will be to carefully explain the SDF’s activities to the residents.”

Regarding the evacuation of the residents of Miyakojima island to another location if a Taiwan contingency were to occur, the mayor said: “Residents are anxious and have concerns. We think it will be necessary to discuss a variety of issues in detail.”

As with many things in modern life, the poorest are always the most affected when major powers collide. It is always worth acknowledging the innocent victims of the games countries play.

Locals say that beyond the cattle and tourism, Hokkaido has long lacked other industries. There's even a saying that those who go there do so only to leave.

But if the government succeeds in turning Hokkaido into Japan's answer to Silicon Valley - or "Hokkaido Valley", as some have begun to call it - the country could become a new contender in the $600bn (£458bn) race to supply the world's computer chips.

Expanding industry in Hokkaido is always welcome but they need the technical expertise to do so. Certain people in high office need to start pumping the brakes on the deportation train if they want this to succeed.

Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, is using subsidies to encourage high school students to study abroad, hoping to develop international talent and improve understanding in a territory with a major American military presence.

Okinawa prefecture's study-abroad program has sent 670 or so students overseas to date and is recruiting 30 for fiscal 2026, with programs to 13 countries and regions, including the U.S., Italy, Argentina and Taiwan.

The program lasts one year. The prefecture fully subsidizes participation fees, including tuition and homestay-related expenses.

This is a great program for Okinawan students and is a step ahead of many schools in mainland Japan. I think students would benefit from greater exposure to the rest of the world and if Okinawa can do it, other prefectures can as well.

The beloved penguin mascot of Suica smartcards used for public transportation and cashless payments in Japan will be retired in spring 2027, owner East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday.

The penguin, which has served as the face of Suica since its launch in 2001, will be replaced with a new mascot in line with planned enhancements to the card's functions from fall 2026, according to the company.

What to do with a known brand and character? DESTROY!

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.

In Oizumi, the Sanseito's proportional representation vote share was 15.6%, surpassing the national average of 12.6%. In the single-seat constituency, the Sanseito candidate topped the polls in the town, outnumbering the ruling Liberal Democratic Party candidate.

The rise of the Sanseito could alter Oizumi's image as a town successfully coexisting with foreigners.

The influx of foreigners in Oizumi began in 1990 when Japan's immigration law was revised, effectively permitting employment for foreign nationals of Japanese descent. Oizumi's small- and mid-size businesses, struggling with labor shortages, actively recruited them, leading to significant changes in the local community. Trouble associated with the growing foreign population was frequently covered by the media.

The mayor of Oizumi is speaking out on the benefits of its foreign community but there is still a growing number of people against them.

Even as Japan brings in growing numbers of foreign workers to relieve labor shortages, 38% of its municipalities had no Japanese language schools as of last November, according to government data released Friday.

The dip to 722 out of 1,892 municipalities marked only a 0.7-percentage-point improvement from a year earlier, according to the survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The tally does not account for programs aimed at exchange students.

The number of foreign nationals living in such areas jumped 21% on the year to 170,455. Okinawa prefecture had the highest share of municipalities without schools at 81%, followed by 74% in Tottori prefecture and 71% in Hokkaido. Hyogo prefecture, which includes the city of Kobe, had no such vacuums.

Hokkaido had the most foreign residents in towns without Japanese schools, with a roughly 60% surge to 21,536. "The further into the countryside you go, the worse the labor shortages are," a prefectural official said. "There's no one who can teach Japanese."

Demand that immigrants integrate but give them no tools to do so. Sounds about right.

Kimi Onoda, a first-time Cabinet member, was tapped for two roles: economic security minister, and “minister in charge of a society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.”

Onoda said she was looking to work closely with relevant government agencies to enforce stricter measures against unruly foreign residents and to revise the country's insufficient immigration policies.

“The current reality is that the people are feeling anxious, dissatisfaction or a sense of unfairness due to crimes, nuisances and inappropriate use of various systems by a small number of foreign nationals,” Onoda said at a news conference Wednesday. “While we must not fall into xenophobia, ensuring the safety and security of the public is essential for economic growth,” she said.

At 42, Onoda is the youngest member in Takaichi’s Cabinet and one of only two women appointed as ministers. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she has an American father and a Japanese mother.

My response to this new posting in the cabinet would be different if it was to better help integrate foreign people into Japanese society. But, as per usual, Onoda is going down the well trodded xenophobic route and targeting them instead.

Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, has tested positive for influenza, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday.

The 19-year-old prince developed a fever on Monday and was later confirmed to be infected, but he is now recovering at his residence in Tokyo, it said.

He will be absent from his university classes for the rest of the week.

Why is this news? Let the kid live his life without the vultures grasping at every private moment.