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.

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.

The terraces of the uniquely designed Nago City Hall in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa provides locals with places to relax around-the-clock.

The building is inspired by "kami-asagi," small huts used for rituals in the northern parts of Okinawa's mainland. Constructed from reinforced concrete, the three-story building features "asagi terraces" on each floor, resembling eaves that shield against Okinawa's intense sunlight. These terraces are accessible at all times, including holidays and at night, serving as communal gathering places for residents.

I've only seen this in person a couple times as I passed through Nago but it is quite the sight. It looked like some kind of ancient temple and only later I found out it was a government building. Hope it gets the attention it deserves.

"It was quite interesting to see how people outside Japan have reacted to the news." Ayda Ogura, 21, says.

"Everyone's like, 'wow, she's the first female prime minister in Japanese history and that would be a great opportunity for women empowerment and gender equality in Japan'.

"I think that's a very naive interpretation."

Instead, Ms Ogura points to her "political beliefs and what she stands for", adding: "She perpetuates the patriarchal system."

It is good that western outlets are getting the 'milestone' and 'women empowerment' narratives out of their system and actually started to look at Takaichi as a politician. This is largely a step back in Japan's slow journey for true equality under the law. Fortunately, with the instability of the coalition and LDP as a whole, this is hopefully a short term issue.

Japan said Wednesday it has lodged protests with Russia over its warnings of a live-fire drill and temporary restrictions on foreign vessels in waters off Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands off Hokkaido.

The islands, called the Northern Territories by Japan and the Southern Kurils by Russia, have long been a source of friction between the two countries, preventing them from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the government had received two warnings from Russian authorities regarding the moves taking place in areas including in Japanese "territorial waters."

As someone that appreciates consistency in foreign policy, I welcome a unification in Russian strategy for violating borders on both sides of its empire.

Payments for popular water buffalo cart rides on remote islands in Okinawa Prefecture will soon become smoother thanks to contactless technology.

From Oct. 23, contactless payments by credit and debit cards, as well as smartphone apps, will be accepted at the ticket counter for the roundtrip rides across the shallow sea between the Iriomote and Yubu islands in Okinawa Prefecture, according to an announcement made Tuesday by Bank of The Ryukyus, a regional bank based in Naha, and other companies involved, including Sumitomo Mitsui Card.

So disappointed they aren’t installing Suica readers on the Okinawan wildlife.

With Japan’s parliament poised to vote on who it wants to next lead the country, a resurgent opposition and the collapse of the ruling coalition have put the prospect of the nation’s first female prime minister in real doubt.

Good summary of the PM state of play as of now.

Overseas assignments are often seen as prestigious and a fast track to promotion, but a recent survey found that more than 90% of companies have experienced cases where expatriates returned to Japan before completing their term abroad.

The most common reason for early returns was "failures in adapting to local culture," according to a September survey by Bizmates Inc., a Tokyo-based provider of programs including business-focused online English conversation services. The survey targeted 400 human resource development managers at companies with 500 or more employees that offer overseas postings. While pre-assignment training typically focuses on safety and language skills, the survey noted a "potential mismatch between training content and actual needs."

Interesting to see the opposite view of a Japanese person working abroad and the struggles they face. Perhaps this will help increase mutual understanding of how foreign workers in Japan feel. Or, more likely, perhaps not.

The continuing development of Tokyo's railway infrastructure is fueling further growth of the capital's sprawling metropolitan area, solidifying its status as the world's largest with 37 million people -- about a third of Japan's total population.

The railway network growth has facilitated Tokyo's outward spread, attracting more people from rural regions to urban centers. The ongoing development includes investments in railways and redevelopment projects, with the future completion of the super fast Linear Chuo Shinkansen maglev line promising even faster commuting options, such as from Nagoya in central Japan to Tokyo.

Since the 2000s, redevelopment has led to a resurgence of migration to central Tokyo. The Greater Tokyo area, encompassing Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama, continues to expand both outward and inward.

Love the shoutout to Tsukuba and the Tsukuba Express commute as the example of urban growth in the Greater Tokyo region. TX forever!

A cable car connecting the middle section and top of Mt. Tsukuba in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, celebrated 100 years of operation on Sunday.

The cable car is an indispensable means of transportation for more than 400,000 tourists visiting the mountain each year, but it was once discontinued during war because it was considered unnecessary. Tsukuba Scenic Railway Co., the operator of the cable car, says it hopes that visitors will feel the history of the long-loved cable car.

The 1,634-meter-long cable car line links Miyawaki Station at an altitude of 305 meters above the sea level and Tsukuba-sancho Station near the top of Mt. Nantai, with a one-way trip taking about eight minutes.

A salute to an icon from my hometown.

The Hokkaido Spaceport in the town of Taiki, located on Japan's northern main island, has rocketed to global prominence after it hosted the first launch of a foreign vessel earlier this summer.

The port has now received inquiries about possible launches from 13 or 14 companies from around the world.

"Until recently, our main challenge was to raise awareness," said Yoshinori Odagiri, CEO of Space Cotan, which operates Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO). "Now we've reached the stage where people are coming to us to collaborate."

When you have the major infrastructure like a launch site already built, industry will build around it. Should be bright days ahead for south Hokkaido.

Resembling shark fins poking above the waterline, the tails of taxiing airplanes are just visible over the tall white fence that separates Kinone Pension from the runways of Narita airport.

Like circling marine predators, the aircraft represent the threat the surrounding airport poses to the property that rises like a green island oasis from the asphalt.

A really cool visual history of Narita and the fight against its expansion by Kyodo.

East Japan Railway, or JR East, said Tuesday that it will introduce a successor to its East-i inspection train for shinkansen lines in fiscal 2029. The next-generation model's design will be finalized around next summer after ideas are sought from employees across JR East group companies.

Launched in 2002, the East-i inspects the tracks and other facilities of the Tohoku, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen lines while traveling. While the East-i travels at speeds of up to 275 kilometers per hour, the maximum speed of its successor will be 320 kph, the same as that for trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.

Doctor Yellow, a similar inspection train for the Tokaido Shinkansen line of Central Japan Railway, or JR Central, and the Sanyo Shinkansen line of West Japan Railway, or JR West, is slated to be retired, and a regular shinkansen for passenger transportation is expected to take over its role after being equipped with inspection devices.

We need our own Doctor Yellow up north.

Sanae Takaichi, former economic security minister, was elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday and is likely to become the first female prime minister within two weeks, succeeding the outgoing Shigeru Ishiba.

She defeated Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a run-off that was held after none of the five candidates was able to secure a majority in the first round of voting.

She is also the first female president in the LDP’s 70-year history. The arch-conservative was close to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, another right-wing LDP leader. She has publicly stated that she sees former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as her role model.

Good to see the trend line of horrible election results is continuing.

Octopus mobile app users can now make payments at millions of merchants across Japan in a move that will bring convenience to many Hongkongers planning to visit the country.

This is using the PayPay system to register payments. It’s kinda crazy that PayPay is becoming a quasi-open network for payments in the country but I’m all for it if they continue to integrate foreign systems.

The municipal government said Thursday that it was no longer able to secure a spectators' gallery for the fireworks because a related "open base" event at the Yokosuka base was called off amid the government shutdown.

The U.S. Navy base has been one of the venues for members of the public to see the annual fireworks display for years. The city was expecting that half of the roughly 190,000 spectators it had hoped to attract this year would view the event from the base.

The one kind of boom that will be cut by this government.