Nipponica

Less than half of foreign workers and students in Japan's rural areas want to remain in their current region when seeking employment or changing jobs, according to the analysis, compiled by Global Power, an operator of the job search and recruitment site NINJA for highly skilled foreign workers and students.

The company analyzed data from its 42,000 registered users as of May, focusing on their current addresses and desired employment locations.

Among those whose current residence matches their desired employment location, Tokyo leads the way with 51.7%, followed by the prefectures of Fukuoka at 51.5%, Aichi at 49.6% and Osaka at 48.8%. In contrast, Shimane is the lowest at 9.4%, followed by Kochi at 15.4%, Tokushima at 15.9% and Kagawa at 16%.

People want to live where the opprotunities are and the lack of development in rural Japan means no way to improve your wellbeing.

The landslide in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, occurred as the weather agency warned of heavy rain mainly in western Japan, calling people to be on high alert for landslides and flooding in low-lying areas.

...researchers in western Japan's Ehime Prefecture have developed a new type of paper material that's cooler to the touch.

The developers are also considering cutting the paper into fine threads to be processed into towels and other textile products.

This kind of thing is where Japan really does excel: taking the normal materials of life and improving them by small margins over time.