International students who wish to join a university or language school are a major resource for Japan’s economy and aging population. Many of them have dreams of learning the language, becoming accustomed to the culture, and contributing long term to the Japanese society.
Like many of her fellow Indonesians in Taiwan, Etik Nurhalimah works for a family caring for an elderly relative. During her time as a migrant worker, she has also managed to fulfil a lifelong dream: gain a degree in English literature, while also winning a literature prize and having her story made into a film along the way.
In comparison to other G7 nations, Japan has been taking a weak approach to the recent coup in Myanmar, led by the country’s Tatmadaw, or military forces. This includes Japan’s refusal to impose sanctions, official statements that have been widely viewed as being too soft, and a reference to the Myanmar military’s top diplomat as being the “foreign minister.”
Among Japanese corporate leaders there are a handful who openly and proudly espouse racist views with little or no penalty from the government or business partners.
The English teacher in Japan subculture has gained a chronicler, as a murder mystery novel has been published set within their world.
With the possibility of the first “Japanese Only” Olympic Games, Japan looks likely to take the Gold Medal for Discrimination.
Oceans containing more plastic waste than fish may seem like a dystopian fantasy, but by some estimates we may reach that point in the first half of this century. To heighten awareness of this crisis is Catherine Jane Fisher’s objective in her art display in a shop window near Shibuya Station.
A Japanese court overturned a welfare reduction for the first time ever on February 22, 2021.
