A Kick in the Butt for Japanese Work Culture
The Third Way Forum was launched in 2018 with the participation of fifty people. They are dedicated to shaping a new corporate culture for Japan which will be inclusive of international employees.
Japan-Backed Power Plant in Indonesia Caught Avoiding Taxes and Violating Rights
The Indonesian coal mining conglomerate Adaro Energy, which is allied with the Japanese companies J-Power, Itochu, as well as a number of public and private Japanese banks, has been avoiding local taxes for more than a decade, depriving the Indonesian government of about US$125 million in income from 2009 to 2017, and has even been accused of provoking human rights abuses in the country.
Atomic Bombing Apology Remains Unlikely
After almost three-quarters of a century it appears unlikely that Japan will ever receive an apology from the United States for its horrific atomic bombings.
Bread & Roses: My New Column for Shingetsu News Agency
Between 2012 and 2018, I wrote a monthly column called “Labor Pains” for the Japan Times. I have left Japan Times. I am so delighted to begin a new column this month called “Bread and Roses” for the Shingetsu News Agency.
Ruling Coalition Loses Supermajority
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the second half of July 2019.
Japan Loses Control Over Its Soft Power
“Japan was postmodern before postmodernism was cool” wrote Douglas McGray in Foreign Policy magazine. While that may be true, Japan has lost control of its own major cultural exports.
Healthcare Worker Shortage a Silent Crisis
The World Health Organization estimates that there will be a shortage of 18 million healthcare workers by 2030. This equates to a 20% gap in the global capacity to provide healthcare services. Japan, which is already grappling with an aging society and its attendant problems, is at the forefront of this crisis.
The World Leaves Japan and South Korea to Slug It Out
While Japan and South Korea are locked in an escalating and rather senseless set of retaliatory actions against one another, the rest of the world simply sits on the sidelines, afraid to either take a side or even mediate between the two nations.
Akita Election Deals Blow to Controversial Missile Defense System
The planned construction of the Aegis Ashore missile defense system in Akita has once again suffered a blow as independent, opposition-supported candidate Shizuka Terata won in the House of Councillors election. Terata’s victory owes to the efforts of many in the region who are strongly opposed to the deployment of the facility so close to the city center.
Fans Rally to Support Kyoto Animation
The tragedy at Kyoto-based studio Kyoto Animation, known to its fans as KyoAni, in which arson claimed the lives of 34 workers and injured 35 others, is compounded by the fact that the studio had a reputation for providing excellent working conditions, a living wage, and permanent staffing in an industry known for relying on exploitive contract-based work.