Japan

Iyus, an Indonesian who first arrived in Japan in 2013, will work as a tour bus driver. Tokyo aims to welcome thousands of foreign workers to address labor shortages in various sectors, including transportation.

A Taliban delegation is in Tokyo to meet Japanese officials and discuss humanitarian assistance and possible investments, while the Japanese government reiterated the importance of respect for human rights. The talks, organised by a private institution, end this Sunday. Afghanistan’s opposition slammed the meeting with government officials.

Akihiro Arimoto, father of Keiko, one of the 17 people captured by North Korean agents between 1977 and 1983 according to the Japanese government, dies at 96. His death leaves Sakie Yokota as the only surviving parent of kidnap victims; her daughter Megumi was taken when she was 14.

Japan is one of the destinations for the relokanty who left Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, also due to the presence of a group of compatriots particularly committed to the opposition to Putin and to the demonstrations in favour of peace.

The prestigious award, considered the ‘Nobel of religions’, was awarded this year to an international NGO founded in 2009 and active in dozens of Muslim-majority countries for the promotion of women's rights. ‘It strengthens peaceful coexistence by creating a basis for interfaith dialogue’. The award will be presented in Tokyo on 14 May.

After the slowdown of the pandemic years (and smart working), the number of arrivals in 2024 from other prefectures returned to 2019 levels. Still, despite the Ishiba government’s “revitalisation” plans, non-metropolitan areas continue to lose residents.

The number of suicides among Japanese minors is up despite an overall drop. The PIME missionary runs an outreach centre for hikikomori, people who pull back from society, including minors, victims of bullying and crushed by the pressure to excel.

Rising costs for ingredients and labour are pushing ramen eateries over the edge. According to Teikoku Databank, 34 per cent reported losses in the last fiscal year. Price rises are now inevitable, even if many Japanese seem unwilling to spend more for Japan’s food par excellence.

In his address at the ceremony in Oslo, 92-year-old Terumi Tanaka warned: “[T]here are 4,000 nuclear warheads, ready to be launched immediately.” This means that, “Any one of you could become either a victim or a perpetrator, at any time.”

The UN body gave its approval yesterday recognising the traditional alcoholic beverage, the product of an ancient technique of fermenting rice and other ingredients using "koji" moulds. For makers, it is an opportunity to promote it at home and abroad. For 2026, the government wants to have "shodo" calligraphy listed.

Five hundred agents, some in riot gear, fenced off the Airin General Centre, ordering homeless people to move. The 1970 Expo was a “symbol of Japan’s rapid economic growth”. Osaka is home to the highest number of day labourers in the country. The centre closed in 2019. For a 60-year-old homeless man, “There are more and more foreign tourists here. So I guess it’s just a sign of the times.”

After pressure from investors, Japan becomes one of 38 countries with visa-free entry to China. This follows a meeting in Lima (Peru) between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. In the background, historical animosity lingers, as evinced in the latest match between the two countries’ football teams a few days ago in Xiamen.