Tag Archive: japan news – expert

Naganuma for Olympics 2020

  A change of plan has crossed out Miyagi Prefecture as a venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The International Olympic Committee, the national government, the Tokyo metropolitan government, and the organizing committee have removed Miyagi Naganuma boat race course in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture from the list for the Tokyo games in favor of the initial venue, Sea Forest Waterway on Tokyo Bay. Holding the games at Naganuma had seemed practical as the cost could be kept around 15 billion yen to 20 billion yen in comparison to the initial 32.8 billion yen on the Sea Forest Waterway plan. However, pursuing this Naganuma plan would divide the Olympic village and…
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Students refuse going to school

  A recent survey by the Japanese education ministry shows a worrying steady increase of students refusing to go to school and has been found evident in both elementary and junior high school levels for the past three years. Some 126,000 students in both levels are on casual absenteeism on last October’s statistics. Apparently, students’ refusal to attend school has rooted in anxiety, apathy, and domestic conditions. Friendship with other children and academic struggles also have contributed to the problem. There is an urgency in addressing the issue considering the many factors that have caused it and the things that may come of it. The education sector is fighting an…
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Overworking Issue

Japan is doubling its efforts on tackling karoshi or death from work in the wake of a work-related suicide that sparked public outrage. Matsuri Takahashi, 24, committed suicide after working 105 hours of overtime a month. The advertising giant, Dentsu Inc., which she was then working for, was being thoroughly investigated by labor authorities to find any other employment violation. The company, in response, banned its employees from staying in the office later than 10pm and cut the maximum monthly overtime by five hours to alleviate their working condition. However, the reaction to Dentsu’s countermeasures was not as expected. A good number of their employees raised their concerns about not…
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Halloween celebrations in Tokyo

  More than 250,000 partygoers paraded in their fancy getups for this year’s Halloween in the heart of Tokyo. This may not be a convention in Japan, but most Japanese people like to hold it big annually. The nation completely embraced this occasion with merriment all over the place. It also seems to be more about dolling up and less about experiencing spooks and thrills. Dressing up, eating themed food, and attending parties are on the long list of things people get to enjoy on this supposedly spooky occasion. In fact, Halloween is even bigger and more festive than Christmas in Tokyo. A greater part of the city is enriched…
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