Tag Archive: japan news – intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: What do you know about MSDF? Do you think it’s important for every country to have peace? What can you say about Japan’s military bond with United States? Vocabulary: destroyer – (military terms) warship Japan has a long list of military destroyers. Peninsula – an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except the narrow strip of land connecting it with the mainland. Boso Peninsula can be found in Chiba Prefecture. defense – protection against attack Japan’s current Defense Minister is Tomomi Inada. escort – a group of persons,or a single person accompanying another or others for protection Japan and US are on an escort mission….
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  Pre-reading questions: What are the skills that an employee needs? What are the challenges of having many jobs for an individual? Vocabulary: 1. prevailing [adjective] – to be or continue in use or fashion My co-employees hope that job-juggling will be a prevailing practice in the future. 2. permitting [verb] – to allow to do something My company is not permitting me to have a part time job. 3. moonlighting [verb] – to hold a second job in addition to a regular one Since I need money for my studies, I’ll see if I can do moonlighting. 4. boosting [verb] – to increase; raise Jog-juggling is boosting an employee’s…
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Pre-reading questions: How long do you think can a person work in a company? Why? At what age do you want to retire? Why? What do you plan to do with your time after retirement? Seniors in Japan usually still work after they retire. A program has been set in place to help seniors land jobs. Economists say that if Japan wants to alleviate its worsening labor shortage, it needs a whole lot more people, like retiring seniors. It is unconventional for seniors to work after retirement. Japan does an inadequate job of employing healthy seniors. People in their senior years can still work. There are still so many things…
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Pre-reading questions: How often do you ride a taxi in a week? Have you ever had a bad taxi ride? How does one become a taxi driver in your country? People in Tokyo who love taking short taxi rides will enjoy the lowered fare. The initial fare for taxis in Tokyo used to be ¥730 for the first two kilometers. The new initial fare for taxis in Tokyo is ¥410 for the first 1.052 kilometers. The new fare system started in the cities of Musashino and Mitaka. An 85-year old Tachikawa resident appreciates this new fare system as this would allow her to move around Tokyo with more ease. She…
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  Pre-reading questions: Would you be interested in working abroad? Please explain your answer. What are the challenges of working away from your family/home country?   Around 600 young Vietnamese students are studying Japanese language and culture, bracing themselves to become technical interns in Japan. Most of the students hail from rural areas of Vietnam. The majority of foreign workers in Japan are Vietnamese since Vietnam promotes export of labor while providing employment to its citizens. Despite the multiple benefits of this project, many foreign trainees suddenly disappear upon dispatch. Some companies committed labor violations such as non-payment of wages so trainees end up fleeing. Other interns have difficulty in…
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Pre-reading questions: What is your opinion about cyber attacks? How can you keep information safe online? Companies receive help from Tokyo police to fight against cyber crimes. MPD’s Public Safety Bureau covered about 100 companies whose offices – such as railways operators, airlines, financial institutions, telecommunication services – situate around Tokyo. Participating companies possess key infrastructure and advanced technology. Information gathered will be analyzed by a special investigation unit. Those data will then be placed in a secure and private server so companies can retrieve it. This is to help them have time to take precautionary measures should they experience possible attacks in the future. Vocabulary: bureau – office or…
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Pre-reading questions: In your opinion, why are there generally more men than women in top positions in companies? Do you think employers should hire more women than men? Name some of the negative impacts of working overtime. Nowadays, more and more companies in Japan are looking for ways to reduce overtime work. As one measure to achieving this goal, companies are turning to hiring more women to work for them. With more women as employees, overtime work will be lessened. Women do not usually work overtime as they have responsibilities waiting at home. Rank up Co., a Tokyo-based cosmetics development and sales company, where employees are mostly women, start to…
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Pre-reading questions: Is it common for working fathers to take parental leaves? Should women be given more parental leaves? What comes to mind when you hear the womenomics? Some Japanese companies have initiated a remarkable shift in giving support to working mothers. Perhaps influenced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s womenomics agenda, certain companies have started giving more benefits to working mothers to increase their participation in the workforce. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made increasing women’s labor force participation one of the most important factors of his economic plan. For example, one company has recommended its working fathers to take parental leave. This company has also encouraged working fathers who take parental…
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