Category: Society

  • Saitama high schools will allow girls to wear pants

    Saitama high schools will allow girls to wear pants
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    High schools run by Saitama Prefecture that still have dress codes that require female students to wear skirts as part of their uniforms will soon allow girls to choose pants instead. The change is designed for transgender students whose gender identity is different from the one they were assigned at birth. Tatsuya Furudo, 30, of… Read more

  • Study affirms that video games improve multitasking of elderly people in Japan

    Study affirms that video games improve multitasking of elderly people in Japan
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    A study carried out in Japan showed that video games can improve the cognitive functions of the elderly and their ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. It was thought that video games were intended only for young people, perhaps because of agility and good reflexes, but this study shows that even in advanced age, motor… Read more

  • Film about the tsunami tragedy is released, despite the initial rejection of the victims

    Film about the tsunami tragedy is released, despite the initial rejection of the victims
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    Film director Kazuhiro Terada’s latest work is once again trying to give a voice to people who challenge authority, but those he supported wanted nothing to do with the project. After all, they had experienced the worst imaginable in their lives, followed by additional and unwarranted misery. But Terada persisted and eventually won over some… Read more

  • The official accusations will soon arrive for the scandal of the Tokyo Olympics

    The official accusations will soon arrive for the scandal of the Tokyo Olympics
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    Prosecutors are preparing a series of indictments now that the Fair Trade Commission has filed criminal complaints against Japan’s two largest advertising agencies for rigging bids for events leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. The criminal complaints include advertising giants Dentsu Inc. and Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc., a smaller advertising company called Tokyu Agency Inc.,… Read more

  • Japan launches whale meat vending machines to boost sales

    Japan launches whale meat vending machines to boost sales
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    After struggling for years to promote its controversial products, a Japanese whaling operator found a new way to win over customers and increase sales: whale meat vending machines. The Kujira (Whale) Shop, a staffless shop recently opened in Yokohama, houses three machines for sashimi, bacon, skin and steak, all cuts of whale meat. Canned whale… Read more

  • Being Hikikomori: Review of Social and Cultural Causes

    Being Hikikomori: Review of Social and Cultural Causes

    Social withdrawal (hikikomori) has become an internationally recognized phenomenon, but its pathology and related factors are still not fully understood. Previously, we conducted a statistical case-control study in adolescent hikikomori patients in Japan, which revealed the lack of specificity of pathology in hikikomori patients. Furthermore, environmental factors such as lack of communication between parents and… Read more

  • Why do the Japanese climb Mount Fuji?

    Why do the Japanese climb Mount Fuji?
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    Mount Fuji was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This summer, as the number of climbers on the mountain is expected to exceed the yearly average, a survey was conducted to find out what people think about Japan’s highest mountain. JustSystems Corporation surveyed 1,100 people between the ages of 10 and 70. When asked for the purpose… Read more

  • Japan wants people to leave Tokyo to reverse rural depopulation

    Japan wants people to leave Tokyo to reverse rural depopulation
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    Japan offers families in Tokyo 1 million yen ( approx. USD 7,600 ) per child to move to a more rural location with the plan to stop the depopulation of the countryside. This is the latest in a series of ill-advised incentives to stem a relentless influx into the capital, which has seen its population… Read more

  • Rich Japanese litter less? Comment from a Japanese TV announcer

    Rich Japanese litter less? Comment from a Japanese TV announcer
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    For the past 11 years, Shūichi Takizawa has been supporting his career by making people laugh by making the world a cleaner place; in other words, he has been working as a garbage collector. However, he has used his experience in the industry to give back to society, sharing helpful tips on garbage disposal and… Read more

  • School rules in Japan: No dating

    School rules in Japan: No dating
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    It is not at all surprising that high schools in Japan have rules that guide the behavior of their students. However, some Japanese schools have come under public scrutiny in recent years for some of their rules that are considered outdated, too strict, or inappropriate. One case that followed here in Japan was that in… Read more