society

LIVING IN JAPAN

Beware the Bed Bugs on Your Next Japan Trip

A new strain of insecticide-resistant bed bug is bugging Japan after making stops in France and Korea. Here's what you need to…

HISTORY

Ishikawa Satsuki: The Whistleblower Whose Village Shunned Her

In 1952, a Japanese high schooler bravely revealed the political corruption underway in her home village. Her entire family was Ostracized.

TRAVEL

Japan Struggles to Find Solutions to Overtourism

Residents of tourist hotspots in Japan are expressing their frustration as overtourism causes congestion and creates safety hazards. Learn how Japan's Tourism…

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

70% of Japanese Youth Are Financially Dissatisfied, Says Gov. Survey

A Japanese government survey shows that Japan's youth are feeling especially pessimistic about their financial straits - as bad as during the…

LAW & CRIME

These Children of Japanese Immigrants Live Under Threat of Deportation

What happens to the children of immigrants to Japan who lose their immigration status? For most, it means living in constant fear.…

LAW & CRIME

Death at Childcare Puts Spotlight on Dangerous Conditions Across Japan

Two grieving parents finally got justice after their daughter died in a childcare facility in Japan. But why did it take so…

SOCIETY

“Barrier-Free Hearts:” One Disabled Man’s Plea for a Gentler Japan

How a disabled man in Japan used what might have been a negative encounter with subway priority seats as a teaching moment.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Egui: One Japanese Word’s Journey from “Awful” to “Awesome!”

"Egui" in Japanese used to have a thoroughly negative meaning. Not anymore. Here's when - and why - that changed.