Tokyo’s Best Karaoke Is Karaoke Sung Alone
A 2017 JCIE Journalism Fellow discovers the joys of “hitokara,” the private karaoke rooms for those who want to sing alone.
Postcard from a Japanese Steel Town
JCIE Journalism Fellow Adrian Ma, a reporter based in the American Midwest, explores Japan’s oldest steel town, Kamaishi.
How a Small Dairy Store from Ohio Became One of the Biggest Names in the Japanese Convenience Store Industry
Japan and the United States have a long history of not only economic competition, but also cultural exchange. In the U.S., for instance, sushi and anime are popular. And the Japanese long ago adopted baseball and jazz. If that’s old news to you, here’s one America-to-Japan export that might surprise you: US convenience stores.
Japan Eases Immigration Restrictions to Fill Chronic Care Worker Shortage
In the past, Japan allowed mostly highly skilled professionals in the country. Now, due to severe labor shortages, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered the government to look into new policies that would attract less-skilled workers to fill additional jobs. But the government will have to go beyond simply easing employment restrictions.
Japan Trade Officials and Companies Take a Nuanced Approach to US Tariffs
Adrian Ma explores the impact of the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariff on imported steel on Japan. How are Japanese companies and trade officials feeling about the president’s efforts to turn the economic screws? The answer varies a lot depending on whether you’re talking about steel production or auto manufacturing.
Seven Decades after the Bomb, Children of Hiroshima Victims Still Worry about Hidden Health Effects
“Nakatani Etsuko says her father rarely spoke of the day that the world’s first atomic weapon killed 140,000 people in his city of Hiroshima, Japan. But she says he did mention one thing: ‘That there were so many dead bodies in the river, you couldn’t see the water.’ Etsuko’s father was a teacher in Hiroshima. […]
Takeda Makes First Private Sector Pledge for Global Fund Replenishment
An overview of the partnership between Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and The Global Fund; the renewal of this partnership was facilitated by Friends of the Global Fund, Japan, operated by JCIE.