Article Archive
Browse all published articles about living in Japan
Hokkaido Runs Events to Help Companies Hire and Retain Foreign Workers
The Hokkaido Prefectural Government has held seminars, a symposium and a jobs fair in Vietnam under its fiscal 2026 program to help local employers re...
MHLW Releases Preliminary Monthly Labour Survey Results for September 2026
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published its preliminary Monthly Labour Statistics Survey for September 2026, covering wages, working hour...
National Tax Agency Notice Flags Dispatch of Corporate Tax Forms and Payment Slips
The National Tax Agency issued an official notice about the sending of provisional corporate tax and interim consumption tax return forms along with p...
Japan's Police Agency Seeks Public Comment on Draft Changes to Adult Entertainment Business Rules
Japan's National Police Agency is accepting public comments through December 5 on a draft cabinet order amending rules under the law regulating adult ...
Hokkaido to Hold Public Forum in Sapporo on Disability Discrimination Elimination Law
Hokkaido's government is holding a public forum in Sapporo on November 19, 2026, to raise awareness of the disability discrimination elimination law a...
Digital Agency Lists Municipalities Offering Online Applications for Kumamoto Earthquake Disaster Certificates
The Digital Agency announced that residents affected by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake can apply online for disaster certificates (罹災証明書) via Myna Porta...
Mt. Meakan Downgraded to Level 1 as Hokkaido Volcano Takes a Breather
The Japan Meteorological Agency lowered Mt. Meakan's eruption warning from Level 2 to Level 1 on November 4, citing waning volcanic activity since ear...
National Tax Agency Updates Special Site on Temporary Consumption Tax Cut for Food and Drink
The National Tax Agency has refreshed its special website explaining a proposed two-year reduction in the consumption tax rate on food and beverages, ...
Immigration Agency Updates Ukraine Data, Points-System University Lists and Adds Sinhala Orientation Session
The Immigration Services Agency has refreshed Ukraine evacuee statistics, updated university lists for the highly skilled professional points system a...
Hokkaido Designates 13 Companies as Official Payment Agents for Administrative Fees
The Hokkaido Prefectural Government has designated 13 companies, including PayPay, Rakuten Group and Amazon Japan, as official payment agents under th...
Ministry Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Revision to Telecom Interconnection Fee Rules
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is inviting public comments on a draft ministerial order that would revise rules on interconne...
MLIT Seeks Public Comments on Draft Building Lifecycle DX Strategy for Housing and Architecture Sector
Japan's land ministry is collecting public comments on a draft digital transformation strategy for managing buildings across their lifecycle, with sub...
Hokkaido's Rice Dashboard: Prices Tumble, Stockpiles Swell, and Watch Out for Bargain-Bin Scammers
Hokkaido's prefectural government has updated its rice supply-and-demand page, reporting falling prices, record private stockpiles, and warning shoppe...
Hokkaido Seeks One Meat Processor to Pilot Free Ezo Deer Certification Advisor Scheme
Hokkaido's prefectural government is recruiting one meat processing facility for a free advisory programme aimed at helping it earn official Ezo deer ...
MLIT Opens Public Comment on Revised Registration Rules for Existing-Home Information Provider Groups
Japan's land ministry is seeking public comments on proposed revisions to registration rules for groups of existing-home information providers, with s...
MHLW Opens Public Comment on Draft Changes to Employment Insurance Enforcement Rules
Japan's health ministry is seeking public comments through December 1 on a draft ordinance amending Employment Insurance Act enforcement rules, overse...
Japan Designates November as 'Shiwayose' Prevention Campaign Month for Small Business Workers
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, with the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency and Fair Trade Commission, is running a month-long campaign to...
Japan Orders Mandatory Inspection of All Imported Chinese Okra Over Pesticide Residue
MHLW has ordered mandatory lot-by-lot testing of Chinese okra and simply processed okra products after detecting the pesticide mepiquat chloride above...
Japan Opens Four Public Comment Periods on Genome-Edited Embryo Rules
Japan's education and health ministries have launched four separate public comment calls on rules implementing a new law regulating human genome-edite...
Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Strikes Northeastern Chiba Prefecture, Max Seismic Intensity 5 Lower
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 struck northeastern Chiba Prefecture early on October 29, 2026, with the Japan Meteorological Agency...