Latest from Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Ishiba Likely to Meet with Bessent in Tokyo This Week; U.S. Treasury Secretary to Attend Expo Event
Arrangements are being made for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is scheduled to visit Japan to attend an event at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Osaka on Saturday, it has been learned. Bessent is the chief negotiator for the Japan-U.S. talks on tariffs imposed by the United States on Japanese products. According to Japanese government sources, Ishiba hopes to make progress in the negotiations as the Aug. 1 deadline nears. A meeting is being planned to take place in Tokyo on Friday, the sources said. Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization and Japan's chief negotiator, is also expected to meet with Bessent. Bessent will participate in an event for the U.S. national day at the Expo as the head of the U.S. delegation.
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Elderly Woman Injured in Bear Attack in Japan's Nara Prefecture
NARA — A woman in her 80s was attacked by a bear outside of her home in Gojo, southern Nara Prefecture on Tuesday, the Nara prefectural government announced that day. According to the prefectural government, she was attacked by a bear at about 5 a.m. on Tuesday when she went out of her home to hang her laundry to dry. She sustained injuries on her face, but they were not life-threatening.
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
More Workers Quitting to Provide Care to Family Members; Employees Lack Understanding of Support Systems
A 64-year-old man of Osaka quit his job at a metalworking company in September 2022 to care for his 88-year-old mother. Although he wanted to keep working as long as he could, his mother needed constant care. She had been living independently but was making use of day care services since breaking a bone from falling to the ground. A high fever led to her being hospitalized and her physical and mental condition deteriorated during her two months there. The man was told that his mother could be discharged only if someone could be with her at all times. He, who had continued working after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60, thought he may be able to keep working if he was allowed to leave the workplace at 3 p.m. to take care of her after she returned home from a day-care facility in the evening. But he decided to quit his job anyway since he did not want to cause his company any trouble. Her condition improved one month after being discharged from the hospital, so he started looking for a new job through the Hello Work public job placement office and job sites. But he has been unable to find a job he wanted due to his age and working-hour requirements. According to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, 106,000 people left their jobs to care for family members during the one-year period ending September 2022, an increase of 7,000 from the previous survey in 2017. The law on childcare and caregiver leave allows employees to use support systems to help them balance work and family care. But only 1.6% of employees caring for their parents took nursing care leave of up to 93 days, which is given per family member who requires nursing care. Employees can split this leave into as many as three blocks. Only 4.5% of such employees took time off for sporadic care-related events such as hospital leave, which has a limit of five days a year. 'Some people believe that caring for their parents is their responsibility alone and can think of no option besides quitting their jobs. Employers also lack knowledge and experience in caregiving and are unable to provide sufficient information about such things as the support systems,' said Mie Waki, representative director of a Tokyo-based general incorporated association for the promotion of measures to prevent people's leaving their jobs to care for family members. To raise awareness of the support systems and encourage their use, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry obliged companies in April to explain the systems to employees who need to care for family members on an individual basis and to confirm whether they will be making use of them. Changing work climate However, many people find it difficult to discuss caregiving with their bosses. Some hesitate to use the systems out of consideration for colleagues who would have to take over their duties. A work climate where employees can comfortably talk about their personal circumstances is essential. A Tokyo-based IT-related company encourages managers to check on their subordinates to see if they need to care for family members and to encourage them to utilize the support systems. As of 2022, there were 3.646 million people providing nursing care for family members while working. Of them, those in their 50s accounted for the highest proportion at 42%. The government estimates that the annual economic losses resulting from workforce shortages due to resignations and other reasons will exceed ¥9 trillion in 2030. As Japan faces an increasingly aging society, the number of employees who provide nursing care for their families will rise. 'Companies must recognize employees' caregiving-related concerns as issues related to business operations and adopt a proactive stance to explore ways for employees to continue working with them,' said Jun Kawauchi, representative director of Tonari no Kaigo, a nonprofit organization in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, which supports people providing care for family members. 'The government, for its part, should provide financial support for companies to implement measures such as encouraging employees to seek early consultations.' Parties pledge increased support In face of the rapidly aging population, political parties have made pledges to carry out policies aimed at preventing people from leaving their jobs due to caregiving in the campaigning for the upcoming House of Councillors election. The Liberal Democratic Party said it will aim to improve care services, which will also help prevent people from leaving jobs to take care of their family members. The party also said it will work to raise wages for care workers and provide stability to care service providers. The Japan Innovation Party proposed the promotion of housework support services to prevent people from leaving their jobs to rear children and care for family members. The JIP said it will establish further support systems to enable employees to continue working while taking care of family members. The Japanese Communist Party said it will increase national spending on the public nursing care insurance program by ¥1.3 trillion and improve the treatment of caregivers and others.
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 hours ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival Comes to a Close; Tall Floats Parade Through Fukuoka to Beat of Thundering Drums
FUKUOKA — The Oi-Yama parade was held as the final part of Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, in the early morning on Tuesday. Departing Kushida Shrine at 4:59 a.m. while powerful drums resounded in the area, men of the Higashi-Nagare district pulled a hikiyama float and ran about five kilometers in central Fukuoka, followed by floats of seven other districts.
Yomiuri Shimbun
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Fruiting of Beechnuts Expected to be Extremely Poor in Akita Pref.; One of Main Food Sources for Bears
AKITA – The fruiting of beechnuts, one of the main food sources for bears, in Akita Prefecture this autumn is expected to be at the lowest level on the four-tier scale for the first time in two years, according to the Tohoku Regional Forest Office's forecast. The prefectural government is warning residents to be vigilant as bears are likely to appear in urban areas more often due to the poor harvests. The office surveyed the status of flowering beech trees at 51 sites in the prefecture between April and June, classifying them into four levels. Of those sites, 36 sites, or 70%, did not bear any flowers at all. Thirteen sites were found to have extremely small amounts of flowers, while, at one site, there were many flowers in the upper part of the trees. A large number of flowers were found throughout the trees at one site. Based on the survey, the beechnuts index registered 0.4, the lowest on the four-level scale. And index score below 1 indicates extremely poor fruiting. Five prefectures in the Tohoku region, excluding Fukushima Prefecture which is outside the office's jurisdiction, are likely to face extremely poor fruiting of beechnuts. The office will finalize the forecast after surveying the fruiting condition in the autumn. 'We want [residents] to thoroughly take measures, including not disposing kitchen waste outside their homes,' said the head of the nature conservation division in the Akita prefectural government.
