"As the length of Japanese language training has been increased from six months at the beginning, and now to nine months, and to 12 months by next year, we all hope more candidates can pass the local examinations," Indonesian Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Muhaimin Iskandar said.
Men born in the latter half of the 1970s tend to be mired in nonregular jobs […]
"Unless radical policies are implemented, it is simply a matter of time before manufacturing, consumption, tax receipts, fiscal health, the pension and welfare system, and the very ability of people to make a living will all collapse under the inexorable dual pressures of rapid ageing and rapid declines in the young working population."
Each of the tax offices are thought to have kept such files on more than 1,000 foreign taxpayers, but the number of those identified by nationality or alien registration number is not known.
The government will introduce a point system by the end of the year to give preferential treatment, such as easing the conditions for permanent residency, to non-Japanese with advanced expertise who want to come to Japan, according to a government source.
Hidenori Sakanaka, former Chief of Entry and Residence at the Nagoya and Tokyo Immigration Bureaus, argues that Japan allowing in more foreign workers would boost growth, especially in quake-ravaged areas.
The government is considering giving local public servants the right to forge agreements with their employers […]
Nonregular employees accounted for 30.4 percent of workers aged 15 to 24 in calender 2010, up […]
The possible power shortages caused by the March 11 earthquake could signal a shift in language, from “after five”–referring to personal time after the workday ends at 5 p.m.–to “after four” to reflect the new hours due to daylight saving time.
“Up to now, Japanese had stereotypical habits of working from Monday to Friday, 9 to 5,” said Kou Iizawa, a manager at [KDDI].
“Though we have had this unfortunate incident, it is acting as a catalyst to change our work habits. I hope we will become as progressive as Western countries — and we should enjoy our leisure hours more.”