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July 12, 2026
 

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JOBS

Despite a Supreme People's Court ruling making it illegal for workers and employers to avoid social insurance payments, many workers in China feel they earn too little to contribute.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2026
As parliament meets, China is yet to pass last year’s economic reform test
Economists see the ruling making it illegal for workers and employers to avoid social insurance payments as a pivotal test for Beijing, but many say compliance remains partial.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and members of his delegation watch robots perform at a showroom of Unitree Robotics products in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2026
Xi’s AI ambitions collide with China’s fragile employment market
China can’t afford to hobble itself in the race with Washington for AI capabilities and it also needs to ensure job creation to prevent social unrest.
More than 58% of eligible male local government employees took child care leave in fiscal 2024, exceeding 50% for the first time ever.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 28, 2026
Paternity leave gets boost as local governments make it easier to take time off
The move is aimed at retaining human resources amid unabated population outflow to bigger cities.
Japanese banks, including Mizuho Financial Group, are trying to boost productivity by adopting artificial intelligence while trying to ease concerns that the technology will take away jobs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2026
Mizuho plans to replace 5,000 clerical jobs with AI in 10 years
Japan’s third-largest lender insists the move is “not a headcount reduction.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a House of Councilor plenary session on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Takaichi eyes aid program for ‘ice age’ generation by March
The term refers to people who had difficulty finding a job after graduating from school between around 1993 and 2004.
Mazda Motor has fully met union demands by offering pay-scale and regular pay increases of ¥19,000 in total a month.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2026
Mazda, Mitsubishi and Yamaha fully meet union wage hike demands
The companies are apparently aiming to maintain pay hike momentum amid the tough business environment caused by U.S. tariffs.
A job fair held in the city of Chiba in March last year
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2026
40% in Japan use AI in their job search, survey finds
Job-seekers used the technology to revise resumes or search for job postings, the survey found.
The rise of AI is disrupting labor markets at an unprecedented pace, driving down wages and eliminating entire professions faster than new ones can emerge.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2026
What happens when paid work disappears?
Every technological leap has sparked fears of mass unemployment, and each time those fears have proven unfounded. But the historical pattern may no longer hold.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her policy speech during the House of Representatives plenary session in Tokyo last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 23, 2026
Takaichi expected to scrutinize Japan’s discretionary work system
The system allows employees to work flexibly at their own discretion to improve efficiency, but concerns remain that it could lead to excessive working hours.
Hitachi Vice President Susumu Takimoto answers questions about the 2026 spring wage negotiations on Thursday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Wage talks begin in earnest at Japanese electronics-makers
Unions at Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric and other large companies requested a pay scale increase of ¥18,000 per month, bigger than last year’s record-high demand.
Trucks on a road near a shipping terminal in Yokohama. In 2024, the annual working hours of drivers of large trucks, who are mainly involved in long-distance cargo transportation, averaged 2,484 hours.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Distribution law in Japan to be revised to help long-distance truck drivers
The aim is to allow drivers to pass their cargo to other companies’ trucks at warehouses along transportation routes, making it easier for them to return home within the day.
Lalit Bishowkarma (center), the son of migrant worker Rudra Bahadur Kami, loads his father's coffin onto a truck upon its arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Every day the bodies of three or four migrant workers are handed back to their families at Kathmandu airport.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 18, 2026
Nepal is ‘addicted’ to the trade in its own people
The money sent back by Nepalis working abroad represents more than a third of the country’s gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.
A growing number of profitable Japanese companies are cutting jobs, including through voluntary retirement programs, to rebalance their workforces and sustain growth amid rapid innovation, signaling a shift away from the traditional commitment to long-term employment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 17, 2026
More profit-making companies cutting jobs in Japan
Some experts say the long-held belief in long-term employment among Japanese companies is changing in the face of competition with foreign companies.
Indian migrants work at a textile factory in a town near Moscow. The choice of India for unskilled labor reflects strong defense and economic ties between Moscow and ⁠New Delhi.
WORLD
Feb 12, 2026
Russia, facing labor crunch worsened by war, pivots to India for workers
The choice of India for unskilled labor reflects strong defense and economic ties between Moscow and ⁠New Delhi.
At the new Tenshoku Sodan Bar, owner Shota Umemoto (right) and recruiting staff from Yokohama-based LIA Group serve up cocktails and career advice in equal measure.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 11, 2026
Inside Yokohama’s ‘quit your job’ bar, where drinks and advice are free
Owner Shota Umemoto says he was surprised by the viral response to his new bar aimed at making discussions around changing jobs more casual.
Singapore’s stalled birthrate reflects a broader pattern across wealthy Asian economies where higher living standards, shifting values and gender imbalances have made low fertility persistent and resistant to quick policy fixes.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2026
Why Asia can’t undo decades of falling fertility rates
The challenge is shared by most successful nations. Ultralow fertility is a byproduct of rapid development and elevated living standards.
Japanese workers’ real wages fell 0.1% from a year earlier in December, the labor ministry said Monday, extending declines to every month of 2025 amid persistent inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2026
Japan’s real wages drop extends to full year as prices advance
The decline bolsters the case for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to continue down a more expansionary fiscal path after she secured a sweeping election victory.
Supporters and former employees of The Washington Post rally outside of the company’s offices in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 8, 2026
Washington Post CEO out after sweeping job cuts
Will Lewis’ management of the outlet was sharply criticized by subscribers and employees alike during his two-year tenure as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily.
A memorandum on the clients referrals between Albatross and attorneys.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 5, 2026
Lawyers and clerical worker referred to prosecutors over ‘proxy quitting’ firm referrals
Police also referred Albatross, the company behind the service, and two law firms to prosecutors on suspected violations of the attorneys law.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino speaks during an interview in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 4, 2026
Rengo head urges wide-ranging changes for gender equality
Tomoko Yoshino, Rengo’s first female leader, said that the proportion of women in management positions is low in Japan.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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