Society

Japan to hire 500 immigration staffers ahead of new visas

Aug 31 (Nikkei) - Japan's Ministry of Justice on Thursday requested its largest-ever budget for fiscal 2019, including 58.8 billion yen ($528 million) to create a new agency dedicated to immigration services and to add more than 500 staffers to handle the expanded role.

A new residency status will be created for foreign workers in April, an effort to help fill in for the acute labor shortage that Japan faces. In response, the ministry looks to add 319 staffers to help handle immigration procedures, increase security and conduct administrative work.

Another staff increase designed to handle the rise in foreign tourists will lift the overall recruitment to 536 people. Including staff in regional offices, the number of employees connected to immigration management will jump to 5,407 from 4,871.

The budget request includes about 16 billion yen to introduce new equipment for immigration inspections and security improvements. The ministry also designated 3 billion yen for system upgrades related to the new residency status and online foreign residency applications.

Japan's Immigration Bureau receives an upgrade to agency status in April.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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