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Record low of 16,772 children on day care waiting lists in Japan, welfare ministry says

Sep 07 (Japan Times) - The number of children waiting to enter authorized day care facilities fell to a record low of 16,772 as of April 1, down 3,123 from the previous year, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Friday.

Although calculation methods have changed over the years and not all statistics can be easily compared, the ministry said this year’s figure was the lowest since the ministry began to keep such records in 1994.

But problems still loom as demand for child care is expected to grow, given that day care services will become free from October for children up to the age of 2 from low-income households.

The government’s goal of matching all children with care services and bringing the number waiting for nurseries to zero by 2020 remains elusive.

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Japan’s streaming industry is under growing pressure as foreign giants tighten their grip on the domestic market, with Netflix’s latest move to secure exclusive broadcast rights in Japan for every game of the World Baseball Classic next March highlighting the widening gap.

Investigators from the Immigration Services Agency conducted on-site inspections in Osaka on October 14th amid a surge in so-called 'paper companies' created by foreign nationals seeking residency.

The first grand sumo tournament in London in 34 years opened on October 15th, transforming the iconic Royal Albert Hall into a little corner of Japan and drawing more than 5,400 spectators for a spectacular night of traditional wrestling.

The relocation of Arimasu Tobiru, a distinctive architectural landmark on Hijirizaka in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, was carried out between August and October after nearly two decades of construction.

A police officer approaches a parked car in a dark city parking lot — and what emerges from inside is shocking. How do professionals detect crimes that hide in the night? This investigation looks into the work of officers on the front line.

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A former pet shop owner convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting several female employees and sentenced to 30 years in prison appealed his case at the Fukuoka High Court on October 14th, again claiming that the acts were consensual.

The relocation of Arimasu Tobiru, a distinctive architectural landmark on Hijirizaka in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, was carried out between August and October after nearly two decades of construction.

A Brazilian man has been arrested and indicted for smuggling cocaine into Japan by swallowing the drugs and concealing them inside his body.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for a man accused of killing three family members and seriously injuring another with a crossbow in 2020 in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture.

A police officer approaches a parked car in a dark city parking lot — and what emerges from inside is shocking. How do professionals detect crimes that hide in the night? This investigation looks into the work of officers on the front line.

A woman who had been in critical condition after being struck by a small car near JR Nagoya Station was confirmed dead on October 15th, according to Aichi Prefectural Police. The 49-year-old victim was among three pedestrians hit at an intersection in Nakamura Ward when the vehicle veered out of its lane.

Police arrested two people, including bar manager Maoya Suzuki, on suspicion of violating Japan’s Anti-Prostitution Law after allegedly forcing a female employee at a girls’ bar into prostitution while monitoring her movements through GPS.

A man wearing a ski mask attempted to rob a convenience store in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, in the early hours of October 14th, but fled the scene empty-handed after the clerk shouted loudly, according to local police.