News On Japan

Income for Japan's nonregular workers falling fast amid virus crisis

Apr 19 (Japan Times) - The coronavirus pandemic is reducing the incomes of a wide range of nonregular workers across the nation, according to a survey by the Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards.

Nonregular workers earn less than most regular employees and many are paid by the hour. This means they were much more susceptible to loss of income when companies suspended operations or shortened business hours at the government's request, the survey revealed.

Of the respondents, 56.8 percent of temporary workers, mostly students, and 52.7 percent of dispatch workers said their incomes had dropped, according to the survey.

Of those with part-time jobs, including many housewives, 49.8 percent said their income dropped.

The ratio of regular workers who had suffered income drops meanwhile stood at 34.6 percent.

According to the survey, some 60 to 70 percent of nonregular workers said they ahd seen a decline in working days or hours.

By industry, sharp drops in working time were most prominent in the restaurant and hotel sector, the services industry and the manufacturing industry.

Many working in the transportation, finance and insurance, and medical and welfare sectors meanwhile said they saw working time pick up.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 24 is currently located over the southern seas and is expected to track westward toward Vietnam later this week, with no direct impact anticipated on Japan. As of now, the storm’s central pressure is 1000 hectopascals, with maximum sustained winds reaching 20 meters per second. Satellite imagery shows a significant cloud mass developing in the southern region, indicating intensified activity around the system.

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A violent attack early on October 20th in Ibaraki Town, Ibaraki Prefecture left one man dead and another injured after they were stabbed with what appeared to be a bladed weapon inside an apartment. Police are investigating the case as a murder.

A woman in her 40s suffered a serious injury after being trapped in a mechanical parking system in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward on October 19th.

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.