Society

ANA offers cabin crew choice of working half as much for half pay

Nov 30 (Nikkei) - All Nippon Airways has proposed a more flexible work setup for flight attendants, including the option of working less for lower pay, with an eye on retaining jobs while reducing personnel costs.

The proposal, which has been submitted to labor representatives, is envisioned as a two-year measure starting in April. The initiative applies to all flight attendants, excluding those on the job for less than a year.

In addition to the current arrangement of working both domestic and international routes, cabin crew members could choose to work only domestic flights at half the usual load or work international flights at 50-80% of current levels. Pay would come to about half of normal for those working 50% of the work days, and around 75% for those working 80% of the days.

Scheduled shifts will be made more routine, giving flight attendants time to make plans for their days off. Work schedules, including off days, for a given month are currently released around the 25th of the prior month. The new arrangement would operate on a fixed cycle of four work days and two days off for domestic routes, with time off for those on international flights set on a semiannual basis in March and September.

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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