Society

Majority believe Japan needs a lockdown law

Sep 18 (Japan Times) - Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a majority of people in Japan believe it is necessary to create legislation to make a lockdown possible in the country, a recent opinion poll suggested Friday.

Those who said such legislation is necessary accounted for 56.5 % of the survey’s respondents, while 26 % said the opposite.

Meanwhile, the government’s response to the novel coronavirus crisis was rated negatively by 49.5 %, down by 5.7 percentage points from the previous month. Conversely, those rating the response went up by up 5.4 points to reach 31.1 %.

COVID-19 vaccine rollouts in the country were viewed as slow by 61.3 % of respondents — far higher than the 27.1 % who said that inoculations are steadily under way.

Tokyo Court Rules Workplace Use of '-chan' as Sexual Harassment

A Tokyo District Court has ruled that addressing a colleague using the 'chan' suffix constitutes sexual harassment, ordering a male employee to pay 220,000 yen in damages.

Inside Japanese Fonts: How Designers Shape the Way We Read

Fonts are an invisible part of daily life, yet they profoundly shape how we perceive information and emotion. From the elegant Mincho to the bold Gothic, these designs are chosen according to purpose—whether to convey clarity, trust, or impact—and their influence extends beyond readability into branding and communication.

Knife-Wielding Man Arrested Near U.S. Embassy in Tokyo

A man wielding knives in both hands was arrested near the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on the afternoon of October 25th after injuring a riot police officer on duty.

Imperial Family Pays Tribute to War Victims

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.

First Snow Caps Mount Fuji, 15 Days Earlier Than Last Year

The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced on October 23rd that the season’s first snow had been observed on Mount Fuji, which stands 3,776 meters tall. Around 6 a.m., an official visually confirmed that snow had clearly accumulated near the summit.

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