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Fear for jobs ignites “English crisis” in Japan
Japan’s foreign language education market is growing, with learners more than willing to fork out plenty of money on lessons, DVDs or e-learning. Gaba says that on average, a student spends about 50,000 yen ($654) a month [on English conversation lessons] — against an average 36,500 yen allowance for Japanese businesspeople.
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Welfare system not faring well
NHK found that a substantial portion of the recipients are able-bodied males between the ages of 20 and 60. The number of unemployed in Japan hovers just under the 5 million mark, and as one case worker explained, most of the new additions to the welfare rolls are men who were employed as haken (contract…
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74 percent of fixed contract workers earn below 2 million yen annually
Seventy-four percent of fixed-contract workers such as part-time and temporary employees earned less than 2 million yen a year, according to a recent survey, up 16.7 percentage points from the last survey in 2009, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Sept. 14.
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Japan’s ratio of education spending to GDP lowest among OECD nations
Japan’s expenditure on education as a percentage of gross domestic product in 2008 remained the lowest among 31 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development…[and] pointed out that “other factors that influence the quality of education need to be taken into account,” such as improving teachers’ salaries and working conditions in Japan.
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Expats in Japan face hard choices
Radiation leaks, contaminated crops and water, plutonium released into the air and ocean, have made expats in Japan question whether to stay or head back home, especially in the face of pressure from family and loved ones.
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Legal help for those on a limited budget
“I just received a huge package stating I have to go to court next month and he now wants ¥900,000. He also included more lies and pictures. I have no idea what to do; I can’t afford an attorney.”
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Cindy Sunday Success
8月14日に開催された東ゼン主催の「Cindy Sunday」は、大成功のうちに幕を閉じました。 Tozen’s Cindy Sunday on August 14 proved an unqualified success.
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Scant legal justification for unpaid overtime
In principle, a work week is supposed to total 40 hours, divided into eight hours per day. Any work beyond this limit is only possible with prior agreement between the employer and employees, and is subject to overtime payment. If overtime work is done with the understanding of the employer but without an explicit request,…
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Temp staffer wins maternity leave, via union
When female nonregular workers become pregnant, employers often refuse to renew their contracts. However, a Japanese-Brazilian woman in the Tokai region stood up and joined a local labor union to protest the practice.
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Once settled in, chances are you’ll have to pay to stay
On July 15, the Supreme Court of Japan ruled that it is legal for property owners to demand supplemental fees when tenants renew their rental agreements. The ruling was made in conjunction with three lawsuits that tenants had brought against their landlords claiming that koshinryō should be considered invalid in accordance with the Consumer Contracts…