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Japan ‘extremely homogenous’, extremely racialist
In 1986, [then] Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone described Japan as a “homogenous race” nation and faced strong criticism, mainly from Ainu indigenous people. [Education minister Bunmei Ibuki] speaking at a convention of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s chapter in Nagasaki Prefecture, [echoed Nakasone by asserting], “Japan has been historically governed by the Yamato (Japanese) race.…
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Immigration Officer Faces Charges
A local immigration official faces charges for driving government cars on about 250 occasions without a driver’s license, sources at the bureau said. He was hired in January 1999 and was assigned to the Hiroshima Regional Immigration Bureau, where he was in charge of immigration control at Hiroshima Airport. He had been cracking down on…
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Editor Claims Magazine on Foreigner Crimes Not Racist
On what are called “entertainment” pages, there are photographs of foreigners and Japanese women embracing on Tokyo streets. One photo of a black man and a Japanese woman has the caption, “Hey nigger!! Don’t touch that Japanese woman’s ass!!” [Shigeki Saka, editor of the magazine Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu or ?Secret Foreigner Crime Files?] said…
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Nova searched in contract row
Offices of English-conversation school operator Nova were searched over allegations the company was cheating students who canceled their lesson contracts, sources said. The searches at Nova’s head office in Osaka and some of its schools were conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo metropolitan government, the sources said Thursday.Nova is…
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Nova probed over refunds, deception
Big English school faces sales ban Government authorities have rapped the knuckles of private English school chain Nova Corp. for allegedly shortchanging students on refunds and providing false accounts of its cancellation policy. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government inspected Nova’s headquarters in Osaka and several schools Wednesday. The…
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NOVA raided after complaints over missing tuition fees
This is not the first time the eikaiwa giant has been pulled up for dishonest business practices. A court ruled against NOVA in a lawsuit filed by a student seeking the return of 700,000 yen in lesson fees in May 2003, and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said that it has received 7,750…
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Nova offices searched over contract disputes
Nova is suspected of refusing to refund the correct amount to students and lying to them about the cancellation process, sources said.If Nova is found to have violated the law on certain business transactions, the industry ministry could impose disciplinary measures, including a temporary ban on collecting new students, they added. A public relations official…
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English school chain operator Nova inspected over class cancellation trouble
Private English school chain operator Nova Corp has been inspected by government authorities for allegedly requiring high cancellation costs from students and having provided them with false accounts on its cancellation policy, government officials said Friday. Several schools of the chain featuring outlets located near railway stations have refunded canceling students the remaining value from…
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Japan’s innovation problem
…Japan really needs a dual approach to boosting long-term growth prospects: more babies and more immigration. Thanks to a rapidly aging population, a low birthrate and no pro-growth immigration policies to speak of, Japan faces a skilled-labor shortage. Stimulating procreation is an awkward task for governments, and Japanese already live the longest on a world…
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Japan Store Withdraws ‘Foreigner Crime File’ Magazine
Japan’s crime rate is one of the world’s lowest at 1,776 reported crimes per 100,000 people in 2005, according to the latest government statistics. The number of crimes among Japan’s 2 million foreign residents in 2005 was 2,380 per 100,000. Offenses by foreigners rose to a record high of 47,865 in 2005, from 47,128 a…