Section

Politics

19 stories

Narrow wooden staircase and green-painted fire exit door in a rural Japanese workers dormitory hallway, evening light through frosted window, scuffed paint, no logos or readable text

Labor Ministry Publishes Draft Rules on Technical Intern Dormitory Fire Exits

The labor ministry published draft rules tightening second-floor fire exits and night-lock policies at technical-intern dormitories after audits found chained escape routes in Hyogo and Shizuoka.

Sarah Johnson Sep 20, 2026

Medical delivery drone on a coastal clinic helipad beside a blood transport cooler, overcast Okinawa sea light, staff in vests from behind, no logos or readable text.

Okinawa Prefecture Opens Drone Flight Corridors for Remote Island Blood Deliveries

Okinawa Prefecture opened two regulated drone corridors for type-O blood flights to remote islands after Silver Week ferry gaps left hospitals below transfusion buffers, setting a September 30 cabinet briefing on whether MLIT will extend BVLOS rules nationwide.

Sarah Johnson Sep 19, 2026

Japanese parliamentary committee hearing room with microphones on a long table and empty member seats, overhead fluorescent light, no logos or readable text.

Lower House IT Committee Sets Agenda on Chip Tool Permit Queues

The Lower House IT strategic panel set a September 24 hearing on METI chip-tool export permit backlogs, inviting Rapidus and equipment vendors after lawmakers said six-month queues risk missing fab tool install windows.

Sarah Johnson Sep 18, 2026

Modest apartment building exterior in a Japanese industrial town, bicycles parked outside, overcast afternoon light, no readable signage or logos

Cabinet Approves Extra Budget Line for Foreign Worker Housing Audits

A ¥4.8 billion slice of the autumn supplementary budget will fund Immigration Services Agency housing spot checks on Specified Skilled Worker sponsors before Silver Week travel strains shared dormitories.

Sarah Johnson Sep 17, 2026

Japanese manufacturing plant exterior with workers in uniforms entering a gate, faces not identifiable, no company signage readable.

Upper House Panel Reviews Foreign Trainee Abuse Cases in Manufacturing

A House of Councillors labor panel reopened hearings on Technical Intern Training Program abuses in automotive and electronics plants, citing unpaid overtime and passport confiscation cases from Aichi and Gunma.

Sarah Johnson Sep 16, 2026