"Reiwa" is the new era name that will be on the lips of most Japanese on Monday and it will be for years to come.
A revised immigration law that came into force in Japan on Monday now allows more foreign workers to enter the country amid a severe labor shortage.
A Bank of Japan survey shows that sentiment among managers at large manufacturers has worsened for the first time in two quarters.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190401200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : reiwa new era deep root
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_36/
"Reiwa" is a name that will be on the lips of most Japanese today and it will be for years to come. It's the name the Japanese government has selected for the new era, which is set to start when Crown Prince Naruhito becomes the new Emperor on May 1.
The announcement was highly anticipated here because it will define the years ahead, as well as play a daily role in people's lives.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, "We will make efforts to make the new era name widely accepted and take deep root in the lives of the Japanese."
The Chief Cabinet Secretary says the new name was taken from Manyoshu, the oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explained to reporters the meaning and inspiration of the new era name. Abe said, "Culture is nurtured when people bring their hearts together in a beautiful way. "Reiwa" has such meaning."
He says the name represents the hope that every Japanese person will achieve their aspirations just like a plum flower flourishes after a severe winter.
By taking the new name from ancient Japanese literature, he says he hopes the country's history, tradition, culture and nature will be handed down to generations to come.
Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate on April 30, which will end the current "Heisei" era.
The government is announcing the new name in advance, so companies and the general public can prepare for the change.
The era name is used on numerous occasions and official papers, including drivers' licenses, health insurance cards, and calendars.
NHK has learned that the government submitted six name proposals to the expert panel.
Key words : foreign ministry informed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_42/
Japan's Foreign Ministry has informed countries around the world of the name of the new era.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters that the ministry has notified the new era name, or Gengo, to international organizations and the 195 countries recognized by Japan.
He said the ministry will convey the meanings of the new era name and other information about it to them later.
Key words : across Japan counting down
#N/A
Key words : revised immigration law now allows
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_02/
A revised immigration law that came into force in Japan on Monday now allows more foreign workers to enter the country amid a severe labor shortage.
The new visa status comprises two categories. Category-1 allows foreigners with vocational skills to work in 14 fields, including nursing care, construction, and agriculture, for up to five years.
The government estimates that up to 47,000 foreign workers will be allowed into the country under this category by the end of the fiscal year ending in March 2020, and up to around 345,000 over a period of five years.
Under Category-1, foreigners are required to pass a language test for daily conversation, and a technical exam in each industry. Exams for nursing care, hotel and restaurant sectors are scheduled for later this month.
Foreigners who complete three-year technical training programs can obtain the Category-1 visa if they meet certain conditions.
The Justice Ministry expects some foreigners to obtain the Category-1 visa as early as mid-April. Officials estimate that they will be mainly those who have previously worked as technical trainees.
Over the next five years, officials estimate up to 60,000 foreigners will be accepted in the nursing care industry, 37,000 in janitorial jobs, 40,000 in construction, 22,000 in the lodging industry, 36,500 in agriculture, 34,000 in food processing and 53,000 in restaurant businesses.
Also on Monday, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau will be upgraded to an agency.
The government is set to sign a memorandum with nine countries to cooperate in clamping down on corrupt employment brokers. But only the Philippines and three other countries have signed on so far.
The Justice Ministry plans to provide financial and other support for installing consultation centers at about 100 locations across Japan, but some reportedly are not yet ready.
Key words : Japan introduced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_03/
Japan has introduced caps on overtime hours and other work style reform measures.
Legislation to promote work style reform took effect on Monday. It was enacted in June last year and will be rolled out in stages.
The legislation limits overtime at major companies to less than 100 hours a month, and up to 720 hours a year.
The overtime caps will be applied to small-and-midsized companies in April 2020.
The legislation obliges all companies to have employees who are given 10 or more paid holidays a year take at least five of them annually, taking into account employees' requests.
Last month, labor standards inspection offices across the country were busy handling agreements between employers and labor unions on overtime hours and other issues.
Companies submitted the new agreements that meet the new regulations. Many have set overtime hours at 99 a month, just below the limit of 100 hours.
A personnel officer of one company said the firm is trying to meet stricter regulations. Another said personnel officers are struggling while the overall amount of work remains unchanged.
Yoshitaka Miyazawa, an official at the labor standards inspection office in Tokyo's Minato Ward, said a growing number of companies are submitting the labor-management agreement this year.
Key words : bank of Japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_15/
A Bank of Japan survey shows that sentiment among managers at large manufacturers has worsened for the first time in two quarters.
BOJ officials say the headline figure in the quarterly "Tankan" survey stood at plus 12 in March. That's down seven points from the previous period.
The officials say a slowdown in the Chinese economy and weaker demand for semiconductors dampened sentiment at metals and electrical machinery companies in Japan.
At major non-manufacturers, the reading came in at plus 21, down three points from the last quarter.
The BOJ surveyed managers at more than 10,000 companies across Japan.
The Tankan indices represent the difference between the percentage of people saying business is good and those viewing things in a more negative light.
Key words : Tokyo stock
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_47/
On the Tokyo stock market, the benchmark Nikkei average surged sharply on Monday, the first day of a new business year.
The Nikkei index finished the day at 21,509, up 303 points from Friday.
The broader TOPIX index also rose 24 points, finishing at 1,615.
A market analyst says there were buy orders for a wide range of shares as a positive index on China's manufacturing announced on Monday eased investors' sense of wariness over the outlook of the economy. The analyst says the market also saw some shares bought in celebration of the government's announcement of the name of new Imperial era, "Reiwa".
Key words : defense ministry emergency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_45/
Japan's Defense Ministry has reported that a US military Osprey aircraft made an emergency landing at Osaka International Airport in western Japan on Monday afternoon.
The tilt-rotor aircraft is stationed at US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. The ministry said it was flying to Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture from Marine Corp Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Land ministry officials at the airport said they haven't received any reports of injuries.
They added that the Osprey had been moved and was not affecting commercial flights at the airport, also known as Itami Airport.
Key words : Japan has ended
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_24/
Japan has ended its research whaling program in the Antarctic Ocean with the return of a ship from those waters. The country will resume commercial whaling in July for the first time in 31 years.
The ship reached port in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, on Sunday.
Mission leader Takeharu Bando promised rigorous management of whale stocks through the collection of scientific data when commercial whaling resumes.
During the two-month mission, the ship caught 333 whales as planned in previously untapped waters.
The ship's captain, Hiroshi Eguchi, said he and his crew are ready to engage in commercial whaling.
Japan announced last year it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, ending its 30-year-history of research whaling.
Key words : malaysian
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190401_28/
Malaysian authorities are expected to release next month a Vietnamese woman charged in the 2017 murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
On Monday, prosecutors told a Malaysian high court that they were seeking a lesser charge of causing bodily harm against Doan Thi Huong. She admitted to the new charge.
The judge then sentenced her to three years and four months in prison.
Huong and an Indonesian woman, Siti Aisyah, were initially charged with colluding with four North Korean men to assassinate Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13, 2017.
The two women smeared Kim's face with the highly toxic VX nerve agent. Both pleaded not guilty and said they had been tricked by North Korean agents into taking part in what they thought was a harmless prank for a TV show.
Last month, prosecutors dropped the case against the Indonesian defendant and released her. But Huong remained in detention.
Huong's defense counsel called that decision discriminatory and urged the prosecutors to drop the charge against her. The Vietnamese government is thought to have pressed Malaysian authorities to free Huong.
After her sentencing, Huong told reporters that she was happy and hopes to have a career as a singer and actress in Vietnam. Her lawyer expects her to be freed early next month as her sentence includes time served.
He called the four North Korean men the "real assassins" and suggested that they should stand trial.
Malaysian police have placed the four on the international wanted list on suspicion of having instructed the women in the murder. The men are believed to have already returned to North Korea.
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿