Japan’s proportion of women in science and engineering at the university level is the lowest among OECD countries. In engineering, manufacturing, and architecture, fields in high demand by companies, only 16% of students are women, compared to the OECD average of 26%, and in science, mathematics, and statistics, only 27% are women, compared to the OECD average of 52%. The mathematics scores of Japanese high school girls are extremely good compared to the rest of the world. Why, then, do Japanese high school girls who excel academically not go into science? Of course, there are excellent female students with high academic ability who do choose to go into science. But many of them choose the medical field. In Japan, doctors are highly paid and have a stable position as a respected profession. In pharmacy, too, even if there is a career interruption due to ... ... [Read more]

It has been five years since the Imperial succession took place in May 2019, and the era name was changed to Reiwa. Discussions about the Emperor and the Imperial Family have attracted attention, and the ruling and opposition parties began talks in May 2024 to consider how to ensure a stable Imperial succession and the number of Imperial Family members. Two leading scholars of the Emperor and the Imperial Family discussed the issue. The reappearance of the bansei ikkei (Unbroken Imperial line) ideology Hara Takeshi: I was stunned, or rather shocked, when I read the “Opinions on the State of Stable Imperial Succession” published by the Panel on Ensuring a Stable Imperial Succession of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in April 2024, but it states in all seriousness that “Since Emperor Jimmu (the first Emperor, 711 [721?]–585 BCE), for 126 generations up to His ... ... [Read more]

Yamamoto Riken, Architect I was selected to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize (hereinafter Pritzker Prize) in March 2024, and since then I have been grateful to have received many interviews and lecture requests from both Japan and abroad. Recently, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Japan came to my office and we discussed my upcoming lecture and the current housing situation in South America. What made me so happy about this prize was that the host foundation and the jury chair highly valued the point that “[One of the things we need most in the future of cities is] to create conditions through architecture that multiply the opportunities for people to come together and interact. By carefully blurring the boundary between public and private, Yamamoto contributes positively beyond the brief to enable community.” Of course it is important to seek visual beauty in architecture, but more ... ... [Read more]

Questions from the Great East Japan Earthquake The results of my decade-long research on the Great East Japan Earthquake[1] were published on March 11, 2024 as Ikeru Shisha no Shinsai Reiseiron—Saigai no fujori no tadanaka de (Living dead—A spirituality of earthquake disasters amid the absurdity of catastrophe) (Shinyosha). The concept proposed in that paper, “Study of Spirituality in Earthquake Disasters,” is something I happened upon while working on the issue of those who died in earthquake disasters. One of the reasons I recognized the concept could be that I had previously been a member of a cemetery research group. But more than that, the Great East Japan Earthquake prompted me to ask myself the urgent question of whether I needed to think about death and the dead from the perspective of people who were suffering from the loss of loved ones. It’s not as ... ... [Read more]

  A cat-shaped robot, or a cat-imaged robot. It’s the one that recently started serving food in family restaurants. It has round eyes. If you stroke its head, it will happily close its eyes and say, “That tickles, meow.” It also says, “Thank you for your order, meow.” Just by walking by a table, children get excited and say, “How cute!” Apparently her official name is BellaBot. But don’t let its cuteness fool you. If you think about it rationally, it’s a robot carrying food made in a factory. Customers order on a tablet and pay with an automatic change machine. Written like that, doesn’t it seem a bit bland? Yamazaki Masakazu (1934–2020), playwright and critic, once said this about family restaurants: “The products offered are essentially factory-produced frozen foods, and what customers receive in the store is nothing but the atmosphere at the ... ... [Read more]

  Ohno Masako, Reporter, Tokyo Shimbun Political Department Even if parents do not consent On May 17, 2024, the revised Civil Code, which introduces joint custody after divorce, was passed and enacted in the Diet by a majority vote of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Komeito, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), and the Democratic Party for the People (DPP). Despite the fact that the sole custody system after divorce, which has been in place since 1947, is being revised for the first time and will significantly change the child-rearing environment, the deliberations of the opposition parties with the government took a total of 33 hours and 40 minutes in both the Lower House and the Upper House. It took a month and a half from the start of the actual deliberations to the passage of the bill. ... ... [Read more]

  Takagiwa Miyuki (Mayor of Toshima City), interviewed by Kiyono Yumi, journalist   In 2014, Toshima City (Toshima Ward) was included in the list of “cities at risk of disappearing” announced by the Japan Policy Council (chaired by Masuda Hiroya), becoming the only one of Tokyo’s 23 wards (special wards or cities) to be included. Toshima City has now escaped from the “cities at risk of disappearing” list, but how has it fared over the past 10 years? And what is its goal? “Toshima City is disappearing!” ——How did you react to Toshima City being named as a city at risk of disappearing in 2014? I remember that time well. It was when I moved from the position of Director of the Planning Section, Declining Birth Rate Countermeasures Division, Welfare and Health Bureau, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to the position of Director of the Private ... ... [Read more]

  Key points The “voice” function of labor unions in negotiations is important The cost of organization is increasing with the shift to a service economy Increasing the organization of non-regular workers to approach that of regular employees   Umezaki Osamu, Professor, Hosei University   Among the economic entities in Japan today, labor unions are markedly hard to understand. Historically, labor unions boasted a high unionization ratio and had clear goals, such as raising wages in the spring labor offensive (shunto) and eliminating status differences for workers and employees. Moreover, Japanese society accepted that they had the power to do so. There are few labor issues nowadays, so the presence of labor unions seems to be diminishing. However, with stagnant wage increases and the emergence of new labor problems, labor unions are arguably as important as ever. The environment surrounding labor unions is harsh. ... ... [Read more]

  Hamada Mari, Representative of Stand by Women The big problem that came to light Candidates are suddenly hugged while giving a speech on the street, are bombarded with slanderous messages, are yelled at by fellow assembly members, and rumors are spread they don’t know about themselves. These types of damages are cases that I often hear about when conducting harassment interviews with female assembly members. There are various factors behind the low number of female assembly members, one of which is harassment. In recent years, this issue has finally begun to receive attention in the media. The trigger is thought to be largely influenced by the report issued by the Cabinet Office (CAO) in 2021, which included a harassment investigation of assembly members, and the “Revised Act on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field” enacted in the same year. This law ... ... [Read more]

  Matsumoto Hajimu, nonfiction writer Taiwan Railway is under pressure to reform due to a series of accidents Taipei Main Station is Taiwan’s largest terminal station, served by conventional lines, Taiwan High Speed Rail (bullet train), Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) (Metro Taipei), and used by 450,000 people a day. The current 4th generation station building has 6 floors above ground and 4 floors underground. It boasts a palace-like grandeur, with a large crimson roof modeled after the traditional architecture of Southern Fujian Province, China, known as the “Minnan (Southern Fujian) region.” The center of the ground floor is a vast open space, surrounded by a food court and various shops. The third floor and above are used as offices for the Headquarters of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and other offices, and are not open to the general public. (TRA, commonly known as ... ... [Read more]