Please enjoy fresh & hot news from Japan with comments by Europe-Japan Dynamics.
5 Sep. Real wages of July up by 2.0%, increase for 6 months in a row
The real wages index indicating the movement of the wage without influence of the price fluctuation increased by 2.0% in July as compared to the same month a year earlier, according to the monthly work statistics report (breaking news) of July announced by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This is an increase for six month in a row. Growth that continued for six consecutive months was experienced for the first time since the last time that saw the increase for 13 months in a row from March 2010 to March 2011. Falling of the consumer price index pushes up real wages.
Comments: This news is a mixture of good and bad, i.e. a wage increase pushed by falling consumer price index.
6 Sep. State subsidy of 7,600 million yen for in-company nursery schools for employees, addressed to 150 facilities
The state subsidy for 150 facilities (for 3,887 children) of “the company-led nursery schools”, which a company sets up mainly for its employees was approved. The Cabinet Office announced the result of the first call for requests for subsidy. Such nursery schools are non-registered nursery schools based on a government program newly established this year to alleviate children on a waiting list of registered nursery schools. The government aims at creating facilities for 50,000 children by the end of FY 2017 (March 2018).
Comments: Japanese system of child care facilities is complicated, having registered and non-registered nursery schools, and kinder gardens in existence housing millions of children. Streamlining such complicated system may result in less administrative burden and more resources for quality of child care.
7 Sep. The Governor of Tokyo, Koike, to propose to cut her remuneration into half to the metropolitan assembly in September
The Governor of Tokyo , Ms Yuriko Koike, decided to submit a proposal to reduce her remuneration to a half to the metropolitan assembly opening on 28th. The reduction by half of the governor reward was one of her major campaign promises in the governor’s race in July and she examined a good timing to submit the proposal. Reactions of each party in the metropolitan assembly are to watch.
Comments: Those voted to Ms Koike expected her to do new things for Tokyo. It’s time for her to match her actions to words.
8 Sep. Warning of heavy rain may come again but when to take refuge? — Staff at aged persons’ welfare facilities are worried
A heavy rain is anticipated again due to the typhoon coming closer in the Tohoku Region. Uneasiness is spreading in the elderly person facilities in Iwaizumi-cho, Iwate prefecture, where 15 people died by the typhoon 10 in August.
Comments: No wonder, as typhoons are new experience in the Tohoku Region. This may be because of the global warming.
9 Sep. EV venture rising, “Sign of hit” felt by Mitsuoka Motor Co.
The venture companies which build electric vehicles (EV) are growing in Japan. Mitsuoka Motor Co. (Toyama) announced that the company started the full-scale sale of a two seater EV, “Like -T3” (photo). While the venture companies sell EVs with characters as a strategy to be different from major automobile vendors, their challenges are weak sales force.
Comments: Small EV could grab a market between an electric bike and a small car.
- All the news items are picked up from “Asahi Digital”, and summarized and translated by Europe-Japan Dynamics. The articles are not an official translation by the Asahi Newspaper.