A survival skill in shrinking Japan: Learn English

Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani decided two years ago that the employees at his company, Rakuten Inc., should work almost entirely in English. The idea, he said, was a daring and drastic attempt to counter Japan's shrinking place in the world. "Japanese people think it's so difficult to speak English," Mikitani said. "But we need to break the shell."

German customs demand $475,000 for Japanese musician's violin

German customs seized a $1.2 million violin from a Japanese professional musician and are demanding she pay almost $475,000 to get it back, reports said on Wednesday. Belgium-based Yuzuko Horigome was transiting through Frankfurt Airport last week after performing in Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. When she tried to walk through the green gate for travelers arriving in the EU with nothing to declare, customs officers stopped her and said she needed to pay 190,000 euros in duty on her 1741 Guarnerius violin.

Airport Automated Face Recognition Tests Begin

A facial recognition test program began at automated gates for immigration at Narita and Kansai airports on Monday. In the tests, the faces of incoming and outbound travellers will be automatically checked against passport photographs at the immigration gates. The tests target Japanese travellers and are intended to improve the performance of the automated gate system. One such gate is installed at each of four international airports--Haneda, Narita, Central Japan and Kansai. The system has so far checked travellers’ fingerprints for identification.

Low Number of Babies Born in Japan Recorded

Fewer babies were born in Japan in the last year than any other on record, pulling down its population for the third year in a row, according to government statistics released this week. As of the end of March, Japan had more than 260,000 fewer people than a year earlier, the biggest drop of the Japanese population yet, according to Japanese media. The baby bust has continued year after year despite Japanese efforts to nudge up the numbers: The government has doled out payments for couples with children and subsidized daycare. Japanese towns publicly herald the number of local births in city signs. Engineering students even crafted a cooing robotic baby years ago in hope of setting biological clocks ticking.

Expected Workforce in 2030 to Fall by 8.45M

The number of employed people may drop by as much as 8.45 million by 2030 from the 2010 figure of 62.98 million, according to a labor ministry panel of experts studying the country's employment policy. In its report unveiled Monday, the panel emphasized the need for the government to help women and young people find and secure jobs because the decline in employees is likely to hinder the nation's economic growth. The estimate of a maximum contraction of 8.45 million was made on the basis of assumptions that economic growth will remain at zero percent and the number of working women and elderly will remain unchanged through 2030.

Married Women in Japan Want to Work

Married women want to work, according to a government survey that will form the basis for a 2012 white paper on children, child rearing and mothers. The survey results, released early, show an astounding 86 percent of women want to continue working after having children, though most find it almost impossible to do so. Only 11.6 percent indicated they do not wish to seek employment. Most women said they wanted to start working again as soon as possible after giving birth, though they were keenly aware of the importance of being with their young children. The largest percentage of mothers, 23.8 percent, said they wanted to start work again as soon as possible. Another 22.1 percent said they would prefer to wait until their children enter kindergarten or nursery school, and another 20 percent said they would like to start after their children enter elementary school.

The Worldwide Triumph of English

By GWYNNE DYER LONDON — The second president of the United States, John Adams, predicted in 1780 that "English will be the most respectable language in the world and the most universally read and spoken in the next century, if not before the end of this one." It is destined "in the next and succeeding centuries to be more generally the language of the world than Latin was in the last or French is in the present age." It was a bold prediction, for at that time there were only about 13 million English-speakers in the world, almost all of them living in Britain or on the eastern seaboard of North America. They were barely 1 percent of the world's population, and almost nobody except the Welsh and the Irish bothered to learn English as a second language. So how is Adams' prediction doing now?

74 people visit eye clinics after observing eclipse

TOKYO — MAY. 22, 2012 - 04:00PM JST  At least 74 people sought help for eye problems at eye clinics in 18 prefectures across Japan after observing the annular solar eclipse on Monday, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society reported on its website Tuesday. Doctors and education officials had warned of eye injuries from improper viewing beforehand. Education Minister Hirofumi Hirano demonstrated the use of eclipse glasses in a televised news conference on the weekend. The society said most of the complaints were solar retinopathy due to not properly using special protective glasses. Of the 74, 16 were children younger than 12.

Lady Gaga auctions teacup to help Japanese artists

TOKYO — Fans bidding in a charity online auction to buy a teacup used once by pop diva Lady Gaga had offered more than four million yen ($50,000) by Tuesday, with five days left before the hammer falls. The china cup and saucer set was used by the star at a press conference in Tokyo three months after the massive tsunami of March last year swamped a large stretch of coastline. Lady Gaga told reporters at the time that she would auction the cup, marked with her lipstick and bearing the Japanese message “We pray for Japan” along with the star’s autograph. All the money raised will be used to help young Japanese artists who want to study in the United States. The cup was put on “Yahoo! Japan Auctions” at midday Monday, with the starting price of one yen. The auction is set to finish midnight Sunday.

Japan's largest McDonald's opens in Harajuku Omotesando

TOKYO — McDonald’s Japan on Sunday opened its largest store in Japan. The Harajuku Omotesando branch occupies 795 square meters and seats 328 customers. It will soon feature a new McCafe inside where customers can order coffee made to suit their individual preferences. The cafe is to open in July, ahead of other branches, in an attempt to appeal to a more adult market than usual. Japan Today Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/japans-largest-mcdonalds-opens-in-harajuku

Maid cafe waitresses show off their scientific know-how

Girls dressed in French maid outfits running craft classes on soldering, of all things, might seem like something out of Japanese anime. But this is Akihabara, Tokyo's "Electric Town," and home to all things anime and "otaku," meaning geeks. The workshops are the brainchild of electronics parts retailer Wakamatsu Tsusho Co. Akihabara has long been home to many electronics parts shops. But nowadays, it also serves as "ground zero" for otaku culture and attracts thousands of enthusiasts of anime, videogames, cosplay and other pop culture trends. Wakamatsu came up with the idea of craft classes run by waitresses in maid costumes to revive interest in the science behind electronic gadgets. The company, established 36 years ago, hosted a free craft session in March at Akihabara Network & Embedded Technology Center, Akiba NET-kan, in the Sotokanda area of Chiyoda Ward. In addition to Wakamatsu Tsusho workers and specialists close to Japan's leading semiconductor manufacturer, Renesas Electronics Corp., it included Erika Kurosaki and Shion Arimura from Togenkyo maid cafe as instructors to offer tips on soldering. Twelve people, ranging from a 6-year-old girl, who is set to attend elementary school this spring, to a 62-year-old man, joined the session. After they were given basic tips on soldering, they worked on a heart-shaped circuit board to complete an LED flasher that plays music.

Scam websites on the rise across Japan

Online scams in which victims are deceived into taking part in long friendly e-mail conversations that eventually cause them to lose money are increasing rapidly across Japan. The websites, many of which are paid online dating or job-hunting sites that are based on e-mail exchanges, have been collectively labeled "sakura (decoy) websites" due to the means their operators use to scam their victims. When people register to one of these websites, they are later approached by a "user" of the website, who is actually a decoy. In a series of e-mails, the victims are tricked into endless "friendly" talks. The victims are not aware at the time that the more e-mails they exchange with the decoy, the more money they are later demanded to pay for using the websites. Among common deception techniques "sakura websites" use is making people believe that those they exchange e-mail with wish to befriend them or that they have enough money to invest in their businesses or projects if they become acquainted. That tricks them into sending as many e-mails as possible, which the operators of the scam websites make money from.

Sky Tree to offer world's highest bungee jump

Tokyo's newest and biggest visitor attraction, the 634-meter-high Tokyo Sky Tree in Sumida Ward, will open to the public on May 22. And if 11th-hour contract negotiations bear fruit, visitors to the Sky Tree may soon have the opportunity to plummet 430 meters (over 1,400 feet) toward terra firma, in what is claimed to be the world's highest commercial bungee jump. The new service, it was learned, has been quietly undergoing safety tests late at night. If arrangements can be finalized within this month, the first customers may be able to take death-defying dives from the Sky Tree from around mid-June. Because the project is still tentative, it has been kept under heavy wraps. To maintain secrecy while the negotiations are underway, test jumps have been conducted in the small hours of the morning, starting in January.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 11

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Clothes ·         How important are clothes and fashion to you? Why? Why not? ·         What kind of clothes do you dislike? Why? ·         How different are the clothes you wear now from those you wore 10 years ago? ·         What do you think the clothes we wear say about us?

Japan wages rise 1st time in 9 mths, overtime pay up

Wages in Japan rose in February from a year earlier for the first time in nine months, while overtime pay climbed for the fifth straight month, partly helped by more working days in the month than last year, government data showed on Tuesday. Overtime pay, a barometer of strength in corporate activity, climbed 3.4 percent in February from a year earlier, the fastest pace of growth since the same month last year, the Labour Ministry said. Average cash earnings stood at 265,497 yen ($3,200) in February, up 0.7 percent from a year earlier, following a revised 0.9 percent fall in January. Total working hours rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier, the highest increase since March 2010. Declines in wages after last year's earthquake have been gradually stabilising and analysts expect the economy will recover this year, helped by reconstruction demand and receding concerns over the global economy. (Reuters, Apr 03)

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 10

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Clothes ·         How important are clothes and fashion to you? Why? Why not? ·         What kind of clothes do you dislike? Why? ·         How different are the clothes you wear now from those you wore 10 years ago? ·         What do you think the clothes we wear say about us?

Strong storm wreaks chaos nationwide

At least one elderly man was killed and several other people were injured as strong winds swept across the nation Tuesday, and the Meteorological Agency called for continued vigilance in northern regions Wednesday. Although details were not immediately available, more injuries were reported mainly from western prefectures. The Meteorological Agency warned people in other regions, including commuters in Tokyo, to brace for gusts and possible disruptions of public transportation. The winds disrupted operations of airplanes and trains, including shinkansen, mainly in western Japan in the morning. The Meteorological Agency said an active low pressure system and fronts were likely to bring strong winds to northern and north-eastern Japan from later Tuesday to Wednesday.

Subsidy eyed to promote study abroad

40 universities could receive 5-year grants

The Yomiuri Shimbun - The education ministry plans to establish a new financial support system for universities encouraging students to study abroad, it has been learned. The ministry aims to promote the idea of studying abroad to Japanese students, who are often regarded as being introverted, to foster human resources who will be motivated to actively participate in the nation's domestic and international affairs. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is targeting about 40 universities and plans to grant from 100 million yen to 200 million yen in annual subsidies to each institution.

Official cherry blossom fete nixed

The government will cancel a cherry blossom viewing party in Tokyo scheduled for April 14 following North Korea's announcement that it plans to launch a rocket, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Friday. The government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made the decision "to prepare for any contingencies," Fujimura said. Last week, Pyongyang announced it plans to launch a "satellite" from April 12-16 to mark the centennial of the birth of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder, on April 15. The event at Tokyo's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is held annually but also was cancelled last year due to the March 2011 natural and nuclear disasters. Around 10,000 luminaries would have attended the event hosted by Noda, including members of the Imperial family, the Cabinet, diplomats and other invitees from various fields.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 8

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Colour ·         What’s your favourite colour? Why? ·         Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were younger? Why? Why not? ·         What can you learn about a person from the colours they like? ·         Do any colours have a special meaning in your culture?