News

Japan's economic growth for October-December 2023 has been revised downwards due to lower consumer spending and concerns about higher prices. The updated growth rate reinforces apprehensions tied to tariff policies under former U.S. President Trump and could impact Japan's monetary policies moving forward.

Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, a Nobel laureate organization of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors, strongly criticized the Japanese government's decision not to attend an anti-nuclear weapons meeting in March. Tanaka emphasized the importance of Japan sharing its experiences in providing support for atomic bomb victims and argued that the government should fulfill its role in promoting nuclear disarmament.

Seven political parties in Japan have proposed legislation to prevent a repeat of the chaotic 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election, where many candidates used campaign posters for commercial purposes. The bill aims to uphold the dignity of elections and prevent the misuse of social media by candidates.

SoftBank and the University of Electro-Communications are developing SureTalk, an AI-powered app that translates sign language into text, aiming to bridge the communication gap between the deaf and hearing communities. The app utilizes skeletal movement recognition and a growing database to provide accurate translations, with hopes of expanding its capabilities to include direct translation of spoken words into sign language.

Japan will allow individuals from Taiwan to list Taiwan, instead of China, as their place of origin on family registration certificates, sparking a strong reaction from China which claims Taiwan as its own territory. This change reflects Taiwan's distinct identity and aligns with existing practices for residence documents.