Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2013

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

• An NPO in Tokyo has released a DVD for job seekers that details the sleaziness of so-called black corporations—“companies that disregard labor laws, harass employees and overwork them while paying low wages.”
• A major pachinko manufacturer was forced to recall about 12,000 pachislot machines because of a “defect that makes it difficult for players to win the jackpot.”
• Officials in Shizuoka have released a guidebook that lists “more than 300 Mt Fuji lookalikes across Japan.”
• According to a survey by the land ministry, 79.8 percent of Japanese people say they want to own their own home. It’s the first time in 12 years that the figure has dipped under 80 percent.

WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT?

• A research team led by a professor at Hokkaido University has created a coating material that changes color based on fluctuations in air temperature. The substance will be used for “super-fast trains and space vehicles.”
• Researchers at the University of Tokyo have figured out a way to project keyboards and smartphone displays onto sheets of paper and other surfaces. They’re hoping to create computers that people can use “without having to hold a physical device.”
• A medical team led by a professor at Osaka University has developed a malaria vaccine that’s expected to cut the risk of contracting the disease by 70 percent.
• As part of its “action plan on tourism promotion,” the Japanese government is waiving visa requirements for travelers from Thailand and Malaysia.

MINE’S BIGGER

• Authorities in charge of two of the tallest structures in Asia—the 509-meter Taipei 101 and the 634-meter Tokyo Skytree—have entered into a “friendship agreement.”
• Officials at the WHO say the life expectancy of Japanese men has dropped from 80 to 79 years, which means that guys in Qatar, Sweden and Singapore now outlive their Japanese counterparts.
• The WHO also notes that Japanese women still top the global life expectancy list, at 86 years.
• Japan’s bid for musical glory was thwarted when 19-year-old Tomoki Sakata failed to take one of the top three spots at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Texas.

SO MUCH FOR THAT IDEA

• Authorities in Sendai have given up on a plan to monitor sex offenders by GPS, citing a lack of “money and human resources.”
• Officials at Malaysia-based Air Asia say they may pull out of a tie-up with ANA because of “a clash of opinions” between managers of the two companies.
• A panel of experts convened by the Cabinet Office has concluded that it’s futile to try and predict “the time, size and scope” of major earthquakes.
• Meanwhile, the Central Disaster Management Council recommends that people stockpile a week’s worth of supplies in case of major disasters. The list of goods includes “23 liters of water, cellphone chargers and portable toilets.”

HERE & THERE

• The Imperial Household Agency is soliciting ideas for the design of the tiara that Princess Kato will wear the during her coming-of-age ceremony next year.
• Officials at Narita Airport put on display an 8×3-meter oil painting created by 200 children from disaster-hit Ofunato city in Iwate Prefecture.
• Authorities at the health ministry say that 4.62 million elderly people in Japan suffer from dementia. That’s 1.6 million more than previous estimates.
• A study by a Tokyo-based think tank found that 34.6 percent of workers at private companies are worried about losing their jobs.

Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo Reporter, Japan Probe, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo