(Via Kyodo) — “More than 30 percent of homeless people in Tokyo are suspected to be mentally disabled and may have difficulty in claiming social assistance by themselves, a study recently compiled by a group of psychologists and psychiatrists revealed.
The group, led by Suimei Morikawa, 36, a doctor at the Kurihama Alcoholism Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, urges administrative bodies to give consideration to their situation in providing assistance.
Members of the group conducted intelligence tests on some 170 homeless men around a station in central Tokyo on Dec. 29 and 30 and found 56 out of …

Alright, you have either visited, lived in -or wanted to visit or live in- Tokyo because you find the city ______. If you filled in the blank with something positive, you may find agreement with the writers that found 50 reasons why Tokyo is number one.
Via the CNNGo Asia Blog, the following writers:  Matt Alt, Hiroko Yoda, Melinda Joe, Andrew Szymanski, and W. David Marx, CNNGo Tokyo City Editor, provide their 50 reasons why Tokyo is number 1.
Here’s a previous article on the top 29 cities to live in that …

Do you reside in Japan? If so, have you ever been asked to show your passport or alien registration card upon checking into a hotel? If that’s the case, be sure to provide the information below to the hotel staff. I recommend that you carry a copy of this notice in your wallet or purse, on your iPhone (or other device) or laptop computer.

Request for producing of passports, etc. for identification purposesMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Since April 1, 2005, under the relevant laws and regulations, the Japanese Government is …

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo is transmitting the following information through the Embassy’s warden system as a public service to all U.S. citizens in Japan.  Please disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations or to other Americans you know.
On Saturday, February 27, 2010, an earthquake measuring 8.8 struck the central coast of Chile early on Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.  The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific Region. The warning covered South America, Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean islands including Hawaii, New Zealand, Japan, and Russia.
According to …

Japan Meteorological Agency
A 7.0 magnatude earthquake struck off the coast of Okinawa. A Tsunami warning was issued but later cancelled. More on this story as it develops.

[Via Breitbart] “Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama suggested on Thursday that he is positively considering Japan’s accession to an international convention to deal with problems that arise when failed international marriages result in children wrongfully being taken to Japan by one parent.
“Now that the world is beginning to regard Japan as a peculiar country, it is important to draw a conclusion as soon as possible regarding the Hague Convention to show that that is not the case, and I so instructed (ministers),” Hatoyama told reporters.
Complaints are growing over cases in which a Japanese parent, often a …

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo is transmitting the following information through the Embassy’s warden system as a public service to all U.S. citizens in Japan.  Please disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations or to other Americans you know.
On October 28, 2009, Congress enacted the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.  This legislation amends existing law regarding overseas voting in federal elections, and should make voting easier for overseas Americans.
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New Procedures for 2010 Elections
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Beginning with the November 2010 general election, and for all subsequent general, special, and primary elections, …