今日吃瓜

Tag - parenthood

 
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November 12, 2026
 

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PARENTHOOD

The number of births increased in 24 prefectures — many of them in urban areas including Tokyo, Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures — while 23 prefectures saw decreases.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2026
Births in Japan edge up 0.4% in January-June, thanks to Tokyo
This is the first increase in the first half in 11 years, with the capital’s 4.7% jump in births being the highest among all prefectures.
Artificial intelligence is making parenting more efficient while also increasing the anxiety of mothers.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2026
AI is changing motherhood for the worse
The future is always unknown. Nearly half of moms expect AI will reduce their financial security and their children’s.
Japan's existing regulations allow children to ride in bicycle child seats only if they have not yet entered elementary school.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 28, 2026
Japan considers easing rules on use of bicycle child seats
Current regulations limit the use of such seats to children who have not yet entered elementary school.
Births involving medical interventions, including C-sections and vacuum-assisted deliveries, have often been referred to as “abnormal deliveries.”
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2026
Japan to drop term ‘abnormal delivery’ to ease emotional burden on parents
The move follows concerns that the wording could cause psychological distress to expectant parents.
A survey by Meiji Yasuda Life conducted this month found that only 28.2% of parents in Japan want a second child amid the current cost of living pressures.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 20, 2026
Fewer than 1 in 3 families want a second child amid rising costs, study finds
Research by Meiji Yasuda Life found that there was an almost 57% drop in the number of parents wanting a second child compared to 2020.
Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, gave birth to a baby girl last month. She is expected to remain on maternity leave until Nov. 8.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 1, 2026
Japan mayor who took maternity leave named to Time’s list of most influential
Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, was named to the magazine’s list of Most Influential Rising Stars.
In the end, the studying of languages is not simply just about grammar and words. The goal is to improve the kind of life the children will live once they become adults.?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2026
The question parents should ask before raising multilingual kids
Adult language learners usually define their own goals. For children, however, their linguistic paths are largely shaped by caregivers.
A transgender man (right) with his wife in Tokyo on Sept. 18, as he seeks legal recognition as the father of a child conceived using an egg retrieved from him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2026
Transgender man seeks recognition as father of biological child
The man, assigned female at birth, was legally recognized as male after the birth of the child, who was conceived using one of his eggs.
A government survey showed the proportion of single Japanese men and women who said they intend to marry one day falling below 80% for the first time.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 11, 2026
Ratio of Japanese singles seeking marriage drops below 80% for first time
The survey results highlighted a declining desire for marriage as more people see few benefits to tying the knot.
Todor Panev and his three children, ages 7, 5 and 2, read a book in his native Macedonian.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 6, 2026
How to navigate parenthood in a multilingual home
Language experts have advice for parents that should be reassuring in its simplicity: read, make friends and have fun.
Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Ken Kobayashi speaks at a Japan-South Korea symposium on declining birthrates in Sendai on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 31, 2026
Japan-South Korea business panel launched to address low birth rate
The group aims to enable the two countries to share knowledge and experiences in seeking solutions to their demographic challenges through private-sector cooperation.
Children on nursery waiting lists in Tokyo totaled 1,113 as of April 1, more than tripling from 339 a year earlier.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2026
今日吃瓜 nursery school waiting lists grow for first time in nine years
The number of children on nursery school waiting lists rose by 181 from a year earlier to 2,435, up for the first time in nine years due largely to a sharp increase in Tokyo.
Singapore's total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 last year.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 24, 2026
Singapore unveils sweeping family support as births tumble
Each Singaporean child will receive almost 70,000 Singapore dollars ($55,150) in direct assistance through age 17, starting with a SG$10,000 baby gift.
Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, is seen from a commercial flight on July 29.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2026
Man leaves 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji for hours to continue hike
The boy was found alone on a hiking route on Thursday and taken into police custody, a local police officer in Shizuoka Prefecture said Saturday.
A woman with a child and a dog walks past a partially collapsed apartment building on July 31, 2025.
WORLD / Society
Aug 17, 2026
Facing invasion and abuse, vulnerable mothers take refuge in Kyiv shelter
The shelter, funded by the Ukrainian Public Health Foundation has taken in 150 women and children since 2022.
Afghan girls take their midterm exams at a primary school in Kabul on July 21. Fathers in Afghanistan choked up in despair describing the education ban that stops their daughters going beyond primary school.
WORLD / Society
Aug 11, 2026
Torment of Afghan fathers as daughters deprived of education
A U.N. poll found 90% of Afghan men wanted girls to go to secondary school, with nearly two thirds considering it “pious” for fathers to support a daughter’s education.
Tokyo’s metropolitan government offers subsidies of up to ?100,000 for epidural childbirth at designated medical institutions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2026
Tokyo’s subsidies for pain relief during childbirth see strong demand
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government received 12,059 applications in the six months through March for its subsidy program — well above its projection of about 9,500.
A new incentive program is under consideration to certify small and midsize businesses in rural areas of Japan that provide child care support for local communities.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2026
Government to certify rural businesses that promote child care support
The new system will recognize efforts to develop products for raising children, establish nursing rooms and support operations of child-focused community cafeterias.
Miyako Kudo addresses an Osaka fertility clinic during a speaking engagement on understanding and supporting women without children.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 25, 2026
Out of the shadows: Japanese women building a life beyond motherhood
One woman is leading the charge to build a community where a life without children — whether by choice or circumstance — is an accepted social norm.
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 21, 2026
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
The financial strain is affecting parents’ mental health, with 44% of survey respondents saying they always or often feel extremely depressed when thinking about summer vacation.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Jensen Huang’s woes evoke sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan
Hsiao Kui-yu, 68, owner of Yuchan Candied Fruit, stands in front of photographs of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang displayed at the shop, which Huang frequently visits during trips to Taiwan, in Taipei on Tuesday.
G7 diplomats speak out on Taiwan as China ramps up military drills
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a working lunch focused on international crises and challenges during the Group of Seven foreign ministers' summit at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris on Monday.
今日吃瓜 Rapidus is said likely to miss mass production deadline
The Rapidus Analysis Center and the IIM-1 Innovative Integration for Manufacturing foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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