Japan's Hometown Tax | Kalzumeus Software
Immigrants in Japan struggle to keep businesses open after new visa rules
Rules for obtaining or keeping a business manager visa in Japan were changed in October 2025, with a three-year grace period to meet the requirements for those who already have them. Some of these immigrants who own small businesses in Japan are no longer sure if they’ll be able to stay.

Editorial: Japan should not shut door on permanent residents
Japan's Immigration Services Agency has announced plans to revise its guidelines for granting permanent residence, tightening the requirements. Many f

Tokyo Olympics say costs $12.6B; Audit report says much more
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Olympic organizers said Friday they are spending 1.35 trillion Japanese yen — about $12.6 billion — to stage next year’s games. Organizers said the expenditure is unchanged…


The violent truth about immigration detention centers in Japan: Part 2 of 2
TOKYO -- A Japanese Brazilian man has brought a lawsuit against the Japanese government, seeking damages for the injuries he incurred following an all

Taxes on High-Skill Immigration: Demand and Supply Response in the International Student-OPT-Work Visa Pipeline
ROCKWOOL Foundation
Bill to ease data protection law for AI development clears Japan's lower house
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A bill to revise Japan's personal data protection law passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, paving the way for eased restri

Fee for Certain H-1B Petitions
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to establish a $103,265 fee, payable at the time of filing, for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, which would be imposed in addition to all other applicable fees or payments. This fee...

Asian Games in Japan Leave Questions of Legacy – Adnkronos English
Nagoya, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–The first Summer Asian Games held in Japan in over three decades left behind questions of its legacy. The 16 days of sport mainly held in the central prefecture of Aichi through Sunday featured venues full of cheering crowds and scenes of excitement shared by a wide range of people, a sharp contrast to the spectatorless Tokyo Olympics in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Games brought together over 15,000 members of delegations from 45 countries and regions. Japan rewrote its record high for both total medal tally and gold medal count for the quadrennial sporting tournament, sweeping up 269 medals, including 83 golds. Japan left behind valuable memories for people in the country. Spectators witnessed high-level performances by athletes, and were introduced to Asia’s vast array of cultures. People also had a chance to see athletes at public events to celebrate the medalists. The 2021 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo had 1,423.8 billion yen in costs. The budget for the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games totaled 298 billion yen, despite the number of sports and participating athletes being larger than those of the worldwide sporting festival. The latest Asian Games aimed to create a sustainable event that was simple yet smoothly operated. The organizing committee decided not to newly build an athletes’ village, while opting to host individual sporting events at existing venues in five Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo. The massive sporting event, however, was not without its hiccups, especially in terms of operations. The event was hosted without the involvement of a major advertising agency taking charge of daily operations, which was unusual for a major international tournament in Japan. Without the know-how of such a company, many staff members on the organizer’s side were inexperienced. “There were operational difficulties from the very start,” a senior official of the organizing committee said. An event planning company tasked with venue operations failed to submit venue diagrams in time, according to a person familiar with the matter. “There was a lack of information sharing,” the person said. The person said that preparations dragged on until just before the opening ceremony, due to expense calculations and venue-related planning being delayed. Issues also plagued the tournament after competitions kicked off. North Korea’s national anthem was played instead of South Korea’s anthem at a men’s hockey match against Bangladesh on Sept. 18, while a bus did not arrive to take the South Korean men’s basketball team to a practice session before the final against Japan on Sept. 20. The organizing committee spent a busy period apologizing and explaining these blunders. While the committee had touted strong ticket sales, many spectator seats were empty at some venues. The committee also learned valuable lessons from its delayed responses to inaccurate posts being spread on social media. The committee was quick to act on some issues. An official of the committee said that it had provided round-the-clock support to tackle reports of water leaks, clogged drain and other issues by people staying at container houses serving as accommodation for athletes. On transportation issues, the committee switched to a booking system that did not accept late bus reservations after a predetermined deadline. Junichi Kawai, commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency who has plenty of experience competing at international tournaments as a six-time Paralympian with 21 Paralympic medals in swimming under his belt, said, “We always have issues” at any big tournament. “We’ve resolved them.” The Japanese government plans to put together the country’s accumulated know-how on running a massive sporting tournament, and pass such lessons on to future generations. Japan’s basic law on sports, revised last year, stipulates that efforts securing the transparency of tournament operations and nurturing personnel are state-led measures. As part of the effort, the Asian Games organizing committee needs to leave behind reports and people with related knowledge and experience. In terms of revenues, the tournament’s sponsorship income reached 27 billion yen, exceeding the organizing committee’s goal. The legacy of the latest Asian Games is the method of cutting down on expenses through utilizing container hotels and cruise ships in place of a dedicated athletes’ village, as well as ways to deal with challenges involving the transportation of athletes. Such a legacy will be very important given that Japan may host another massive sporting tournament, including possibly another Olympic Games, in the future. A committee was launched in September to submit a bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

For some immigrants in Japan, alternatives to detention bring release, but not freedom
The Japanese government introduced an alternative to detention called supervisory release in order to prevent long-term detainment and escape. Refugees and advocates say it places responsibility on citizens, ultimately leaving them in uncertainty.

Information and Communications in Japan 2024
The Cost of Deportations Calculator
The Trump administration is taking billions of _your_ taxpayer dollars to pay for mass deportations. The Cost of Deportations Calculator shows what could this money be used for instead.


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命がけで日本大使館守ったアフガン人 難民となり今はケバブ売る生活:朝日新聞

The violent truth about immigration detention centers in Japan: Part 2 of 2

The violent truth about immigration detention centers in Japan: Part 1 of 2

「痛くてもやむを得ない」 収容者「制圧」の入管職員の証言

「うるさい、静かにしろ!」 入管施設「制圧」の実態 映像入手
Taxes on High-Skill Immigration: Demand and Supply Response in the International Student-OPT-Work Visa Pipeline
Exclusive | U.S. Weighs $100,000 Fee for Foreign Students Wanting to Work After Graduation
The US President's new proposal to tax international students has been approved by the White House for release this week. It's an unpreceden…