On this episode of Japan Station, I talk to Ami Eldridge, the co-founder of Sumizumi LLC, a company in rural Kochi Prefecture trying to revitalize the area through charcoal production. 👉Topics Discussed About Ami Eldridge’s efforts to revitalize rural Kochi Prefecture About the Niyodo Town and Niyodogawa River area About how Sumizumi LLC is using charcoal and akiya (abandoned houses) …

Japanese diaper manufacturer Oji Holdings has announced that they will stop producing baby diapers for the domestic market and instead focus on adult diapers. This is due to Japan’s declining birth rate. Story from Japan Today.   .

 On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, journalist Dreux Richard stops by to discuss his new book Every Human Intention: Japan in the New Century. About Dreux Richard Dreux Richard is a writer and journalist. He has written extensively about Japan for publications such as The Japan Times, Metropolis Japan, and The New York Times. Dreux is also …

A brief overview of dementia in Japan. With about a third of Japan’s population aged 65 or older and no signs of this number going down anytime soon, Japan is having to deal with a long list of pressing issues that are stemming from its rapidly aging population. Perhaps one of the most pressing of these issues is how to …

It pays to be old. It’s no secret that Japan’s population is steadily decreasing due to a combination of a low birth rate and a quickly increasing number of senior citizens. As a result, dwindling enrollment numbers are a constant concern for universities in Japan. However, one Japanese university is hoping to bolster their numbers by targeting people 50 and …