November 14, 2024 Chisato Nakatsugawa and Sora Matsuo The frequency of seeing kale in Japan is perhaps less than in other countries. If so, only a few would know how delicious kale is. Saori Nakajima has been farming for 15 years, mainly in Ota city, Gunma Prefecture. Her business vision was clear and positive to engage with social issues and nature through the cultivation of multiple vegetables such as kale and eggplant, and to consume vegetables in a delicious way. Its Init

April 21, 2022 Ayaka Shoji There are 1.4 million tons of wasted clothes in Japan. Recently, there has been a boom in used clothing in Japan. Buying used clothes could be one of the ways to reduce apparel wastes. The twelfth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, an agenda for global community set in 2015 by the United Nations, is “the responsibility to make and use.” This article will focus on the responsibility to make and use clothes. However, it is not an easy thing to

April 21, 2022 Yuna Inoue In Japan, the birth rate has been decreasing and depopulation is progressing. To solve this problem, a lot of local municipalities have been integrated. However, local people are sad to lose their hometown because they feel their culture fades away. Not only adults but also children are worried about that. Current Situation in Japan Japan has been faced with the serious concerns of rapid aging and a very low birth rate. Moreover, local areas in Japan

April 8, 2022 Minami Takamatsu Japanese Beech, a indigenous tree in Niigata Prefecture has created a new market in the traditional furniture industry. Niigata faces the Sea of Japan and there is a heavy snowfall area with an average of 462 cm in winter. A program called Snowbeech Project utilizes the Japanese beech in the sustainable way. The project team, led by Tomohiko Kamitani, a professor of forest ecology at Niigata University, consists of craft writers, architects, and

April 20, 2022 Miyu Iwamoto There is one unique activity in Japan called “a village with 700 citizens turns into one hotel.” In Kosuge village in Yamanashi Prefecture, the woodland accounts for around 95% of whole village area. The villagers have been carrying out activities to protect the natural environment for over 100 years. The reason why the mountain village started such an innovative service is because of the depopulation. They wanted to save beautiful natures, wild a

October 11th, 2021 Arisa Nokuo and Rena Katsumata Through the interview with Mr. Toda, who is engaging in building a risk management system at Taiyo Nippon Sanso Co., Ltd., about the relationship between BCP and CSR, we could learn some interesting case studies as below. The Risk of Mine Operation Palette: Even though the African continent is famous for copper or gold, why does the JX Nippon Mining & Metals have no base in Africa? We suspected that conflict minerals were the

July 7, 2021 Misato Sasaki and Miyabi Oyamada “Women are at the top of the list of diversity in Japan, but it feels strange,” says Professor Keiko Takegawa. What should we do to build a diverse society in Japan? Let's hear the voice of the leading person to overcome the big gender gap in Japan. Meaning of "Diversity" in Japan When people talk about “diversity,” each country has a different view of it. In some countires, For example, diversity often means to promote the inclus

June 10, 2021 Arisa Nokuo & Rena Katsumata Do you know what the word “BCP” means? It stands for Business Continuity Plan, meaning to ensure that business processes could be properly continued even at a time of emergency or disaster. Japan often suffers from natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash floods, this is why many companies set BCP as a part of ESG (Environmental, social and governance) administration. Palette randomly asked

During the Meiji era [1968-1912] in Japan, masks were made out of wire mesh as the core and used cloth as the filter. At that time, the Japanese used it to protect themselves against the fine particles of coal or metal. After the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, this mask attracted attention as a preventive product. The use of masks is no longer for additional preventative measures, but an essential preventive measure. Masks as a Daily Necessity In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 h

January 14, 2021 AKARI ODAGIRI In Japan, overcrowding in cities and rural depopulation are serious long term social problems. These problems are compounded by a declining birthrate and an aging population. Many young people in rural areas tend to migrate to cities in pursuit of their dreams or a modern lifestyle. So, the question must be asked, are urban areas more attractive than rural areas? ※Three major metropolitan areas include Kanto (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba), C

Due to the spread of COVID-19, many university students have become dissatisfied with two issues: The prohibition of face-to-face classes and the continued payment of high tuition fees despite the lack of in-person classes. Dissatisfaction with Online Classes Since April, most Japanese universities have conducted classes online in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Initially, while the prospect of attending classes from the comfort of one’s home may seem like a good ide

October , 2020 Nao Kazuma The spread of COVID-19 has had a major impact on the demand for tourism worldwide. On July 22nd, the Japanese government began its “Go To Campaign,” targeting the industries of tourism and transportation, which have been greatly affected as a result of the spread of the coronavirus. The campaign is a public-private integrated demand-boosting effort, available for a limited period. The government has budgeted 1,679.4 billion yen ($15.8 billion) for th

“The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.” Helen Keller wrote it on her book published in 1902. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese agriculture got damaged seriously. If Keller is trueーwhen are Japanese farmers full of overcoming? This Is The Hardest Ever According to Tokyo Meat Market Co., the price of meat fell down by 700 yen from April 2019 (see Figure 1). That was because of the decrease of going-outs and of inbound tourists. “This is the

Naito, an amusement machine company, has begun to manufacture and sell the face guards for newborn babies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections since late April. Naito is located in Aichi prefecture and develops pachinko, a Japanese gambling game of pinball. That is one of the few companies which supports the Japanese entertainment industry. In late April, the pachinko manufacturer began producing and selling face guards to support medical institutions as a social cont

August 1, 2020 Ayano Hata With the spread of new coronavirus, the Toyota Corp, the biggest automarker, is providing medical support to counter the COVID-19. This support activity is called Kokoro Hakobu Project. In fact, this project is a long-term support activity, originally started to support areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred nine years ago. The name of the project means to carry or deliver one’s heart along with things to people and place i

Saori Kikutani February 27, 2019 Do you think how many animals are euthanized per year in Japan? Unfortunately, euthanasia is the only option for many animals in Japan. According to a survey by the Animal Welfare and Management Office, a not-for-profit animal rescue organization survey, the number of killed dogs was 10,424 and that of killed cats was 45,574 in 2016. The total number of the killed dogs and cats was 55,998. About 155 animals are being killed per day, or one ani

Palette Editorial Team December 23, 2018 Palette editors overview the basic facts and figures about Japanese women in workforce. Following the article to look back the history of female labor, we observe the trends after 1980s. This article is based on the presentations at the University of Colorado and Showa Women’s University Joint Workshop for Students, held in May 2016. Equal Opportunity in the Workplaces In 1986, a new law of Equality Employment Opportunity Law was ena

Yoshika Maeshiro July 26, 2018 The Present Situation About Japanese Nursery Schools Now Japanese government promotes women empowerment to secure labor force population, and the problem of children on the long nursery school waiting lists also gathers people’s attention. The more the working women increases, the less are the slots at the nursery schools, which they can leave their children. According to the report of Nursery and the Relevant Circumstances published in April 1s

July 26, 2018 Misa Ogura Currently in Japan, local revitalization is a buzz word. Yokosuka city is not an exception. Yokosuka city is located in the southeastern part of Kanagawa prefecture. It is known for Sarushima, the only uninhabited island in the Tokyo Bay, a popular summer BBQ venue foryoung people. Surrounded by the Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay, Yokosuka area is a perfect place for marine sports. And in May 2017, the ANA Windsurfing World Cup was held at Tsukui Beach. Bec

July 20, 2017 Yui Kubota, Yoshika Maeshiro, Misa Ogura, Megumi Kitazawa On May 25 in 2017, special lecture named "Women and Technology" was held in Showa Women's University. The guest speaker was Kotomi Kobayashi who is the managing director of Manabelle Co., Ltd. As an entrepreneur and a mother as well, she is representing Manabelle (manaberu, literally meaning “you can learn”), a company developing applications for vocational training. Codebelle is one of the applications