Japanese salary in 2012 was the lowest in 22 years

Average monthly salary of Japanese including overtime payment and bonuses was 314,236 yen($3,423.92) in 2012 marking the lowest since 1990. It is decreased by 0.6 percent from 2011. Average amount of bonus usually paid twice a year was 52,586 yen($572.98) decreased by 3.1 percent from 2011. Average working hours was 147.1 hours per month increased by 0.5 percent from the year before nevertheless.
The research was conducted by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to 33,000 enterprises with more than 5 workers.


12年の給与が過去最低　賞与減で月31万4236円　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFS31005_R30C13A1MM0000/


Educational expenses of Japanese family is 1.91M yen

Annual income of Japanese keeps dropping

Japanese educational expenses outside schools

Japanese 20s lose over 20M yen by subscribing for the Welfare Pension

U.S. Navy Japan prohibits alcohol after 10 PM

U.S. Force Japan Sasebo Base

U.S. Naval Force Japan ordered the prohibition of alcohol between 10 pm to 8 am to all the bases in Japan. It earlier prohibited the officers from going out between 11 pm and 5 am after two officers were arrested for assaulting an Okinawan female.


日本の全基地に夜間禁酒令　米海軍　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNZO48860040X21C12A1CC1000/

Narita Airport: jam of people returning home

Narita Airport

At Narita International Airport, approximately 50,000 people entered Japan in August 18th. The number of the airport users including entrances and departures will be 3.74 million during the summer season(Jul 13th - Sep 12th) increased by 9 percents from the corresponding period of last year.


成田空港、帰国ラッシュ　18日は５万人　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDG1800Z_Y2A810C1CC0000/

The Upper House passed the legislation to double the sales tax

The National Diet

August 10th, the Japanese House of Councilors passed the legislation to double the sales tax rate from 5 percents to 10 percents.
Affirmative was 237 and opposing was 188 out of 237 votes in total.
The sales tax rate in Japan will be 8 percents from April 1st 2014 and 10 percents from October 1st 2015.


消費増税法が成立　14年４月に８％、15年10月10％　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFS1002H_Q2A810C1000000/?dg=1

"MILD SEVEN" will be "MEVIUS" from Feb. 2013

"MILD SEVEN" families

Japan Tobacco(JT) changes the name of its long-selling brand cigarette "MILD SEVEN" to "MEVIUS" for domestic market from February 2013 and internationally in next one year in order..
Its smell, taste and price will stay the same.
"MILD SEVEN" the world's 5th best selling brand sells 76.5 billion cigarettes in the world, however it doesn't sell in the countries in Europe where the use of the word "mild" is prohibited by regulations. JT expands more of foreign markets with the new brand.
"MILD SEVEN" released in 1977 is the best-seller with 30 percents share in Japan.


ＪＴ、マイルドセブン改称　「メビウス」で海外拡販　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASGF0803W_Y2A800C1EA2000/

The Open and the results of recent Japanese players

Ryo Ishikawa at the Royal Lytham & St Ann's

In last five years, 7 out of 35 or 20 percent of Japanese golf players who played at The Open Championship advanced to the final round(the fourth day) while 22 out of 68 or 32.3 percent did in last 10 years.
This year, Yoshinori Fujimoto and Toshinori Muto out of 8 Japanese players made it to the final round. However Ryo Ishikawa, the top of all Japanese players, the official world ranking of 68 failed to make the cut two years in a row.


予選突破、わずか２割　全英オープンの高い壁　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO44361440R30C12A7000000/

Anime voice actresses and characters they played in 2011

Voice actress, Kana Hanazawa

Japanese voice actresses and the times they were credited on the top among female performers in TV anime and anime film (numbers of heroes and heroins played). Term:4/2011 - 3/2012

1 :Rie Kugimiya - 7(4)
2 :Kana Hanazawa - 6(4)
3 :Misato Fukuen - 5(3)
4 :Yukari Tamura - 4(3)
   :Haruka Tomatsu
   :Romi Park
7 :Yoko Hikasa - 4(2)
8 :Maaya Sakamoto - 3(3)
   :Kanae Ito
   :Ryoko Shiraishi
   :Aki Toyosaki
12:Rina Sato - 3(1)
13:Ai Kayano - 3(0)
   :Yui Horie



Japanese voice actresses and the numbers of anime they performed as a leading character. Term:4/2011 - 3/2012

1 :Kana Hanazawa - 21
2 :Miyuki Sawashiro - 19
3 :Mamiko Noto - 17
4 :Rie Kugimiya - 15
   :Yoko Hikasa
6 :Aki Toyosaki - 14
   :Yui Horie
   :Kana Asumi
   :Yu Kobayashi
10:Ayana Taketasu - 13
11:Eri Kitamura - 12
12:Yukari Tamura - 11
   :Haruka Tomatsu
   :Kanae Ito
   :Ai Kayano
   :Ami Koshimizu
   :Minako Kotobuki
18:Rina Sato - 10
   :Ryoko Shiraishi
   :Nana Mizuki
   :Shizuka Ito
   :Mikako Takahashi



今、引っ張りだこなのは誰？　求められる女性声優の条件　―日本経済新聞
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK2400R_U2A720C1000000/

London 2012 Olympics, which players gather Japanese attention?

Homare Sawa, "Nadeshiko Japan" Japanese Women's Football Team


Which Olympic Game players and teams do Japanese pay attention to?

1: Nadeshiko Japan(Japanese Women's Football Team)
2: Kosuke Kitajima(Men's Breaststroke 100m/200m)
3: Kohei Uchimura and Japanese Gymnastics Team
4: Japanese Men's Football Team
5: Murofushi Koji(Men's Hammer Throw)
6: Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho(Women's Wrestling)
7: Japanese Women's Volleyball Team
8: Japanese Swimmers
9: Japanese Women's Table Tennis Players
10:Usain Bolt(Men's 100m)


The research was conducted on the internet by Nikkei Inc. acquired 1,030(515 male + 515 female) valid responses.


「なでしこ」が１位　ロンドン五輪の注目度ランキング
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO44215410X20C12A7000000/

Pervasion of Smartphone is 18% in Japan

Sony Ericson "Xperia acro"


The recent research by Nikkei BP Consulting, Inc revealed that pervasion of smartphones reached 18.0% in Japan.
Among the 4,400 respondents, 1,152 or 26.2% said that they have at least one smartphone. Because the respondents were sampled equally from gender and generation, revision was added to the result considering demographics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and pervasion of mobile phones. As a result, estimated pervasion of smartphones was 18.0% jumped up from last year's 9.5%.
Customer satisfaction to mobile phone carriers is ranked 1:KDDI(au) 2:NTT DOCOMO 3:SoftBank, while satisfaction to smartphone devices and services were ranked 1:SoftBank 2:KDDI(au) 3:NTT DOCOMO. SoftBank(since 2008) and KDDI(since 2011) carries iPhone.


スマートフォンの国内普及率は18.0%、1年で倍増　―nikkei BPnet
http://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/news/20120725/317298/?top_f2&rt=nocnt