Telephone communication stays an important a part of each day life, evolving from landlines to cellphones and from characteristic telephones to smartphones, however main adjustments at the moment are approaching as demand for numbers surges and older providers fade.

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications says cell numbers starting with 090, 080 and 070 are operating out, with solely about 5 million numbers remaining accessible. As extra individuals carry a number of gadgets and demand for brand spanking new providers grows quickly, a number of million new numbers are used every year, elevating issues that accessible numbers might be depleted inside one to 2 years if utilization continues on the present tempo.

To deal with the scarcity, a brand new cell prefix, 060, shall be launched beginning in July 2026. Officials say the transfer is important to make sure a secure provide of numbers, although beforehand issued numbers are sometimes recycled after cancellations, which means a 090 quantity doesn’t essentially point out a long-time person.

At the identical time, a number of acquainted telephone providers are being phased out. NTT Docomo will finish assist for its 3G characteristic telephones on the finish of March, bringing the period of so-called “garakei” gadgets to a detailed together with the i-mode web service that helped popularize cell net entry in Japan. Many customers recall customizing ringtones, sharing early emojis and even extending antennas on older handsets.

The printed Town Page listing, as soon as used to search for telephone numbers for companies and households, can even stop publication in March. The listing’s roots date again to the early days of telephony in Japan, when the primary listings in 1890 contained fewer than 200 entries on a single sheet of paper. As phone use expanded within the Showa period, directories grew thicker and ultimately cut up into a number of volumes, reflecting the unfold of telephones throughout the nation.

Another service set to vanish is the 104 listing help line, which has supplied telephone quantity data for people and companies since Japan’s phone service started in 1890. Usage peaked at about 1.28 billion inquiries yearly in 1989 however has since fallen by roughly 99% with the unfold of the web and smartphones. Many youthful individuals at the moment say they’ve by no means used the service or are unfamiliar with it.

At one listing help middle in western Japan, about 150 operators nonetheless deal with calls from throughout the nation. One veteran operator with greater than three many years of expertise mentioned the job allowed her to attach with individuals nationwide via voice alone, listening to background sounds from callers’ environment and feeling a way of connection regardless of the space. She hopes to make the ultimate day of service on March 31 a memorable one.

As cell numbers run low and legacy providers disappear, Japan’s telecommunications panorama is present process a significant transition. While new prefixes and applied sciences promise better comfort, the adjustments additionally mark the top of acquainted programs that supported on a regular basis life for generations.

Source: KTV NEWS

Ryousuke Kobayashi of Minami Holdings, which operates driving colleges in Fukuoka, traveled to rural cities in Cambodia distributing flyers to recruit potential drivers keen to work in Japan. The firm has established a driving college within the capital Phnom Penh to coach drivers for employment in Japan, and when reporters visited in October final 12 months, 12 Cambodian trainees have been present process Japanese-language schooling and driving instruction. Tuition, together with procedures associated to journey and employment in Japan, prices about $3,000 per particular person, and the enterprise should ship greater than 100 trainees to Japan yearly to stay viable.

One trainee getting ready to depart for Japan is Chhun Chet, 44, who beforehand labored for 3 years as a welding technician in Tochigi Prefecture beneath Japan’s technical intern program. After returning dwelling, Chet earned a residing as a tuk-tuk driver, however determined to go away his household once more to work in Japan to be able to cowl academic bills for his two daughters. Training alongside him is Sar Sandy, 30, who hopes to develop into a truck driver—nonetheless a uncommon profession selection for ladies in Cambodia.

Both are set to hitch Sankei Works, a transport firm primarily based in Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, which employs 13 drivers and primarily delivers meals and alcoholic drinks inside the prefecture. Struggling to safe Japanese drivers, the corporate determined to rent Chet and Sandy as international drivers and holds excessive expectations for his or her efficiency.

In November final 12 months, the 2 arrived in Japan and commenced coaching to cross the nation’s driver’s license examination. However, Japan’s left-side site visitors and right-hand-drive autos—reverse of Cambodia—proved difficult. Despite present process superior AI-assisted coaching, Chet made repeated errors, receiving a rating of minus 100 out of 100, whereas Sandy recorded minus 55, highlighting the problem of adapting to Japan’s driving system.

Although they continued coaching every day, each in the end failed the licensing examination. The query now’s whether or not Kobayashi can set up a secure path for international drivers to work in Japan, as he and the 2 Cambodian trainees tackle the problem of overcoming the hurdles to employment within the nation’s logistics business.

Source: テレ東BIZ

In Moscow, round 200 individuals have been seen standing in a queue below freezing winter skies, many hoping to safe visas in time for spring journey. One lady in line mentioned it could be her first journey to Tokyo and that she deliberate to go to Osaka afterward, whereas one other mentioned the crowds may very well be even bigger, noting that some candidates deliver tents through the summer season as curiosity in visiting Japan continues to develop.

The variety of Russian vacationers visiting Japan had plunged through the pandemic and following the invasion of Ukraine, however in 2025 it rebounded to a document 194,900 guests. Compared with Europe, the place visa procedures for Russians have tightened because the invasion, Japan’s vacationer visa is taken into account comparatively simpler to acquire, boosting its recognition as a vacation spot.

Although Russia has designated Japan an “unfriendly nation” in response to sanctions, an unprecedented Japan journey growth is now underway. Many candidates cited a need to see cherry blossoms, with one saying she needed to view the sakura as a result of her birthday falls in spring, and others timing their first journeys to coincide with the blooming season. As a outcome, lengthy queues have shaped every day outdoors the embassy throughout this era.

To address the surge in visa purposes, the Japanese Embassy on February 12 opened visa facilities in two cities, together with Moscow, introducing a brand new reservation system aimed toward eliminating ready strains. The services even embrace premium rooms the place candidates can loosen up on sofas with drinks whereas finishing procedures.

Travelers described detailed itineraries, with one planning a solo journey to Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Tokyo, adopted by every week in Tokyo, two days at a seashore in Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture, and visits to Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. Others mentioned they have been desirous to attempt ramen, tonkatsu, and sushi, whereas one runner deliberate to participate within the Tokyo Marathon on March 1 and benefit from the metropolis’s ambiance. On social media, posts introducing Japanese vacationer spots have proliferated, and a few have even canceled weddings to journey to Japan as an alternative.

At a Russian restaurant in Tokyo’s Kichijoji district, Cafe RUSSIA, workers say Russian prospects go to virtually every day. Manager Ksenia Betts mentioned the variety of Russian guests seems to have elevated in contrast with a decade in the past, including that many followers of anime and Japanese dramas at the moment are touring to Japan.

Since direct flights between Russia and Japan have been suspended by airways following the invasion of Ukraine, many Russian vacationers now journey through Chinese cities corresponding to Beijing and Shanghai. The Japanese Embassy in Russia mentioned that whereas bilateral relations stay tough, it welcomes the visits as laying a basis for future ties between the 2 international locations.

Source: FNN