Kumamoto International

Kumamoto International Kumamoto-i is a forum for the exchange of information about Kumamoto in English.

"Kumamoto International" is a forum through which information and ideas related to the Kumamoto area can be exchanged, primarily but not exclusively in English. Most of the posts to this page have been forwarded from the original YahooGroups page.

Kirk here with a news item from May that I neglected to share at the time.  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/2026051...
12/06/2026

Kirk here with a news item from May that I neglected to share at the time.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260518/p2a/00m/0na/004000c

The article is related to the following posts and how Discovery Kumamoto can help.

https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid02hVh2RvxNcLpGENvxgfBgnSMYDkqQTnjEDQusa51XVvPoFpedhw9QySPTLMc5yefLl

https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0382v7hs2DHQ8gsoCedgEJ19xPyGSQmLQ3xtGp7gUFFWNsdf823xjqzvbDJsTkWai2l

KUMAMOTO -- Does anyone know the Shimada family who lived in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, over a century ago? That is the question being asked by Lynn

Kirk here with a Gemini translation of a Japanese article about how dangerous "3D" jobs (dirty, difficult, dangerous) in...
11/06/2026

Kirk here with a Gemini translation of a Japanese article about how dangerous "3D" jobs (dirty, difficult, dangerous) in Japan can be. By the way, in Japanese the word is 3K (kitanai, kitsui, kiken). I don't know how these numbers compare with Japanese workers doing the same work.

--- start translation ---
June 10, 2026, 12:30 PM
45% are Technical Interns... Number of Occupational Accidents Among Foreign Workers Increases; Thorough Safety and Health Education Urged

The status of occupational accidents among foreign workers in Kumamoto Prefecture for 2025 has been compiled.
According to the Kumamoto Labour Bureau, the number of occupational accidents involving foreign workers in the prefecture resulting in four or more days of absence from work was 60 (excluding COVID-19 cases), an increase of 11 from the previous year.
Accidents involving foreign workers accounted for 2.9% of the total. Broken down by industry, the highest numbers were in manufacturing with 22 people, followed by construction with 17 people.
By nationality, Indonesia had the highest number with 19 people, followed by Vietnam with 11 people, and the Philippines with 6 people.
In terms of residency status, technical interns accounted for the largest share at 45% (27 people), followed by specified skilled workers at 19 people.
The most common types of accidents were "getting caught or entangled in machinery," followed by "cuts and abrasions," and "reaction to motion or strenuous movement."
Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
The Labour Bureau noted that approximately 40% of those affected had less than one year of experience, suggesting that safety and health education at the time of hiring has not been sufficient. They are calling for education that is easy for foreign workers to understand.
--- end translation ---

2025年の熊本県内の外国人労働者の労働災害の状況がまとめられました。 熊本労働局によると、熊本県内における外国人労働者の労災は休業4日以上の死傷者数が新型コロナを除き60人で、前年から11人増えました。 外国人労....

Kirk here.  This lists Kumamoto as a point of departure for discounted international tickets.  I have not verified this ...
11/06/2026

Kirk here. This lists Kumamoto as a point of departure for discounted international tickets. I have not verified this but thought I should share it.

Starlux Airlines, a Taiwanese carrier, is holding a sale on flights to the United States and Prague from June 1 to 30. Departures from Sapporo/Chitose, Hakodate, Sendai, Tokyo/Narita, Nagoya/Chubu, Osaka/Kansai, Kobe, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Okinawa/Naha, and Shimojishima are eligible. Example round-trip...

Kirk here with some transportation news.
10/06/2026

Kirk here with some transportation news.

China Airlines will increase its Kumamoto–Taipei/Taoyuan route to one round-trip per day starting June 13. The route was launched with two round-trips per week from September 2023, and frequencies were increased to five round-trips per week from February 2024. The aircraft used on the route is the...

Kirk here with news about a workshop that, unfortunately, has stopped taking applications to participate because all sea...
09/06/2026

Kirk here with news about a workshop that, unfortunately, has stopped taking applications to participate because all seats have been sold out. But, since I've written about anti-immigrant hate on this page, I thought that I should share the very positive, welcoming message of this workshop, even though it's too late to participate directly. Here's part of the English-language summary that appears on the page.

~~~ start quote ---
10 Years After the Kumamoto Earthquake: Building a Multicultural and Multiethnic Inclusive Society from the Community, Beyond Discrimination and Exclusion
Japanese society has already become an immigrant society, where many foreign workers, long-term residents through international marriage, and children and young people with foreign roots live together. At the community level, various initiatives toward coexistence have begun to take shape. At the same time, however, the Japanese government has not only failed to change its long-standing approach of strict control over foreign residents, the exclusion of undocumented migrants, and the acceptance of foreign workers as disposable labor, but under the current administration, policies emphasizing control and surveillance are being further intensified.
This year’s two-day workshop will be held in Kumamoto, which marks the 10th anniversary of the earthquake. Through reports on the realities of immigrant communities and local initiatives, as well as discussions on specific thematic issues, we hope to revisit the vision of a multiethnic and multicultural society. Together with all participants, we aim to reflect on what kind of society we want to build going forward.
<Event Details>
Dates/Times: Sat 13, 13:00 - Sun 14, 12:00, June 2026
Place: Kumamoto City International Center 6-7F(for the keynote speech on 13th, the plenary sessions on 14th), 3-5F meeting rooms(for breakout sessions on 13th)
--- end quote ---

移住連は、今ここにある移民社会のために多様性を豊かさと捉える社会を目指して活動するNGOです。在日外国人人口は324万人を超え、日本には、多くの移民が暮らし外国にルーツをもつ日本国籍者も増えました。日本人の定...

Kirk here with news about marriage equality.--- start quote ---Signatures Seeking Marriage Equality Handed to Japan Top ...
09/06/2026

Kirk here with news about marriage equality.

--- start quote ---
Signatures Seeking Marriage Equality Handed to Japan Top Court
Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)--Plaintiffs in same-s*x marriage lawsuits across Japan handed about 36,000 online signatures seeking equality of marriage to the Supreme Court on Monday.
They also called for the top court's unconstitutional ruling for Civil Code and family register law clauses that only allow opposite-s*x marriage.
The signatures were submitted, after five high courts ruled those clauses unconstitutional and one court constitutional while all the courts rejected state compensation claims. The plaintiffs have brought the cases to the Supreme Court, whose Grand Bench is expected to issue its first unified ruling as early as next year.
"I'd like Supreme Court justices to imagine their own parents or children wishing to marry someone of the same s*x when they write the ruling," Kozo, a 43-year-old plaintiff from Kumamoto, told a press conference in Tokyo.
--- end quote ---
https://jen.jiji.com/jc/i?g=eco&k=2026060800918

The person from Kumamoto who is quoted in the article has been in the news quite a lot about this issue. The group of plaintiffs, however, is from all over Japan.

The picture is from a Japanese-language article on the same issue:
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article_photo/list?article_id=493704&pid=2625831

Kirk here.  This article appeared on "Essential Japan" but, from my perspective, it's non-essential enough that I wonder...
09/06/2026

Kirk here. This article appeared on "Essential Japan" but, from my perspective, it's non-essential enough that I wondered if I should even share it. But, nonetheless, I think it's a mildly interesting example of a connection between motorcycle racing (an activity I tend to associate with fearless, macho men) and Japan's cute culture. The connection to Kumamoto is that the bikes are designed by Honda Seisakusho in the Ozu area. See the article for an image of an actual powerful-but-cute bike.

Sanrio and Honda have announced a new collaborative initiative called the SMILE RIDER PROJECT, a program designed to promote the appeal of motorcycles, motorsports, and traffic safety awareness to younger generations while also engaging a broader audience.

Kirk here.  Waita is a cool (well, geologically speaking, hot) place in the Oguni area.  Now they have a new geothermal ...
08/06/2026

Kirk here. Waita is a cool (well, geologically speaking, hot) place in the Oguni area. Now they have a new geothermal plant.

--- start quote ---
Waita No. 2 Geothermal Plant Begins Commercial Operations in Kumamoto

Baseload Capital and Furusato Netsuden have brought online the 4.995MW Waita No. 2 Geothermal Power Plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, a milestone for advancing geothermal energy in Japan. The facility entered commercial service in March 2026, and the firms present it as a template for scaling such projects through strong ties with local residents. Although Japan holds one of the globe's largest geothermal reserves, it currently produces under 1% of its electricity from this source. The companies contend that Waita No. 2 illustrates how community-oriented development can tackle persistent hurdles around regulation, land use, and public approval.
Source: https://www.indexbox.io/blog/waita-no-2-geothermal-plant-begins-commercial-operations-in-kumamoto/
--- end quote ---

Picture of town from:
https://www.visit-kyushu.com/en/blogs/waita-onsen-kumamotos-hot-spring-paradise/
This a good page for tourists.

Image of thermal plant from here:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000001414.000021766.html
This is an article on the same topic in Japanese.

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Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto
862-8680

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