Today's topic deals with the thorny issue of going into competition with one's employer and what is, and is not allowed. Reminding readers that I am not trying to give legal advice here, if you pick up on some points here and want to know more, the best thing to do is to contact your legal advisor for the full story.

Katakana, Japan's 46 character phonetic script, used mainly for the writing of foreign words, is a source of fascination for linguists, philosophers and anthropologists. This week JIN takes a critical look at various commentaries on this linguistic phenomenon. Read Now

Are you leaving Japan for the holidays? If so, click below to download a document from the Ministry of Justice detailing the new immigration procedures for foreigners and information on how to pre-register for the automated gates at the airport.