Hay fever. It's the wrong time of year for it, hay fever usually hits in spring, but given that the next issue of Japan Inc. magazine carries details of a new invention to help control it, we thought we'd give some advance notice on the subject here at Terrie's Take.

Yoshihisa Komori, an editor-at-large for the "Sankei Shimbun," a right-of-center daily, earlier this week published in the New York Times an op-ed piece entitled "Who's Afraid of Shinzo Abe"...

When reading about a new artist (offline) in a music magazine or newspaper, I often find myself wishing that I could hear a sample of that artist's music as I read the article or interview.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is apparently considering a proposal to publicly honor wealthy retirees who decide not to collect their pension. Currently a pensioner who starts collecting their payments cannot opt out of the system, but the new proposal will allow wealthier pensioners to opt in and out depending on their feeling of financial well-being.