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☆ Japan Airlines first female CEO hopes more women make it to the top
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hanako Montgomery | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Tokyo/Hong Kong CNN —Mitsuko Tottori admits Japan has much more to do to get people like her into the chief executive seat. Tottori was named as the first female president and chief executive of Japan Airlines (JAL) in January, crowning a career that began nearly 40 years ago when she joined the airline as a flight attendant. Tottori, pictured in 1985 using an in-flight phone, began her career as a cabin attendant at Japan Airlines. Japan Airlines' A350 airplane is on fire at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan January 2, 2024. They really followed the instructions of the flight crew calmly, which I think was a big factor.

Persons: Mitsuko Tottori, ”, “, Tottori, Issei Kato, Shukor Yusof, Seijiro Takeshita, ’, ” Takeshita, — CNN’s Junko Ogura, Mayumi Maruyama, Juliana Liu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Japan Airlines, JAL, “, CNN, University of Tokyo, Women’s Junior College, Boeing, Airbus, Haneda, Endau, ”, Japan Inc, University of Shizuoka, ANA, All Nippon Airways Locations: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Japan, Tottori, “ Japan, Nagasaki, Haneda, Osaka, Asia, Myanmar, Fiji

☆ Kishida US visit: Japan seeks investment in AI, semiconductors from American companies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Junko Ogura | Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Speaking in Washington at a lunch with American CEOs, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan welcomes American collaboration in “critical and emerging technology” and assured them that any investment would flow both ways. Last year, Japanese foreign direct investment to the US exceeded $750 billion, Kishida said, making Japan the biggest foreign investor in America and creating more than 1 million jobs. It is reportedly the company’s largest ever investment in Asia’s second largest economy. Earlier this month, Japan’s industry ministry approved subsidies worth up to 590 billion yen ($3.9 billion) for Rapidus. It comes as Washington adds increasing restrictions on the types of semiconductors that American companies are able to sell to China.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Fumio Kishida, ”, Kishida, Joe Biden, Brad Smith, Gary Cohn, Sanjay Mehrotra, Ted Colbert, Albert Bourla, Mayumi Maruyama Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Microsoft, Microsoft Research Asia, IBM, Micron Technology, Boeing, Defense, Space & Security, Pfizer, CNN, US Chamber of Commerce, “, Intel, Samsung, US Locations: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Japan, Washington, American, United States, America, Asia’s, Russia, South, Taiwan, Hokkaido, chipmaking, China, Europe, Asia, Germany

☆ Tourists have returned to North Korea for the first time since the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lilit Marcus | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

American college student Otto Warmbier was detained on a North Korea trip in 2016, allegedly for stealing a propaganda poster. Courtesy Elena BychcovaRussia and North Korea’s relationshipBefore the pandemic, the largest source of inbound tourists to North Korea wasn’t Russia – it was China. The Russian ski trippers were the first tourists allowed into the hermit kingdom since the pandemic, a sign of Russia’s increasing popularity in North Korea. Now, both say they would consider going to North Korea again someday – but only if the political situation changes. “I hope traveling will save the world.”Another Russian ski trip in North Korea is slated for March 2024.

Persons: Lena Bychcova couldn’t, —, kingdom’s, Kim Jong Un, Otto Warmbier, Bychcova, Ilya Voskresensky, grandpa, Voskresensky, “, KIM, JIN, Kim Won Jin, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, ” Bychcova, Lena Bychcova, Elena Bychcova, Vladimir Putin, –, Bychcova doesn’t, ”, Kim, Putin, Anna Chernova, Mariya Knight Organizations: CNN, Koryo, ”, Getty, Intelligence, Ukraine, Korean, United, Russia, North Locations: Korea, Russian, North Korea, Tourism, United States, Pyongyang, Korean, Vladivostok, Soviet Russia, AFP, Elena Bychcova Russia, North, Russia, China, United Nations, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Ukrainian

☆ Pod of at least 10 killer whales appears trapped by sea ice in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Mayumi Maruyama | Jerome Taylor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A pod of at least 10 killer whales appears to be trapped by sea ice off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, public broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday. Drone footage shared Tuesday by a local wildlife organization, Wildlife Pro LLC, shows the whales struggling in a small gap between ice flows. “I saw about 13 killer whales with their heads sticking out of a hole in the ice,” a Wildlife Pro LLC employee, who filmed the video, told NHK. Sea ice hugs the coast of Hokkaido every winter, and is the lowest latitude sea ice in the world, but over recent years levels have been declining as global warming accelerates. In 2005, a group of killer whales were also trapped in drift ice off the coast of the town and later died, according to NHK, citing Rausu town officials.

Persons: Rausu, “ Organizations: CNN, NHK, Rausu Coast Guard Station, Wildlife Pro, Facebook, Pro, “ Locations: Hokkaido

☆ Ichiro Suzuki: Baseball great throws shutout against a high school girls’ team in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ben Church | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —He may have retired from professional baseball four years ago, but Ichiro Suzuki certainly hasn’t lost his appetite for the game. A Japanese high school girls’ team found out just how well he can throw during Ichiro’s annual All-Star game on Tuesday. According to MLB.com, Ichiro threw a 116-pitch, complete game shutout and struck out nine in the 4-0 victory at the Tokyo Dome. When he made the move to the Seattle Mariners in 2001 – becoming the first Japanese position player to sign with an MLB team – Ichiro emphatically made his mark. In addition to the Mariners, Ichiro played for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins in his MLB career.

Persons: Ichiro Suzuki, hasn’t, Ichiro, Japan –, Daisuke Matsuzaka –, New York Mets –, “, ” Ichiro, ” Domae, –, – Ichiro, Matsuzaka, ” Organizations: CNN, of Famer, Major League Baseball, MLB, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, NHK, Seattle Mariners, Kyodo, TBS, Japan’s Pacific League, American League, Mariners, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Okayama Gakugeikan

☆ One of Japan’s most elegant hotels is actually a treehouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A Japanese children’s book called “I Want a Big Tree” sparked the dream of having a treehouse one day. A family affair“I didn’t get much support initially when I had this [treehouse] idea,” Kikugawa says. Now we are working together through this sustainable treehouse resort to protect it and send a message to others on its values.”The rustic view from one of Treeful's rooms. Building a treehouse, building a legacySeven years after Kikugawa started building a treehouse, the resort opened in 2021. Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort, 578, Genka, Nago City, Okinawa, 905-1141, Japan.

Persons: Satoru Kikugawa, Kikugawa, ”, ” Kikugawa, Maha, Donna Organizations: CNN, Inc, YouTube, University of Miami, CNN Travel, Guinness World Records, USAID Locations: Tokyo, Borneo, Okinawa prefecture, Okinawa, Costa Rica, “, Japan, Cambodian, Phnom, Siem Reap, It’s, Cambodia, OKA, Genkawa, Nago City

Tokyo CNN —A suspected gunman has barricaded himself in a post office in central Japan after two people were wounded and apparent gunshots heard in a hospital nearby, authorities said Tuesday. One doctor and one male patient were injured in the incident at a hospital in Toda city, Saitama prefecture, near Tokyo, police told CNN. The male suspect, believed to be between ages 50 and 70, fled the scene and barricaded himself in the Warabi post office, about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the hospital, according to police. Toda Mayor Fumihito Sugawara confirmed on social media that a man “suspected of carrying a gun” was barricaded in at the post office and warned residents not to go near the area. The area around a post office where a suspected gunman has barricaded himself in Warabi, Saitama prefecture on October 31, 2023.

Persons: Toda, Fumihito Sugawara, JIJI Press, Shinzo Abe Organizations: Tokyo CNN, CNN, JIJI, Getty Images Police, NHK Locations: Japan, Toda, Saitama prefecture, Tokyo, Warabi, Nara

CNN —Japan’s flag carrier had to make last minute changes to deal with excess weight – not from baggage, but from a group of passengers who just so happened to be sumo wrestlers. The sumo wrestlers weighed an average of 120 kilograms (264 pounds) each – far more than the 70 kilogram (154 pounds) average passenger – an airline spokesperson told CNN, raising concerns over fuel capacity on the smaller aircraft that services flights within Japan. But it was still a tight squeeze on the way back from the sumo festival. We had great support, although we are a little tired,” a representative for the Gunma wrestlers said in the TV Asahi report. There are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo wrestling, but the ancient Japanese sport has been dominated by bulkier athletes.

Persons: CNN —, Amami Oshima, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Japan Airlines, JAL, Haneda Airport, Itami Airport, ITM, TV Asahi, Asahi, bulkier, Travelers, Korean Air, Air Locations: Amami, Tokyo, Osaka, Japan, Haneda, Fukuoka, Gunma, “, Zealand, Auckland, New York

CNN —Japan will soon begin releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean following approval from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog for a controversial plan that comes 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Radioactive wastewater contains some dangerous elements, but the majority of these can be removed from the water, said TEPCO. The real issue is a hydrogen isotope called radioactive tritium, which cannot be taken away. A survey by Asahi Shimbun in March found that 51% of 1,304 respondents supported the wastewater release, while 41% opposed it. People in Tokyo protest against the Japanese government's plan to release nuclear wastewater into the sea on May 16, 2023.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Fumio Kishida, Daniel Campisi, Grossi, ” Robert H, Richmond, ”, ” Grossi, “, Han Duck, Yonhap, aren’t, Tim Mousseau, Wang Yiliang, Zhang Xiaoyu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, UN, Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Kewalo, Laboratory, University of Hawaii, Forum, World Health Organization, State Department, Atomic Energy Council, Pacific Islands Forum, Korean, US, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, University of South, Reuters, Getty, Asahi Shimbun, – Locations: Japan, Fukushima, China, Manoa, Richmond, Asia, Pacific, California, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, University of South Carolina, South Korea, Seoul, Xinhua, Tokyo

☆ Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan: What it’s like to stay at the world’s oldest hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Minobu, Japan CNN —Tucked deep in the mountains of Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan has tatami floors, kimono-sporting staff and signs in handwritten calligraphy. But its popularity received a huge boost in 2011 when the Guinness Book of World Records designated Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan as the oldest hotel in the world. The front entrance of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan. Courtesy Nishiyama Onsen KeiunkanLearning to let goStandard rooms at Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan have three sections: two sitting areas and one living space. To solve this, he took over the original shares of the business and created the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Limited company.

Persons: Japan CNN —, that’s, Fujiwara, Naruhito, ”, Michiyo Hattori, Mayumi Maruyama, they’re, Kenjiro Kawano, CNN Kawano, Kawano, “, Kawano couldn’t, ” Kawano Organizations: Japan CNN, World Records, Mount, ”, Staff, CNN, Keiunkan Limited Locations: Minobu, Japan, Yamanashi, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Mount Fuji, It’s

Hong Kong CNN —The head of Japan’s biggest music agency has apologized over allegations of years-long sexual abuse committed by its founder, the late entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa. “We sincerely apologize for the great deal of trouble caused by our founder Johnny Kitagawa’s alleged sexual abuse of individuals,” said Julie Fujishima, the company’s president and CEO. “On the other hand, Johnny Kitagawa, who is the party concerned, cannot speak on the accusations.”Fujishima also warned of the risk of “slander, due to speculation,” suggesting skepticism over some claims. They spoke about alleged sexual assault committed by Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019. A Tokyo High Court partially overturned the earlier decision in 2003, ruling the published sexual abuse claims were not libelous.

☆ Chinese postpartum confinement, called ‘zuo yue zi,’ is gaining Western appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —You cannot carry heavy things. Chan is a “pui yuet,” also called a confinement nanny, who lives with families after a baby is born. Richard, a content creator from Canada, traveled to Hong Kong to become a model and fell in love with her husband, Tom, there. During that time, the pui yuet makes dishes catering to the mother’s physical needs and helps her with milk production and other concerns. Few entities track the pricing of nannies in Hong Kong on a consistent basis because most negotiations are directly between clients and the nannies.

Now, a Japanese city is turning to the AI chatbot for something else: helping to run the government. Yokosuka City, in Japan’s central Kanagawa prefecture, announced this week that it will begin using ChatGPT to help with administrative tasks. In the face of these population problems, the city turned to ChatGPT to enhance efficiency and establish a better workflow within government operations, said the spokesperson. The scramble by rival tech companies to develop their own AI tools has also highlighted the ways AI can spit out racist, sexist and harmful content. At the bottom of the document, a single line read: “This release was drafted by ChatGPT and proofread by our staff.”

Hong Kong CNN —Police in central Japan have arrested three people for taking part in pranks at a sushi conveyor belt restaurant. We will continue to do our best to … grow the conveyor belt sushi culture that is dear to Japan globally.”According to public broadcaster NHK, police arrested a 21-year-old and two teenagers on suspicion of obstructing the restaurant’s operations. Besides Kura Sushi, two other kaiten chains — Sushiro, owned by Food & Life Companies, and Hamazushi — previously told CNN they had suffered similar disruptions. In recent weeks, some Japanese social media users have even started to question whether conveyor belt sushi restaurants have a future in the country as consumers demand more attention to cleanliness. Kura Sushi said it would use AI-operated cameras to monitor customers to see if they’re misbehaving.

CNN —A cruise ship with hundreds of Covid-positive passengers docked in Sydney, Australia, after being hit by a wave of infections. The Majestic Princess cruise ship was about halfway through a 12-day voyage when an outbreak of cases was noticed, Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald told reporters in a media briefing on Saturday. The Majestic Princess cruise ship has since departed Sydney on her next voyage to Melbourne and Tasmania. The Majestic Princess isn’t the first Carnival cruise to be hit by a Covid outbreak. At least three other ships within the company’s Princess fleet – the Ruby Princess, Diamond Princess, and Grand Princess – experienced outbreaks earlier in the pandemic.

London/Hong Kong CNN Business —Oleg Tinkov, the founder of a major Russian digital bank, has renounced his Russian citizenship in protest over the war in Ukraine. “I have taken the decision to exit my Russian citizenship,” Tinkov announced in a post on Instagram on Monday alongside a photo of a certificate confirming his decision, dated October 26. The post has since been taken down, but photos of it have been circulated on social media and reported by Russian state media. Tinkov, who founded Tinkoff Bank in 2006, earlier this year blasted Russia’s “insane war” in Ukraine. Nikolay Storonsky, the co-founder and CEO of Revolut, renounced his Russian citizenship earlier this year, the British company said Tuesday, confirming a report in The Telegraph.

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