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☆ Japan's struggling Rakuten to combine credit card and mobile payments business
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Anton Bridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Sam NusseyTOKYO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Rakuten Group (4755.T) will fold its payments and points businesses into its credit card unit, it said on Thursday, a move that could set the struggling e-commerce company up to eventually list the card business. It has turned to listing some of its units - including its popular internet banking business, Rakuten Bank (5838.T) - to generate cash. The company said on Thursday it plans to consolidate its payments and points businesses and fold them into Rakuten Card, its credit card and loans unit. Rakuten Card will become the "driving force" behind its integrated payments business and may form strategic partnerships with other companies as well as "raising its own capital as necessary", Rakuten said in a statement. Users accumulate points by using Rakuten credit cards, shopping and insurance services.

Persons: Sam Nussey TOKYO, Rakuten, Tareq Amin, Anton Bridge, Jamie Freed, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rakuten Bank, Rakuten, Public, NHK, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Rakuten, Tokyo, Japan

☆ Meandering Typhoon Khanun targets Japan again amid record heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of a damaged car and a fallen tree after the heavy rain and strong winds brought by Typhoon Khanun in Chatan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan August 2, 2023, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Highlighting increased abnormal weather blamed on climate change, temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in the city of Date in Fukushima prefecture, the highest this year in Japan. Khanun, which has killed three people and injured more than 70 in Okinawa prefecture, was about 100 km (60 miles) west of Kagoshima prefecture Tokuno Island at 5 p.m. (0800 GMT). Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed a dozens of cars submerged and houses flooded in Naha, Okinawa's capital. Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Typhoon Khanun, Khanun, Tetsushi Kajimoto, William Mallard Organizations: Meteorological Agency, JMA, Authorities, NHK, Thomson Locations: Chatan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, Okinawa, Date, Fukushima prefecture, Okinawa prefecture, Kagoshima, Tokuno, Shikoku, Amami, Kyushu, Naha, Okinawa's, Kinki, Tokai

☆ Japanese vice minister quits as PM Kishida's ratings slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo prosecutors raided the office of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto on suspicion that he took bribes amounting to tens of millions of yen, according to public broadcaster NHK. The foreign ministry later announced that Akimoto had stepped down from his post as a vice minister. The resignation comes after Kishida's approval rating slid to its lowest since he took office in 2021. Errors that have recently come to light with the card have included health insurance information linked to the wrong social security account and welfare payments made to the wrong person. State broadcaster NHK and other media have reported that Tokyo prosecutors suspect Japan Wind Development Co paid bribes to Akimoto.

Persons: Masatoshi Akimoto, Amit Dave, Fumio Kishida, Akimoto, Hirokazu Matsuno, Sakura Murakami, Robert Birsel Organizations: Land, Transport, Speed, Kalupur, REUTERS, Liberal Democratic Party, NHK, Yomiuri, State, Development, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Infrastructure, Tourism, Ahmedabad, Mumbai Ahmedabad, India, TOKYO, Tokyo, The Tokyo

☆ Flights cancelled, thousands told to evacuate as typhoon nears Japan's Okinawa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Flights were cancelled and tens of thousands of people were advised to evacuate their homes on Tuesday as powerful typhoon Khanun approached Japan's southern Okinawa island chain, threatening torrential rains and high winds through Thursday. In Okinawa's capital Naha, the airport was closed and all flights - amounting to about 900 - cancelled, TV Asahi said. Wind and rain were picking up on Tuesday evening, with the storm expected to escalate by Wednesday. Okinawa is frequently hit by typhoons, but usually later in the year. Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Stephen Coates and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elaine Lies, Stephen Coates, Miral Organizations: Asahi, NHK, Kadena Air Base, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan's, Okinawa, Tokyo, Naha, China, U.S, Japan

☆ All about the three points for former champions Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 21 (Reuters) - Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda said it was vital for the Nadeshiko to win their opening match against Zambia in Hamilton on Saturday if they are to make their mark at the Women's World Cup. Champions at the 2011 World Cup and runners-up four years later, Japan exited in the round of 16 at the last edition of the showpiece of women's football. So we have to be very careful, but dynamic, and we're going to get those points," Ikeda told reporters at Waikato Stadium on Friday. Debutants Zambia may be ranked 77th in the world to Japan's 11th but they proved their quality by beating twice world champions Germany in a friendly earlier this month. After the disappointment of Japan being knocked out of their home Olympics in the quarter-finals in 2021, the hard-working right back moved to England with West Ham United.

Persons: Futoshi Ikeda, Ikeda, Risa Shimizu, Nick Mulvenney, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Zambia, Waikato, Germany, West Ham United, Olympics, Costa Rica, FIFA, NHK, Thomson Locations: Japan, Hamilton, Zambia, France, England, Costa, Spain, Sydney

☆ Without fanfare or PR, Japanese anime master Miyazaki's likely final film opens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman takes a picture of a movie poster for Oscar-winning Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's film "How Do You Live?" outside a movie theatre in Tokyo, Japan, July 14, 2023. "I was really excited to see a Miyazaki movie," said Michiru Miyasato, an 18-year-old student who came to the first showing at a central Tokyo cinema. In a first for Miyazaki's films, which include "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbour Totoro," this one also has an IMAX release. "So I was really, really looking forward to it."

Persons: Oscar, Hayao Miyazaki's, Kim Kyung, Hoon, Hayao Miyazaki, Michiru Miyasato, Yumiko Kokubo, Toshio Suzuki, Mononoke, Miyazaki, Rens Takahashi, Elaine Lies, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Ghibli, Miyazaki, NHK, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Hoon TOKYO

Tokyo CNN —Japan’s Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision on Tuesday, ruling against a government agency that had barred a transgender employee from using the women’s bathroom, according to public broadcaster NHK. The decision was the top court’s first ruling involving the rights of sexual minorities in the workplace, NHK reported. The plaintiff is an employee in her 50s, working at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). In an email to CNN on Tuesday, METI said it was aware that there was a Supreme Court ruling Tuesday regarding the use of women’s bathrooms by a transgender METI employee. And under Japan’s Gender Identity Disorder Special Cases Act, enacted 20 years ago, transgender individuals must undergo invasive surgeries – including sterilization – to be legally recognized according to their gender identity.

Persons: Tokyo CNN —, METI, “ Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Tokyo CNN — Japan’s, Court, NHK, Japan’s Ministry, Economy, Trade, Industry, National Personnel Authority, CNN, Japan’s Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ China and Taiwan loom large behind Ukraine at NATO summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —The presence of four Asia-Pacific leaders at the NATO summit this week suggests that Ukraine is not the only major security issue on the agenda of the European-North American defense alliance. For its part, China says Taiwan is an internal matter and it sees no role for countries in the region, let alone NATO members, to be interfering. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida waves before departing on a government plane on July 11, 2023, for the NATO summit. US President Joe Biden meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House on June 13, 2023. “NATO is a regional alliance of Europe and North America, but the challenges we face are global,” he wrote, noting the summit invitations for the Pacific leaders.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, ”, “, Wang Wenbin, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk Yeol, Anthony Albanese, Chris Hipkins, Fumio, Stoltenberg, Joe Biden, Kim Sun, Yoon, Alex Wong, Emmanuel Macron, Boris Pistorius Organizations: South Korea CNN, NATO, Foreign Affairs, Communist Party, Communist, Foreign, CNN, Japanese, Australian, New Zealand, Pacific ., Kyodo, US Institute of Peace, Pacific, White, South Korean, White House, NHK, Pacific . British, German Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Asia, Pacific, Ukraine, Beijing, China, Taiwan, Japan, Europe, South, Vilnius, Lithuania, “, lockstep, Paris, North American, France, Tokyo, North America, Guam, Canadian, American, Berlin

Public prosecutors in Japan have not released information regarding the case and did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Rina Gonoi, a former member of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, checks old photos on her phone. “That makes it hard for people to speak out.”Rina Gonoi says she endured physical and verbal sexual abuse while she served in Japan's Self-Defense Forces. In 1992, Japan’s National Defense Academy finally began accepting women, which made it possible for them to become senior officers. “We are aware that the perpetrators of sexual harassment cases are scheduled to be punished severely.

Persons: Tokyo CNN — Rina Gonoi, Gonoi, “, ”, Rina Gonoi Gonoi’s, Staff Yoshihide Yoshida, dishonorably, Rina Gonoi, Philip Fong, Japan’s, Fumika Sato, ” Sato, Sato, ” Rina Gonoi, Rina, Shinzo Abe, Richard A, Brooks, –, ” Gonoi, Gonoi’s, I’d, Yasukazu Hamada, Fumio Kishida, hasn’t, you’ve, “ I’m Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Defense Force, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, Staff, Defense Forces, NHK, Public, Getty, Hitotsubashi University, Defense Ministry, CNN, National Press Club, Japan’s National Defense Academy, Defense, Japan’s, Self - Defense Force, Ministry of Defense, ”, “, SDF Locations: Japan’s, Japan, AFP, Japan's, North Korea, China, Tokyo, Higashi, Miyagi, Fukushima

☆ One killed as heavy rain triggers landslides in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 10 (Reuters) - Torrential rain triggered landslides that killed at least one person and prompted authorities to order tens of thousands of people to leave their homes on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu on Monday. One woman in her 70s was killed when a landslide hit her house in Fukuoka prefecture, public broadcaster NHK said. Another three people were missing after a landslide hit two homes in Saga prefecture, NHK said. The highest-level warning for heavy rain was issued in parts of Fukuoka and Oita prefectures. "The rain is becoming so heavy unlike anything seen before," the official said.

Persons: Satoshi Sugimoto, Daniel Leussink, Satoshi Sugiyama, Stephen Coates Organizations: NHK, Japan Meteorological Agency, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Kyushu, Fukuoka prefecture, Saga, Fukuoka, Oita, Hiroshima, Hakata

☆ Explosion rips through Tokyo building; four injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 3 (Reuters) - An explosion tore through a building in downtown Tokyo on Monday, scattering debris across a busy intersection and sending smoke into the air, but the fire was soon contained, Japanese media said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear but witnesses said they had smelled gas before the explosion. [1/4]Rescuers work at the site of an apparent explosion near Shimbashi station in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato"I'd just got to work and was starting preparations when there was a really loud explosion," said Shinobu Nakagawa, a 26-year-old restaurant worker, who works on the first floor of the building. The blast took place in an area near a railway station that is packed with bars and restaurants popular with office workers.

Persons: Issei Kato, I'd, Shinobu Nakagawa, Elaine Lies, Gareth Jones, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: NHK, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Shinbashi, Japan

Tokyo, Japan CNN —When Kaneko Miyuki reported her sexual assault as a seven-year-old in Japan, she remembers the police laughing at her. Kaneko is among countless Japanese women who say their experiences of sexual assault and abuse were ignored because they “didn’t fit the criteria” of a victim. The previous age of consent, at 13, had been among the lowest in the developed world. It marks a major victory for sexual assault survivors and activists, some of whom have spent decades lobbying for these changes. “Survivors of sexual assault like myself cannot even work, or go about your life – you become mentally ill, and you can’t take care of yourself,” she said.

Persons: Japan CNN —, Kaneko Miyuki, “, ”, Kaneko, didn’t, Yuu, Nakayama Junko, “ It’s, It’s, it’s, –, Alessandro Di Ciommo, ” Nakayama, Nakayama, Tadokoro Organizations: Japan CNN, Spring, General, NHK, voyeurism, Reuters, CNN, Authorities Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Nagoya, Fukuoka, “

☆ Why Japanese Prime Minister Kishida may call a snap election soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, June 14 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is thought increasingly likely to call a snap election, perhaps within days. This could make it easier for Kishida to call a snap election because there are no pressing policy issues to rally voters. Calling an election soon could shorten preparation time and keep them on the back foot. Kishida and the LDP could come under fire for calling the election because of the lack of pressing issues. Only 11% of voters thought an election should be held "promptly" and another 19% "within this year," according to the NHK poll.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Elaine Lies, Gerry Doyle, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: Liberal Democratic Party, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, NHK, Nikkei, Japan Innovation Party, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Hiroshima

☆ Gifu, Japan shooting: Two dead after JGSDF member allegedly opens fire in military shooting range
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Junko Ogura | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo CNN —Two people were killed Wednesday after a cadet allegedly opened fire on members of his own unit at a military training center in central Japan, the country’s Ground Self-Defense Force (SDF) has told CNN. The shooting took place during a live-fire training exercise and several other people were wounded, the SDF confirmed to CNN. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the incident happened around 9 a.m. at a shooting range in Hino City in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that the suspect was a teenage member of the SDF who allegedly fired an automatic rifle. Last month, four people – including two police officers – died in a shooting and stabbing incident in Nakano City in central Japan.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Staff Yasunori Morishita, –, Shinzo Abe Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Defense Force, CNN, Staff, NHK, National Police Agency Locations: Japan, Hino City, Japanese, Gifu, Nakano City

☆ Japan Self Defence Force member arrested after shooting, two dead - NHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, June 14 (Reuters) - A member of the Japan Self-Defence Force (SDF) was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting incident that resulted in two fatalities, local media reported. An 18-year-old SDF member allegedly injured three other personnel with automatic weapon fire, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the defence ministry. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the incident happened at about 9 a.m. at an SDF shooting range in Hino City in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu. The victims included a man in his 50s and two in their 20s, and there were no reports of civilian casualties, NHK said. Shootings are extremely rare in Japan, where gun ownership is tightly regulated and anyone seeking to own a gun must go through a rigorous vetting process.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chang, Ran Kim, Christian Schmollinger, Michael Perry Organizations: Japan Self, Defence Force, NHK, SDF, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Hino City, Japanese, Gifu

☆ A sushi chain is suing a teen who licked a soy sauce bottle for nearly half a million dollars. His lawyer argues the teen never meant for footage of the incident to go viral.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Lina Batarags | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In a viral video, the teen was licking a soy sauce bottle and touching sushi. It's not an isolated incident: Sushi terrorism is on the rise. Food and Life Companies, which owns Akindo Sushiro, is worth $363.8 billion. Akindo Sushiro operates 610 branches in Japan and employs more than 47,000 people across full-time and part-time roles. A spokesperson for Akindo Sushiro declined Bloomberg's request for comment.

Persons: —, Akindo Sushiro, Insider's Aaron McDade, Sushiro Organizations: Service, Food, Life Companies, NHK, Japan's, China Morning Post Locations: Japan, Osaka, China

☆ No injuries after planes collide on ground at Tokyo's Haneda airport -NHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A Thai Airways aeroplane is seen after making contact with Eva Air aeroplanes at Haneda Airport, in Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERSTOKYO, June 10 (Reuters) - Some flights were delayed at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Saturday after two planes appeared to have collided on the ground near a taxiway, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing Japan's transport ministry. The broadcaster showed footage of jets from Taiwan's Eva Airways (2618.TW) and Thai Airways (THAI.BK) on the ground. Part of the wing of the Thai Airways plane looked to be broken, and what appeared to be fragments could be seen near the runway. Thai Airways said Japan's civil aviation authority was investigating the incident.

Persons: Eva, Tetsushi Kajimoto, William Mallard, Jamie Freed Organizations: Thai Airways, Eva, Haneda Airport, Kyodo, REUTERS, NHK, Eva Airways, Airbus, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, REUTERS TOKYO, Haneda, Bangkok

Tokyo, Japan CNN —Two airplanes have “highly likely collided” with each other at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japanese public broadcaster NHK is reporting, citing the country’s transport ministry. It cited the Tokyo Aviation Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), which is working to confirm the details of the situation. The runway near where the two aircraft were stopped has been suspended, leaving just three in operation. Airport video footage from NHK shows part of one of the Thai aircraft’s wings missing and debris on the runway close by. The Tokyo Airport Office has sent staff to the area to check the situation.

Organizations: Japan CNN, NHK, Air, Thai Airways, Tokyo Aviation Office, Ministry of Land, Transport, Tourism, Office Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Infrastructure, Thai

More than 85% of the South Korean public oppose Japan’s plan, according to a survey last month by local pollster Research View. Seven in 10 people said they would consume less seafood if the wastewater release goes ahead. "We are getting more customers than usual lately and many of them seem worried about the planned wastewater release," he said. Social media posts talking about buying salt in large amounts and urging people to do the same have also gone viral. Order volumes and inquiries about buying salt have increased as of late, according to the local branches of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation known as Nonghyup in Sinan County, a region famous for producing sea salt.

Persons: Japan's, Hyun Yong, gil, Daewoung Kim, Jimin Jung, Hyunsu Yim Organizations: sil, South, South Korea's Ministry of, Fisheries, “, country’s, Of Fisheries Cooperatives, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, NHK, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Fukushima, Seoul, Tokyo, Sinan County, South Korea, Insanaga, KS, Japan

CNN —A sushi chain is suing a high school student for 67 million yen ($480,000) after social media footage showed him licking his finger then touching a plate of sushi as it passed him on the conveyor belt, Japan’s public broadcaster has reported. The footage of the student also showed him licking a soy sauce bottle and a cup that he then placed back onto a communal pile. NHK said the student’s legal counsel wrote to the court in May asking it to dismiss the complaint. It said the student had admitted the act and regretted his actions, but added that there was no proof of a link between his actions and the drop in customers at the sushi chain. Akindo Sushiro Co. told CNN it would refrain from giving details of the case because it was under appeal.

Persons: Akindo Sushiro Organizations: CNN, NHK Locations: Gifu, Japan, Osaka

☆ For Gen Z in Japan, a smile is worth $55. Hour-long classes aim to teach students how to smile again without a mask.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Amanda Goh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After getting used to wearing masks, Gen Z Japanese students are taking classes to learn how to smile. A private, hour-long smiling lesson with Kawano costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon"People have not been raising their cheeks under a mask or trying to smile much," Kawano told the New York Times in early May. "People train their body muscles, but not their faces," Kawano told the Times. A private, hour-long lesson with her costs 7,700 Japanese yen, or $55, per Reuters.

Persons: Gen, Keiko Kawano, —, Himawari Yoshida, Kim Kyung, Kawano, Yoshida, Yamaguchi Organizations: Service, Reuters, Sokei Art School, REUTERS, New York Times, Kawano, Smile, IBM Japan, Times, NHK, Chuo University Department of Psychology Locations: Japan, Tokyo

[1/5] A student practices smiling with a mirror at a smile training course at Sokei Art School in Tokyo, Japan, May 30, 2023. Only 8% said they had stopped wearing masks altogether. Tellingly, roughly a quarter of the art school students who took the class kept their masks on during the lesson. Her trademarked "Hollywood Style Smiling Technique" method comprises "crescent eyes", "round cheeks" and shaping the edges of the mouth to bare eight pearly whites in the upper row. With a surge in inbound tourists, Japanese people need to communicate with foreigners with more than just their eyes, she added.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, Keiko Kawano's, Himawari Yoshida, Young, Kawano, Anton Bridge, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Sokei Art School, REUTERS, NHK, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Heavy rains continue to hit Japan, suspending some trains
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Vehicles submerged under water following heavy rain brought about by Typhoon Mawar are pictured in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo on June 3, 2023. Although Mawar has weakened from super typhoon status, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) urged people to be on high alert for landslides, rising rivers and flooding in eastern Japan, while warning of landslides in western Japan. Shinkansen bullet trains, suspended from Tokyo to Nagoya in central Japan since Friday, resumed operation around noon (0300 GMT) on Saturday, Kyodo news agency reported. From Friday through Saturday morning, heavy localised rain fell in many parts of Japan, marking the heaviest rainfall on record for June in some areas, Kyodo said. A man found in a car flooded by heavy rain in Toyohashi in central Japan was taken to the hospital, where he was later confirmed dead, Kyodo said.

Persons: Typhoon Mawar, Mawar, Kyodo, Yuka Obayashi, William Mallard Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS, Japan Meteorological Agency, JMA, NHK, Thomson Locations: Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, REUTERS TOKYO, Tokyo, Nagoya, Mawar, Guam, Toyohashi

☆ Japan slammed by torrential rain as tropical storm nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - Parts of Japan were slammed by torrential rain on Friday as Tropical Storm Mawar neared, with authorities advising more than a million people to evacuate, many flights and other transport cancelled and power outages in thousands of homes. Mawar, which wreaked havoc on Guam earlier this week, has weakened to a tropical storm from its earlier super typhoon status. Shinkansen bullet train service was halted from Tokyo to Osaka, western Japan, as well as some other parts of the nation, NHK public broadcaster reported. Similar weather patterns have caused flooding and landslides in the past, most notably in the summer of 2018, when more than 200 people were killed in western Japan. Though heavy summer rains are not uncommon in Japan, June is unusually early for a typhoon-type storm to near the islands.

Persons: Mawar, Hirokazu Matsuno, Elaine Lies, Mayu Sakoda, Kaori Kaneko, Shri Navaratnam, Lincoln, Frances Kerry Organizations: Disaster Management Agency, Transport Ministry, NHK, Toyota, JMA, Japan Meteorological Agency, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Honshu, Wakayama prefecture, Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi prefecture, Shizuoka prefecture, Shikoku

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