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☆ Japan slammed by torrential rain as typhoon nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - Parts of Japan were slammed by torrential rain on Friday as Typhoon Mawar neared, bringing winds and heavy rain to a wide swathe of the country and prompting authorities to advise tens of thousands to evacuate. But forecasters warned there was the danger that humid air from the typhoon could feed into a seasonal rain front, touching off heavy localized rains. 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. On Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the nation had experienced its warmest spring since record-keeping began in 1898.

Persons: Mawar, Elaine Lies, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Japan Meteorological Agency, JMA, NHK, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Mawar, Guam, Honshu, Okinawa, Shikoku, Toyohashi

SEOUL/TOKYO, May 29 (Reuters) - North Korea has notified Japan of a plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11, a Japanese coast guard official said on Monday. North Korea informed the Japanese coast guard of the planned launch, the coast guard official told Reuters, confirming earlier reports by public broadcaster NHK and other Japanese media. The Japanese prime minister's office urged North Korea to refrain from the launch and said it would work closely with allies. "We strongly urge North Korea to refrain from launching," the prime minister's office said on Twitter, adding it would cooperate "with relevant countries such as the U.S. and South Korea". North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in May inspected a military satellite facility, North Korean state media KCNA reported.

☆ A remote-working employee of the world's biggest nuclear power plant left important documents on the roof of his car before driving off. It could delay a Tepco plant restart.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Tepco nuclear plant employee in Japan left work documents on the roof of his car before driving off. The incident could thwart efforts to restart the world's largest nuclear plant on Japan's west coast. But the incident could thwart efforts to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which had been offline since 2012 amid strict nuclear energy regulations and safety lapses following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, per Bloomberg. The Fukushima disaster was the second worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power generation after Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union in 1986. Just last week, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority decided to keep a de facto ban on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility, according to various media reports, including broadcaster NHK.

Organizations: Service, Electric Power, Tepco, Bloomberg, Soviet Union, Authority, NHK Locations: Japan, Wall, Silicon, Niigata

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy brought his call for support against Russia's invasion to a Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday to Japan, where leaders agreed to tighten sanctions against Moscow and pare back exposure to China. 'MEETINGS WITH FRIENDS'[1/7] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at Hiroshima airport for attending the G7 leaders' summit in Mihara, Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan May 20, 2023., in this photo released by Kyodo. As well as bilateral meetings with G7 leaders, Zelenskiy will also meet the leaders of India and Brazil, two countries that have not distanced themselves from Moscow. Zelenskiy is due to hold a session on Sunday with the G7 before a broader session with the Global South attendees. Reporting by Reuters G7 team in Hiroshima; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ At Hiroshima G7, bomb survivors grapple with a disarmament dream deferred
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] U.S. President Barack Obama (L) hugs atomic bomb survivor Shigeaki Mori as he visits Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan May 27, 2016. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima, said he chose it for the summit to focus attention on nuclear weapons. "I want to see the leaders commit to getting rid of nuclear weapons," Mori, 86, said in an interview. Senior German government sources did not list nuclear disarmament as a high priority, saying at the G7 it was "important mainly for Japan". "We recognise that the current international landscape is very challenging given Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons," one Japanese government official said.

☆ Japan PM Kishida to visit South Korea for summit with Yoon - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, April 29 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit South Korea in coming weeks and meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials said, reciprocating a Tokyo visit by the South Korean leader last month. Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Saturday the two will meet around May 7 or 8, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources. Asked about reports of the bilateral summit, Kishida said in remarks broadcast by public network NHK that nothing concrete had been decided. The two sides agreed to revive shuttle diplomacy when Yoon met with Kishida in Tokyo in March, the first Japan visit by a South Korean president in 12 years. The last visit by a Japanese prime minister to South Korea was made by Shinzo Abe in 2018, according to NHK.

☆ Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit South Korea for summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan on March 16, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit South Korea in coming weeks and meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials said, reciprocating a Tokyo visit by the South Korean leader last month. Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Saturday the two will meet around May 7 or 8, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources. Asked about reports of the bilateral summit, Kishida said in remarks broadcast by public network NHK that nothing concrete had been decided. Ties between Japan and South Korea, long strained by issues including war time compensation and trade, have been improving in recent months in the face of North Korea's frequent missile launches and China's more muscular role on the global stage.

The revision is likely to heighten concerns of foreign individuals, such as academic researchers or journalists, and businesses about visiting or operating in China. “Something like a local government budget you could broadly define as relating to national security, or even food security,” he said. “Researchers definitely need to be careful.”China says its laws related to national security and espionage are meant to safeguard the country. “Even with this amendment we still don’t understand what kind of document constitutes a national security issue,” he added. Chinese authorities did not offer details about both cases, including the reason for the crackdown, but analysts say the move is likely to further spook foreign businesses operating in China.

Tokyo, Japan CNN —Move over, boomers and older millennials – Japan’s young people are stepping into office. Most members of Japan’s parliament are aged 50 to 70 – and are 75% male, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Making headlines is Ryosuke Takashima who, at 26 years old, is Japan’s youngest-ever mayor, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Shin the Hiratsuka YouTuber, who was elected to the Hiratsuka city council. Ayaka Nasuno, 25, is another Gen Z politician making her debut after winning the highest share of votes for the Kawasaki City Council earlier this month.

CNN —A panel in Japan’s health ministry has approved the country’s first abortion pill, in a major step for reproductive rights decades after other countries made abortion medication widely available. The ministry’s pharmaceutical board granted approval on Friday to the MeFeego Pack, an abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical Linepharma, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The medication consists of two types of pill, and can be used within nine weeks of pregnancy, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. In a clinical trial in Japan, 93% of participants had a complete abortion within 24 hours, NHK reported. Kanako Inaba, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, wrote on Twitter that the approval of abortion pills was an opportunity to spread greater sex education and awareness about contraceptive methods.

The incident exposes vulnerabilities in Japan's security system and a failure to institute changes following the killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe during an election campaign last year, four experts interviewed by Reuters said. Fukuda said for such big, international events, authorities are able to provide solid security by mobilising a huge police presence. The government has instructed authorities to strengthen security measures and to ensure safety precautions at gatherings of VIPs, he added. read moreIn Saturday's attack, the suspect was about 10 metres from Kishida, according to media reports. He said it showed that a review of security plans by the National Police Agency could only go so far.

☆ Japan’s Kishida Is Targeted by Apparent Smoke Bomb, Escapes Unhurt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Miho Inada | Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO—A man tossed an apparent smoke bomb near Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday at a campaign stop. Mr. Kishida was unhurt and the man was arrested. Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed a commotion after the man threw an object into the air and he was wrestled to the ground by at least one bystander and security personnel. About 50 seconds after the commotion began, there was the sound of an explosion and smoke filled the air.

☆ Japan Prime Minister Kishida Evacuated After Sound of Bang; No One Reported Hurt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Wakayama prefecture on Saturday. TOKYO—Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was rushed away from a campaign stop on Saturday after the sound of a bang nearby, and a suspect at the scene was arrested, according to footage aired on public broadcaster NHK. NHK said no one was injured in the incident at around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

☆ Japanese PM unhurt after blast during campaign event
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from the port in Wakayama after a blast was heard, but he was unharmed in the incident, local media reported on April 15. TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed Saturday after someone threw an explosive device at a campaign event in a western port city, officials said. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air. In Abe's assassination, the former prime minister was shot with a homemade gun during a campaign speech. Abe's alleged assassin told investigators that he killed Abe, one of Japan's most influential and divisive politicians, because of the former prime minister's apparent links to a religious group that he hated.

☆ Japan PM Kishida evacuated unhurt after explosion at speech- media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERSTOKYO, April 15 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported. A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said. Kishida had just started to deliver the speech after touring the harbour when Saturday's incident occurred, NHK said. Kishida was to continue his Saturday afternoon campaign schedule after the incident, the LDP confirmed via its Twitter account. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.

☆ Japan’s Prime Minister Safely Evacuated After Blast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Mike Ives | Hikari Hida | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan was safely evacuated on Saturday after an explosion was heard just before he was scheduled to give a speech, the country’s national broadcaster said. The episode took place late Saturday morning in the western Japanese city of Wakayama, the broadcaster, NHK, reported.

☆ Japan is running out of space to bury chickens killed over bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Japan has lost so many chickens to bird flu, it’s now running out of land to bury them. All 26 had reported experiencing avian flu outbreaks recently. Japan previously slaughtered nearly 9.9 million in fiscal 2020 over another bird flu crisis, its last record high. In Japan, egg prices reached a 10-year high of 235 yen ($1.8) last month, according to Rabobank. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force personnel head to a chicken ranch to roll out preventive measures against avian flu in the city of Chitose, Hokkaido on March 28.

☆ Japan killed 17 million chickens amid an outbreak of bird flu. Now it's running out of space to bury them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Japan culled over 17 million chickens this season amid its worst bird flu outbreak ever, per NHK. As a result, egg prices soared in Japan, prompting some restaurants to suspend sales of egg-based items. However, not all of them have enough capacity to incinerate so many carcasses, according to another NHK report in October. The mass culling of so many chickens over bird flu impacts food prices. It's not just Japan as there's an ongoing bird flu outbreak globally that's affecting the poultry industry — and in turn egg prices.

☆ Japan searching for 10 people aboard crashed military helicopter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] An unidentified object floating in the ocean is seen near the site of a military helicopter crash, in the sea near Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, in this handout photo taken on April 6, 2023. 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters-Japan Coast Guard/HANDOUT via REUTERSTOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Japan on Thursday said rescue efforts were under way to locate any survivors after one of its military helicopters carrying 10 people crashed in the sea near Miyakojima, part of the country's southwest Okinawa island chain. Morishita did not say whether the helicopter was involved in tracking any Chinese military activity. Japanese Coast Guard and military ships and aircraft that located aircraft wreckage in the water were searching for the missing four helicopter crew members and six passengers. Reporting by Tim Kelly, Mariko Katsumura and Kantaro Komiya Editing by Chang-Ran Kim, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The finance ministry will set up a panel of experts as early as April to discuss the feasibility of issuing a digital yen, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The step will come after the central bank's decision to start in April a pilot programme to test the use of a digital yen, moving Japan closer to issuing a CBDC in several years. The central bank has said the pilot programme may last for several years. Some laws may need to be revised if the government were to start issuing a CBDC for public use. Public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday the finance ministry was considering setting up an advisory panel in April to discuss the possibility of a digital yen.

[1/5] People hold up special edition newspapers, reporting Japan's victory at the World Baseball Classic final, as others queue to try to get them, in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kato IsseiTOKYO, March 22 (Reuters) - With cherry blossoms reaching full bloom in Tokyo, Japanese sports fans erupted in jubilation on Wednesday after their countrymen defeated Team USA to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC). "Nihon yusho," or "Japan victory," was the No. Japan pitchers set a WBC record for strikeouts throughout the series, according to Fox Sports. With sublime serendipity, Japan's victory comes as Tokyo cherry blossoms reached their zenith, bathing the city's parks and streets in pink and white.

☆ South Korea's Yoon arrives in Tokyo hours after North's missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2023. Before Yoon's flight, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, emphasising both the urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea. "There is an increasing need for (South) Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time," Yoon said in a written interview with international media on Wednesday, calling both North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and supply chain disruptions a "polycrisis". South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.

Hong Kong/Tokyo CNN —Masatoshi Ito, the Japanese billionaire who turned 7-Eleven convenience stores into a global empire, has died aged 98, closing the chapter on one of Asia’s most storied retail entrepreneurs. A 7-Eleven convenience store in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture, on January 9, 2023. So, how did 7-Eleven become synonymous with the Japanese convenience store culture as we know it today? He renamed the company Ito Yokado and started running the business like a US supermarket. Ito Yokado was renamed Seven & I Holdings in 2005, and Ito remained its honorary chairman until his death.

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.

☆ Even astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has 'no idea' what the large metal ball that washed up on a Japanese beach really is
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Even Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn't have an explanation for the mysterious ball that washed up in Japan. When asked about the ball, the astrophysicist told CNN's Don Lemon he has "no idea" what it is. In an interview on Thursday, CNN's Don Lemon asked Tyson what the metal ball was. Lemon then jokingly asked what was the point of having Tyson on the show if he did not know what the ball was. The metal ball was removed from the beach earlier this week, the BBC confirmed in a report on Thursday.

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