Municipalities try new ways to help Japan's recluses find their place in society

Abstract: Municipalities across Japan are reaching out to the social recluses known as hikikomori to help them find their place in society without focusing solely on getting them back into the workforce. Japan has some 540,000 people aged 15 to 39 who, aside from taking care of small chores, cut themselves off from the outside world for six months or longer at a time, according to a 2016 government estimate. These prolonged withdrawals are causing concern because their parents are getting old and becoming increasingly unable to support them both physically and financially. While the central government previously attempted to help by holding vocational training programs in the early 2000s, the effort only targeted those under 40 years old. Thus some who were unable to meet the program’s requirements, especially the middle-aged, fell through the cracks. Sapporo is changing its approach by helping the city’s socially withdrawn people take small steps forward, rather than forcing them to make a huge leap. “It’s raining outside, but how is the weather inside your heart?” a counselor asked a group of about a dozen people in their 30s to 50s at a monthly hikikomori gathering in central Sapporo in July called the yoridokoro (bastion). The monthly sessions were launched in June by the nonprofit organization Letter Post Friend Consultation Network. The Sapporo Municipal Government organizes it with the aim of helping isolated people get a foothold in daily life. The staff for the sessions mostly comprise people who suffered from hikikomori-like tendencies themselves and who can thus empathize with the participants, according to the NPO. A woman in her 30s who took part in the session said she joined because she wanted to be “able to talk to people, even just a little bit.” She said she has struggled to socialize since her third year in high school and considered herself “incapable of working” once she graduated university and entered the job market. In the 16 years since, she has spent most of her days engrossed in her computer and comic books. When her father retired, she realized how much she needed to change. This led her to consult with city officials about her options. At the gathering, she played card games and talked with others. By the time she left, her internal “weather forecast” had improved from “rainy” to “cloudy.” Over the year through March, the Sapporo Municipal Government received some 1,000 inquiries from families with hikikomori members. Roughly 30 percent of the inquiries involved people 40 and older. Junya Sugawara, a Sapporo official in charge of providing assistance, said the rare tie-up with the NPO was necessary to draw out the city’s many shut-ins. “These people are very wary of administrative authorities, thinking they will be forced to do something if they reach out,” he said. Japan faces what the welfare community refers to as the “80/50 issue,” in which these isolated people reach their 50s as their parents enter their 80s, a time when they are more likely to fall ill or need nursing care. This confluence of factors can put the whole family under financial strain. By bringing social workers with psychiatric backgrounds to the gathering, the city hopes to be able to provide attendees with the support they need, Sugawara said. Efforts to address the issue are also underway in Hyogo, Kumamoto and Shizuoka prefectures. Networks have also been established between the agencies involved. Also, the welfare ministry began subsidizing municipal efforts to create gathering places for hikikomori sessions beginning this fiscal year. “The government’s (past) job assistance program did not necessarily meet the needs of these people, and the age limit . . . prolonged their reclusion,” said Atsushi Tanaka, the head of Letter Post Friend Consultation Network. “What is important is the process in which they build strength at a place they belong to and try to take the first step forward on their own,” he said.


New research in Japan shows anti-melanoma drug may be effective against Parkinson's disease

Abstract: A team of Japanese universities has found that an existing drug for malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer, may be effective against Parkinson’s disease. The drug, dabrafenib, curbs nerve cell death, said the team of researchers from Kobe University, Osaka University and the University of Tokyo. An article on the team’s discovery will be posted on the online version of the British journal Human Molecular Genetics. In Parkinson’s disease, the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain leads to symptoms including shaking limbs and gait problems. “Currently, dopamine injection is the main treatment for the disease. Its combination with dabrafenib is expected to be effective in slowing the progress of the disease,” said University of Tokyo professor Tatsushi Toda, who led the research team. The team deduced the drug’s new effect through database analysis, and confirmed it through experiments with mice and cultured cells. It aims to find an effective method to administer dabrafenib and an appropriate dosage amount.

medicine
drugs
university of tokyo
parkinson 's disease
osaka university
kobe university
dabrafenib


Japanese government panel begins discussions on reducing plastic waste

Abstract: A government panel began discussions Friday on setting a strategy to sharply cut plastic waste amid rising international concern over the marine pollution it causes. Japan, which produces the largest amount of plastic waste per capita after the United States, has lagged behind other countries in taking steps to combat ocean pollution by reining in the use of plastics such as disposable containers and shopping bags. The subcommittee of the Central Environment Council aims to draw up a draft strategy including numerical goals by the end of this year. “In order to lead the world in tackling the plastic waste issue, I expect the panel to compile an effective strategy,” Environment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa said at the meeting. A panel member pointed out that Japan has been slow to introduce measures such as banning the sale and use of plastic shopping bags. Another member said it would be important to offer Japan’s advanced technology to other countries dealing with the problem. The subcommittee is chaired by Shinichi Sakai, a professor at Kyoto University, and includes stakeholders such as the Japan Plastics Industry Federation. From the next meeting, the panel will study how to efficiently recover and recycle disposable plastic items, promote bioplastics that are derived from biomass sources and easily decomposable in nature, and help developing countries tackle the issue. Plastic items that are dumped in the ocean are broken down by waves and ultraviolet rays to become microplastics. Microbeads widely used for cosmetics and toothpaste also constitute such waste. Microplastics are difficult to collect once they enter the water, and tend to absorb harmful chemicals and accumulate inside fish, birds and other animals as they make their way up the food chain. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has estimated that the annual inflow of plastic waste into the oceans in 2010 stood at 4 million to 12 million tons, greatly affecting the marine ecosystem and environment, as well as damaging fishing and tourism industries. In June during a summit in Canada, five members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations and the European Union endorsed the Ocean Plastic Charter with the aim of making all plastic products reusable, recyclable and recoverable by 2030. Along with the U.S., Japan refused to sign it, citing “lack of preparedness.” Later in June, the Diet passed a bill calling on businesses such as toothpaste makers to stop using microplastics in their products and make efforts to reduce use of plastic pieces measuring up to 5 millimeters. But the legislation lacks penalties for those that do not comply. Apart from the national policy, some domestic companies have started to take proactive, voluntary measures. Japanese family restaurant operator Skylark Holdings Co. Ltd. announced Friday a plan to eliminate single-use plastic straws from its stores in and outside of the country by 2020. The Japan Cosmetic Industry Association urged its members in 2016 to restrict use of microplastics, while Oriental Land Co., operator of the Tokyo Disney Resort, began using shopping bags made of bioplastic derived from sugarcane ethanol in 2015.


New Zealand bans single-use plastic bags

Abstract: WELLINGTON - New Zealand became the latest country Friday to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying they will be phased out over the next year as a “meaningful step” toward reducing pollution. New Zealand uses “hundreds of millions” of single-use plastic bags each year, many of which end up harming marine life, Ardern said. “We need to be far smarter in the way we manage waste and this is a good start,” she said. “We’re phasing-out single-use plastic bags so we can better look after our environment and safeguard New Zealand’s clean, green reputation.” Ardern said her coalition government, which includes the Green Party, was facing up to environmental challenges and “just like climate change, we’re taking meaningful steps to reduce plastics pollution so we don’t pass this problem to future generations.” Single-use plastic bags are among the most common items found in coastal litter in New Zealand and the environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the decision to outlaw them. “This could be a major leap forward in turning the tide on ocean plastic pollution and an important first step in protecting marine life such as sea turtles and whales, from the growing plastic waste epidemic,” Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner Emily Hunter said. A United Nations report in June said up to 5 trillion grocery bags are used globally each year, which is nearly 10 million plastic bags per minute. “If tied together, all these plastic bags could be wrapped around the world seven times every hour” and like most plastic garbage barely any is recycled, said Erik Solheim, head of U.N. Environment. The U.N. said more than 60 countries had introduced bans and levies on single-use plastic items like bags. But better waste management, financial incentives to change consumers’ buying habits and research into alternative materials were needed to make any real change, it added.

pollution
new zealand
recycling
environment
plastic
plastic waste


Chinese women create WeChat group in wake of wave of sex harassment cases

Abstract: KUALA LUMPUR - Battling censorship and stereotypes, Chinese women are organizing online to harness the momentum of the country’s nascent #MeToo movement in a push for authorities and businesses to end sexual misconduct. The latest wave of claims of sexual misconduct emerged last month after Lei Chuang, the founder of Yi You — a charity that fights discrimination against people with hepatitis B — confessed to a sexual assault and quit his position. The claims have snowballed since then. At least 20 women have come forward to share allegations of sexual misconduct against other prominent individuals, from the charity sector to media and academia. Elaine Chen, a brand manager for a beauty product, said she was astonished and angered by the Yi You case. She took to online chat groups to discuss the issue with other women to decide what to do. “Our purpose is very simple — that every woman who comes forward and shares their story can find some sort of support,” Chen said in a phone interview as she took a break from interviewing candidates for a job opening at her company. “We want to create a safe space for women to speak up. And if they want to reach out for help, for legal advice or counseling, they know help is here.” Chen is part of a group on WeChat, China’s most popular messenger app, that has grown to over 200 people within a few weeks. Volunteers are taking up tasks such as recording new cases, offering legal advice and organizing media campaigns. Some of the sexual misconduct cases that have been reported in the media were first discussed in the group. “This will be a long-term campaign. We can’t just sit here and do nothing,” said Chen, a 28-year-old who, like others in the group, juggles her job and activism. Official data on sexual harassment in China are hard to come by, but the nonprofit China Family Planning Association said in 2016 that a third of college students reported suffering sexual violence or sexual assault. But although accusations of sexual misconduct by dozens of women against U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein triggered a #MeToo movement across the globe last year, it was conspicuously quiet in China in the beginning. China’s #MeToo-style moment came in December after a university professor was accused of sexual misconduct — but the movement fizzled out quickly. Chinese authorities have tried to contain the issue, censoring some of the social media posts on Weibo, the country’s equivalent of Twitter. Millions of social media users have, however, found ways to circumvent censorship, such as using the phrase “rice bunny” — pronounced “mi tu” in Mandarin. Bai Fei, a women’s rights campaigner who helped set up the WeChat group, said a team of volunteers is tasked with compiling the cases before making them public. Often these budding campaigners do not know each other in real life. “We do not necessarily meet with the victims, too, as sometimes they want to protect their privacy.” The women are now pushing for a code of conduct in the workplace and asking businesses and charities to set up a mechanism such as a hotline or website to allow victims to report sexual harassment anonymously. The nonprofit Inno Community Development Organization, which is spearheading the initiative, said the code of conduct is still being drafted, but 400 individuals and charities have already pledged to support it. “We hope that all the industries will have such mechanisms to deter future cases,” said Wang Ying, the deputy director of the group, based in the southern city of Guangzhou. “Our strategy now is to target businesses and the different industries, but at the end of the day, we hope there will be legal reforms at the national level,” she said. Lu Xiaoquan from the Beijing-based Qianqian law firm, which provides legal aid on women’s rights cases, said a main challenge is the lack of a specific anti-harassment law in China. As a result, women must use other legal provisions, such as those governing labor disputes, he said. “This dilutes the significance of the whole case, because you can’t use sexual misconduct as the main premise — it is just supporting evidence,” he said. Lu cautioned that true reform cannot be achieved solely through changes to laws, as women are still subject to widespread discrimination, as well as deeply entrenched traditional values that put pressure on them to be submissive. But the latest #MeToo-style campaign in China signals that “it is becoming more and more common that sexual violence survivors are ready to speak up and fight for their rights.” “This is a good start,” said Lu. “As the Chinese saying goes — a single spark can set the whole field alight.”


As Tokyo shuns ban treaty, leading the way to a nuclear-free world falls to Japan's citizens and hibakusha

Abstract: HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI - In Nagasaki, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underlined his solidarity with atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, and called them “true messengers” of peace. He acknowledged the power of hibakusha as he reminded the world from the city — one of the two in Japan subjected to atomic bombing — that the realization of a nuclear-free world is still distant, and that work toward disarmament continues. “When we see nonproliferation at risk, and when we see a lack of commitment to disarmament, to amplify the voice of the hibakusha becomes more and more important,” Guterres said in an interview ahead of the 73rd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing. On Thursday Guterres became the first U.N. chief to attend the commemorative ceremony. With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having reiterated — even on the anniversary of the bombings — the government’s stance of not joining an international nuclear weapons ban treaty, the role of survivors and people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is expected to come into sharper focus. With its reliance on U.S. nuclear deterrence in the postwar era, this nation continues to face the apparent dilemma of pushing for a world free of nuclear weapons while not signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Terumi Tanaka, who represented atomic bomb survivors at the Nagasaki memorial ceremony, expressed displeasure with Japan’s absence from the treaty. “In line with the wish of its ally the United States, the Japanese government — that should well understand the suffering of hibakusha and the inhumanity of nuclear weapons — will neither sign nor ratify the nuclear ban treaty. This is what the prime minister himself said a year ago on the atomic bomb anniversary,” Tanaka noted. On the occasion of this year’s peace ceremonies, Abe said Japan will serve as an “intermediary” between nuclear powers and non-nuclear states but that it does not plan to join the treaty. “Unfortunately not even one nuclear power has joined the treaty because it was created without taking into account the realities of security,” Abe told a news conference Thursday. While Japan shares the same goal of eliminating nuclear weapons that the treaty also aims to achieve, what nuclear powers should do is reduce their arsenals for a nuclear-free world, according to the prime minister. Tokyo’s security policy has centered on its longtime alliance with the United States, a nuclear power. Since taking office in 2012, Abe has sought to strengthen the alliance while committing to nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. Under Abe, who has cited the severity of security threats from North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, Tokyo has also been boosting the country’s defense capabilities and increasing related spending. While expectations for a quick breakthrough in denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea have somewhat waned, the mayors of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki still expressed hope for progress. Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue urged nuclear powers as well as countries relying on them to rethink their security policies and shift away from nuclear dependence as more than 14,000 nuclear warheads still exist in the world. “I strongly request that you change to security policies not dependent on nuclear weapons before humanity once again commits a mistake that would create even more atomic bombing victims,” he said. A year after the adoption of the treaty as well as the awarding of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), momentum for nuclear disarmament is still in place. ICAN led efforts to campaign for the treaty, which has the backing of over 120 U.N. members. Akira Kawasaki, an ICAN international steering committee member, said the presence of hibakusha has been felt abroad. “Just because Japan did not sign and join the nuclear ban treaty, some say Japan is absent from the process. But that’s not the case,” Kawasaki said in Hiroshima. “It’s only that the Japanese government is not there.” Kawasaki believes the nuclear ban treaty will be an “inheritance” from the hibakusha to future generations, who will be tasked with using it. With their average age now over 82, the aging of atomic bomb survivors is a pressing challenge for Japan. Passing down their stories to future generations and educating those generations about atomic bombs is becoming more critical for achieving a nuclear-free world. Sachiko Osumi visited Hiroshima’s peace memorial park with her grandson, Yu, a fifth grader, who brought 1,000 paper cranes from Tokyo to pray for peace. With regard to eliminating nuclear weapons “the Japanese government doesn’t seem so enthusiastic, so the power of citizens counts,” Osumi said.

shinzo abe
nagasaki
hiroshima
nuclear weapons
atomic bomb


Chinese police nab three suspects after $87 million cryptocurrency theft

Abstract: BEIJING - Chinese police have arrested three suspects who allegedly stole assets worth 600 million yuan ($87 million) through hacking, state media reported Sunday, as cybercriminals target holders of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Police in the northern city of Xian began investigating in March when a victim, surnamed Zhang, complained that hackers had taken control of his computer to steal 100 million yuan ($15 million) worth of cryptocurrency, the Shaanxi Daily reported. The 100 million yuan haul was made up of the popular Bitcoin and ether currencies, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The transfer of the units provided police with a virtual trail, the Shaanxi Daily said, leading them to a suspect surnamed Zhou in the central province of Hunan. Zhou’s communications led to two more alleged accomplices. Altogether, the three suspects are thought to have stolen 600 million yuan by hacking the computers of individuals and companies, according to the newspaper. The police investigation is still underway, it said, with officers in three provinces working together last week to take the suspects into custody. In February an official Chinese publication announced plans to stamp out all remaining cryptocurrency trading in the country by blocking access to overseas-based websites and removing related applications from app stores. The moves were outlined in a report by Financial News, a publication under the People’s Bank of China, which said the aim was to snuff out the “dying cinders” of cryptocurrency trading and initial coin offerings “which are glowing once more.”

china crime theft bitcoin cybercurrency xian


Japan's traditional festivals struggling with financial difficulties

Abstract: Traditional festivals are having a more difficult time securing financing for their events these days. In the city of Tokushima, famed for its traditional Awa Odori folk dance festival, attendance hit a record low this year, partly due to confusion over financing. And similar stories are emerging from Kyushu to Hokkaido. “We’ve managed to generate profits,” said Taku Okuno, a member of the organizing committee for the Yosakoi Soran Festival held in early summer in Hokkaido. While the festival’s costs, including for security, are rising because of the expanding scale of the events, the organizer hasn’t received any public subsidies and struggled to raise funds this year. The sponsors change almost annually. “Although we don’t aim to make profits, we’re fighting every year,” Okuno said. The situation is similar for the Nagasaki Kunchi, a festival dating back nearly 400 years as part of rituals at Suwa Shrine. Each district in the city needs to secure about ¥30 million each year to cover the cost of the Shinto floats and other items used in the dedicatory dance by the shrine’s parishioners. An official of a group that aims to promote the traditional performing arts of Nagasaki said residents are struggling to gather funds for Nagasaki Kunchi. Some who have moved outside the prefecture are no longer interested and thus reluctant to contribute money to the festival, the official said, adding that securing funds has only gotten tougher. In the meantime, an association that organizes the Gion Festival in Kyoto began resorting to crowdfunding in 2017. It procured more than ¥13 million in 2017 and over ¥4 million this year. Both figures had surpassed their targets. On its website, the association calls on people to “cooperate for the project, and feel the excitement and elegance of the festival.” At the Aomori Nebuta Festival in Aomori Prefecture, ticket prices for spectator seats were raised by some 15 percent to ¥3,000 in 2017 because of declining sales and rising labor costs. “Passing down what our predecessors did is our duty,” a member of the festival’s executive committee said as justification for the price hike. “We want to cherish the tradition.”


Fukushima's recovering farmers scramble to deal with scorching weather

Abstract: Amid scorching temperatures that have gripped the entire nation, farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are beginning to see the high temperatures and scarce rain take a toll on their carefully tended produce. Agricultural cooperatives are scrambling to respond by giving farmers information and techniques that will help their crops survive the extremely hot weather. According to an agricultural cooperative that represents 30 farmers in the Aizu area, growers of chrysanthemums have reported cases where the blossoming of the flowers has been delayed by the heat. Kenzo Kikuchi, a chrysanthemum grower in the town of Aizumisato, said most of his plants haven’t progressed beyond the bud stage this year. Kikuchi, 68, usually starts shipping chrysanthemum blossoms in late July or early August, and the business peaks just before the Bon holidays. Chrysanthemums are typically part of the offerings made at Buddhist altars when Japanese honor the spirits of their ancestors during Bon. According to Kikuchi, the chrysanthemum plants are staying in the bud stage to shield themselves from the heat. Their stems have also turned limp, making it difficult for growers to prune unneeded buds and leaves. “I never thought high temperatures would continue for such a long time,” he said. “I really hope to see blossoms before the Bon holidays.” Rice farmers are also seeing negative effects from the extreme weather. A rice farmer in the town of Aizubange said irrigation water is becoming scarce, forcing some plants to wither. The farmer said he tries pumping water from drainage canals near his paddies instead. But that requires buying extra fuel to keep the pumps running, plus additional time and effort, he said. “Some farmers said even their drainage water has run out. I’m concerned about the quality of our rice,” he said. The prefecture’s peach growers are echoing those concerns. In northern Fukushima Prefecture, where the Akatsuki peach brand is the area’s major agricultural product, now is the time for harvest. Although this year’s peaches taste unusually sweet, each one is a bit smaller, apparently a result of this summer’s intense heat and lack of rain, local farmers say. Chusaku Anzai, 69, who runs an orchard in the town of Iizaka, said if the drought continues, apples and other kinds of fruit stand to be affected as well. In southern Fukushima, the scorching weather is taking a toll on summer vegetables. Sadakazu Sato, 53, a senior official from JA’s (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives’) Aguri Yume Minami, which runs three retail depots in the region, fewer cucumbers, kidney beans and other seasonal veggies than average are going to market.

fukushima
agriculture
farming
fukushima minpo


Former top Vatican official calls on Pope to resign amid abuse crisis

Abstract: BOSTON/DUBLIN - A former top Vatican official accused Pope Francis of having known of allegations of sex abuse by a prominent U.S. cardinal for five years before accepting his resignation last month and he called on the pontiff to resign. In an 11-page letter given to conservative Roman Catholic media outlets during the Pope’s visit to Ireland, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said he had told Francis in 2013 that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had faced extensive accusations of sexually abusing lower-ranking seminarians and priests. Vatican officials declined immediate comment on the letter on Sunday. McCarrick became the first Cardinal in living memory to resign his position in the Church leadership after a review concluded that claims he had sexually abused a 16-year-old boy were credible. He was one of the highest-ranking church officials accused of sex abuse in a scandal that has rocked the 1.2 billion-member faith since reports of priests abusing children and bishops covering up for them were first reported by the Boston Globe in 2002. Since then, patterns of widespread abuse of children have been reported across the United States and Europe, in Chile and Australia, undercutting the Church’s moral authority and taking a toll on its membership and coffers. Vigano said in the letter reported by the conservative U.S. National Catholic Register that he had told Francis of allegations against McCarrick in June 2013 shortly after his election as Pope by his fellow cardinals. “He knew from at least June 23, 2013, that McCarrick was a serial predator,” Vigano, who served as the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States at the time, said. “Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick’s abuses and resign along with all of them.” Vigano’s letter railed against “homosexual networks present in the Church” — the word “homosexual” appears 18 times, while the word “child” appears only twice, in both cases in the titles of Church documents Vigano sites. Francis vowed on Saturday to end the sexual exploitation of children by clergy during a highly-charged visit to the once deeply Catholic Ireland.

religion
children
abuse
pope francis
sex abuse


Storm drifts away from Hawaii after 'almost biblical' rains

Abstract: HONOLULU - A once-powerful hurricane twisted and drifted away from Hawaii, leaving behind heavily saturated ground on the Big Island and many residents on other islands relieved it didn’t wreak more havoc. Firefighters on the Big Island rescued 39 people from floodwaters Friday through early Saturday as the island grappled with the nearly 4 feet (1.2 meters) of rain from Tropical Storm Lane, formerly Hurricane Lane, dumped on the eastern part of the island over the course of three days. In Honolulu, where the storm deposited only a few inches of rain, shopkeepers removed plywood from their windows and reopened for business. The National Weather Service canceled all storm warnings for the state. Preliminary figures from the weather service show that Lane dropped the fourth-highest amount of rain for a hurricane to hit the United States since 1950. Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Texas a year ago, topped the list. The storm’s outer bands dumped as much as 45 inches (114 centimeters) on the mostly rural Big Island, measurements showed. The main town of Hilo, population 43,000, was flooded Friday with waist-high water. “It was almost biblical proportions,” said Kai Kahele, a state senator who represents Hilo. The ground was soggy on Saturday, he said, and it was still raining. But Hilo is accustomed to rain, he noted. And the Wailuku River, which raged with runoff, has a name that means “destructive water” in Hawaiian. Native Hawaiians who have lived in the area for hundreds of years know how dangerous the river can be, Kahele said. Hawaii County Civil Defense spokeswoman Kelly Wooten said teams were assessing damage but continued to focus on recovery efforts because of the ongoing precipitation. Big Island Book Buyers in Hilo opened as normal Saturday morning after owner Mary Bicknell saw a bit of sunshine. “Everybody is in pretty good spirits. It’s kind of nice,” she said of her customers before adding everyone was “hoping and praying it’s over.” One of the island’s volcanoes is erupting, and the rain could still cause whiteout conditions on some active lava fields when it hits the molten rock and boils off as steam. About 200 miles (320 kilometers) and several islands to the northwest, tourists on the island of Oahu wandered Waikiki Beach and took leisurely swims as shopkeepers prepared to reopen. Hotels began putting deck chairs back alongside pools. Dozens of surfers were in the Pacific, looking to ride small waves. The breeze was light. Winds were also calmer on Maui, which had seen about 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain and wind gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph). On Saturday, winds were about 11 mph (18 kph). Like the Big Island, Maui experienced flooding and landslides. Lane first approached the islands earlier this week as a Category 5 hurricane, meaning it was likely to cause catastrophic damage with winds of 157 mph (252 kph) or above. But upper-level winds known as shear swiftly tore the storm apart. As flooding hit the Big Island, winds fanned brush fires that had broken out in dry areas of Maui and Oahu. Some residents in a shelter on Maui had to flee flames, and another fire forced people from their homes. Flames burned nine homes in the historic coastal town of Lahaina and forced 600 people to evacuate, Maui County spokeswoman Lynn Araki-Regan said. Some have returned, but many have not because much of the area lacks power, Araki-Regan said. Those outages meant the water provider on Maui’s west side was unable to pump, so officials at the Maui Electric utility urged conservation — particularly important because firefighters need supplies to put out the remaining flames. The central Pacific gets fewer hurricanes than other regions, with only about four or five named storms a year. Hawaii rarely gets hit. The last major storm to hit was Iniki in 1992. Others have come close in recent years. “It’s great that it didn’t get us,” Nick Palumbo II, who lives and owns a surf shop on the island of Lanai, said of Lane. He worried, however, that the near-miss would give residents a false sense of security. “We’re going to get nailed one time, and people are going to not listen,” Palumbo said, “exactly like ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'”


'Red love': Hundreds of redheads gather in western France

Abstract: CHATEAUGIRON, FRANCE - Ginger, auburn, strawberry blonde; all types of redheads turned out in the hundreds in western France on Saturday for the first “Red Love” festival. “I was born red, I will stay red and I am beautiful like everyone around me,” declared Simon, a 32-year-old farm worker who traveled to the festival to hang out with “people like us.” “I was teased when I was young, called names like ‘carrot-top,’ ” he added, “it’s the same as if you’re fat.” Waiting to be served at a food truck, Liam Fife was standing with three friends he met at “Roodharigendag” (redhead day) the biggest get-together of redheads in the world which takes place every year in the Netherlands. “Until I was 15, it was awful for me,” said the young man with a long red beard. “Now when I see a child I encourage them. I don’t want them to be subjected to the same isolation,” he said at the festival, held in the Brittany town of Chateaugiron. The festival-goers enjoyed concerts and shows including a fashion parade of 18 redheads in wedding dresses. Among the best-selling items on display were T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Ginger is the new black.” By midday, 1,200 people had showed up, said organizer Pascal Sacleux, who expressed the hope that “one day the jokes at the expense of redheads will be a thing of the past, when everyone realizes how unfounded and stupid they are.”


Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi Chuxing admits 'responsibility' after passenger is raped, murdered

Abstract: BEIJING - Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said Sunday it will suspend its carpooling service after the rape and murder of a passenger, the second such killing this year. Police have arrested a 27-year-old man who worked as a driver in the eastern city of Wenzhou on suspicion of raping and killing a female passenger who used the app to hail a carpool ride. The company said it will suspend Didi Hitch — a service which allows passengers traveling in the same direction to share the cost of the trip — beginning midnight Monday. The announcement came a day after the company admitted it bore “responsibility” for the crime, failing to act on a complaint about the same driver from another passenger, who claimed he drove her to an isolated area and followed her in his vehicle after she left the car. “The incident shows the many deficiencies with our customer service processes, especially the failure to act swiftly on the previous passenger’s complaint and the cumbersome and rigid process of information sharing with the police,” Didi said in a statement Sunday. “This is too high a cost to pay.” The killing has sparked fresh criticism of the company — which muscled Uber out of the market following a bruising battle — as angry users voiced concerns about the safety of the service. “Since the company can’t regulate itself, get out of the market,” wrote one user on the Twitter-like Weibo. Didi said it has also fired the head of Didi Hitch and the vice president of customer service. Didi had been stepping up safety measures, including for Didi Hitch, after the murder of a flight attendant in May sparked wider community outrage. The steps include limiting Didi Hitch drivers to picking up passengers of the same sex during early morning and late evening hours. Police in Yueqing city, which is part of Wenzhou, said on their official microblog that the 20-year-old woman, surnamed Zhao, got into a Didi carpool vehicle at 1 p.m. on Friday, and sent a message to a friend at around 2 p.m. seeking help before losing contact. Police said they found the suspect, a 27-year-old driver called Zhong, at about 4 a.m. on Saturday. They said Zhong confessed to raping and killing the passenger, and that the victim’s body had been recovered and an investigation is continuing. Didi said the driver had passed background checks and had logged in with his authentic ID and had been confirmed by facial recognition on the day. However, the driver had altered the car’s license plate before the trip, the company said. Didi Chuxing — which has been valued at $50 billion and counts SoftBank Group Corp. as a major investor — is aggressively expanding overseas, targeting new markets in Mexico, Brazil and Australia, going head-to-head with Uber. In 2016, Didi acquired Uber’s China business. “The fact that Didi has a driver safety and security issue is a real problem for Didi . . . and an opportunity for new service providers who can better serve the mobility demand,” said Bill Russo, CEO of Automobility Ltd., a Shanghai-based consultancy. The latest case was also trending on the Weibo, with seven related topics in the top 50 on Saturday afternoon.

china
transportation
murder
police
didi chuxing


Chinese police detain owner of hotel where fire killed 19

Abstract: BEIJING - Police in northeastern China have detained the owner of a resort hotel where a fire killed 19 people and injured 23 others. The public security bureau of the city of Harbin said on its official social media account it was questioning the legal representative of the Beilong Hot Spring Leisure Hotel on suspicion of negligence leading to Saturday’s fire. The disaster added to a string of deadly blazes that have plagued China despite official efforts to improve public safety over the past two decades. The fire broke out at the four-story hotel in Harbin’s Sun Island recreation area at 4:36 a.m. and was extinguished at 7:50 a.m. by a force of 105 firefighters with 30 firetrucks, Chinese state television said. Firefighters found 18 people dead and one more died at a hospital, the Harbin city government said on its social media account. It said 23 people were injured and more than 80 evacuated. Harbin, with about 5 million people, is the second-largest city in China’s northeast, after Shenyang. It is known for the Russian architecture of its inner city and as the site of a winter festival with sculptures made of ice blocks cut from the Songhua River. The ruling Communist Party has tried to improve fire safety following deadly blazes at hotels, shopping malls and apartment buildings. But the country still suffers major fires. In November, a fire blamed on faulty wiring at a Beijing apartment building killed 19 people. A 2010 blaze at a Shanghai apartment tower killed at least 58 people. Authorities blamed sparks from a welder’s torch.


Nara steps up efforts to deal with record numbers of deer and tourists

Abstract: NARA - It’s getting ever more crowded in the ancient capital of Nara as record numbers of two-legged visitors encounter record numbers of four-legged residents, creating concerns about the health and safety of both groups. Last month, a survey by the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, which looks after the deer, showed there were 1,360 in the Nara Park area. It was the largest number recorded since the foundation began counting deer in 1955. That year, there were only 378 deer in Nara Park. Over the following decades, the population grew rapidly at first and then steadily as various steps were taken by the city to control it after farmers complained their crops were being damaged. The foundation recorded 1,226 deer in Nara Park last year, and the record number this year is likely due to increased patrols by foundation members, as well as efforts by the city, prefecture, and foundation to reduce traffic accidents in the vicinity that kill or injure them. The rise follows jumps in Nara’s tourism. In late July, Nara officials announced that over 16.3 million people had visited in 2017, compared with 15.5 million in 2016. While the total is short of the record 18 million who came to Nara in 2010 for the 1,300th anniversary celebration, it marks a steady increase. In particular, there were 1.99 million visitors from abroad, up 26.3 percent from 2016. Two-thirds who spent at least one night in Nara were from China, but city tourism centers also reported increases in inquiries from Malaysian, American, Australian, French and Spanish day-trippers. With ever-more people and deer in the park these days, the city has made efforts to protect both. Signs in English and Chinese where deer crackers are sold warn against feeding them human food. Flyers in both languages are also handed out warning against teasing them or trying to ride them. “It is critical that as more people come to Nara, they realize these deer are not tame. They are not household pets, but wild animals and they need to follow the rules and take precautions. For themselves as well as for the deer,” according to Yoshitaka Ashimura, the executive director of the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation. While volunteers from the foundation patrol the park, looking out for people who aren’t following the rules, the increase in tourists, many who come only for the deer, has already led to complaints about bites. Plastic garbage has also been found in the stomachs of dead deer. Thus, how the city balances the need to protect the animals with the desire to encourage more tourists to see them is likely to prove Nara’s greatest international, and domestic, tourism challenge in the years ahead.


Japanese entertainment, ad firms join forces with U.N. to raise awareness of social development goals

Abstract: NEW YORK - Representatives from entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., advertising giant Dentsu Inc. and the United Nations recently highlighted their joint efforts to make the Japanese public aware of the international body’s social development work around the globe. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 global objectives to be achieved by 2030, aim to lift millions out of poverty, end hunger, make cities more sustainable and tackle climate change, among other critical world problems. Speaking at a two-day civil society conference that ran through Thursday in New York, Miyabi Haneda of Yoshimoto Kogyo recalled her company’s motivation for joining the project two years ago following outreach from Kaoru Nemoto, the Tokyo director of the U.N. Information Center. “We wanted to collaborate with the SDGs to make the world a better place with a lot of smiles,” said Haneda, who serves as the talent agency’s general manager of corporate communications. “We figured out that our comedians are the perfect messengers to help spread the meaning of the goals in their own comedic ways.” Among the company’s A-listers in the campaign is Naomi Watanabe, a sketch comedy star best known for her lip-syncing impersonations of Beyonce, Lady Gaga and other pop idols. Watanabe’s huge social media following earned her a spot on this year’s Time magazine list of the 25 most influential people on the internet. “The SDGs were hardly known in Japan, and I thought that to allow us, the U.N., to reach out to the general public, we need good storytellers,” Nemoto explained. “It is the people’s agenda, so that is why it is really important to reach out to the general public,” she added. Haneda described some of her company’s efforts to popularize the goals, such as a promotion at the 2017 Okinawa International Film Festival where famous actors were enlisted to carry placards of the individual goals while walking the red carpet on Naha’s main street. Also shown as part of the presentation were two catchy black-and-white videos produced by Dentsu. The brief skits are part of a series introducing the SDGs through light-hearted interactions at a coffee shop. In one video, friends come up with a plan to pour excess ice from their drinks into the ocean to combat the melting of ice caps, while in another a young woman takes on the SDGs as 17 personal goals and tells her boyfriend she no longer has time for dating. Reiko Kunieda of Dentsu drew on some of her company’s market research to explain the Japanese public’s perception of the U.N. initiative. In a survey of 1,400 people carried out earlier this year, the company determined that only around 15 percent of respondents were aware of the development goals. However, Kunieda noted that roughly 70 percent of those questioned indicated some level of support for pursuing the international targets, which she viewed as a positive. In light of such research, Dentsu intends to keep finding creative ways to educate Japan about the goals for the betterment of society as a whole, she said. While the U.N. Information Center in Tokyo had worked with advertisers and entertainment companies separately, Nemoto said that the recent collaboration is the first time for the three to join forces to more effectively “share with the world.”

u.n .
yoshimoto kogyo
sustainable development goals
sdgs


Emperor Hirohito's aide blasted cost of new monarch's state-funded ascension rites in 1990: diary

Abstract: A close aide to Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, criticized the government for staging an “entirely incongruous” and costly ceremony in 1990 to proclaim the enthronement of Emperor Akihito, according to comments in his diary obtained by Kyodo News. The late chamberlain Shinobu Kobayashi also wrote about his “fears” that the enthronement ceremony, “held for the first time under the new Constitution, might be used as a precedent for holding the ceremony in the future.” The discovery of criticism by an Imperial household insider comes as the government prepares to perform a series of Imperial succession rites related to Emperor Akihito’s abdication and his son’s enthronement in 2019. Despite Kobayashi’s misgivings, the basic plan approved by the government in April stipulates that the events should follow the example set by Emperor Akihito’s enthronement ceremony after Emperor Hirohito died in January 1989. Kobayashi, who died in 2006, cast particular doubt on the Sokuirei Seiden no Gi, a high-profile ritual for proclaiming the enthronement of incoming emperors. The chamberlain, who worked for the Imperial household following Emperor Hirohito’s death, was cynical of the mixed styles of dress worn by participants in the ceremony, which was held on Nov. 12, 1990. The new Emperor and Empress, other members of the Imperial household and officials from the Imperial Household Agency were clad in traditional garments from the 10th century, while the heads of the three branches of government, including then-Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, were wearing Western-style tailcoats, Kobayashi noted. He called it “an old-fashioned ceremony conducted in a stage setting that was entirely incongruous,” adding that if everyone had worn the same Western-style clothing as the government officials, “it would not have cost billions of yen.” He also wrote about his displeasure with top officials in the Cabinet Legislation Bureau who gave “detailed instructions” on how to stage the ceremony, including where to place the state and privy seals, in an attempt to weaken the religious nature of the event amid controversy over the separation of religion and state stipulated in the Constitution. The Cabinet Legislation Bureau officials insisted the seals were nonreligious items and instructed that they be displayed prominently during the ceremony, according to Kobayashi’s diary. “They believe that if the state and privy seals had been placed in an obscure place, the purpose to weaken the religious nature would not have been fulfilled,” he wrote, adding, “how timid they are.” The same ceremony will be held on Oct. 22, 2019, months after the 84-year-old monarch abdicates on April 30 and his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne the following day. Emperor Akihito took over the throne after his father died on Jan. 7, 1989, at age 87. The postwar Constitution bans the state from engaging in religious activities. In fact, a series of lawsuits contesting the constitutionality of the rituals related to Emperor Akihito’s enthronement were filed across Japan, only to be dismissed. But a 1995 ruling by the Osaka High Court pointed out that the government might have violated the Constitution by financing the rituals.

emperor akihito
emperor hirohito
imperial family


Osaka teachers resist mayor's plan to raise achievement test scores

Abstract: OSAKA - Stung by the poor results of a national achievement test covering math, science, and Japanese, Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura wants to raise scores on next year’s exam by linking the test results to personnel evaluations and bonuses for school principals and teachers. But in the face of opposition from education experts, as well as a busy political calendar and next spring’s municipal assembly elections, putting the idea into action by next summer will be a tall order. The annual test is conducted by the education ministry in April and taken by sixth-grade elementary school students and third-year junior high students. This year’s test covered math, science, and Japanese. Among 20 major cities, Osaka’s elementary school students in particular had the lowest or close to the lowest scores in the subjects tested, the second year in a row that’s happened. Its junior high school students also fared poorly. “It’s extremely regrettable that Osaka has scored in the bottom half of the results two years in a row. It’s necessary to aim for reform in the way the schools think, and change the system,” Yoshimura said at a news conference on Aug. 2. “For next year’s test, I propose each school will set its own targets and the numbers from the test will show whether they have succeeded. For those schools that succeed, their efforts will be reflected in the personnel evaluations and the strategic budgets of the school principals. The details are something I want to discuss with the school officials in the coming weeks and months,” Yoshimura said. The mayor has also said he would return his 2019 summer bonus if Osaka scores at the bottom of the rankings again. Midori Takeda, an Osaka-based educational coordinator who works with schools to promote democracy and human rights education, launched an online petition via Change.org against the mayor’s plan. It has drawn over 15,000 signatures. She presented the petition to Osaka officials earlier this month. “There are several basic reasons why we are opposing the mayor’s threat to have school budgets and teachers’ summer bonuses reflected in the test scores. First, there is a correlation between academic ability and poverty,” she said. An analysis of the relative poverty rate for households in each of the 47 prefectures, published in March by the state-affiliated Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training, showed that Osaka’s rate was 14.5 percent in 2013, compared with the national average of 13.4 percent that year. In the city of Osaka, the poverty rate, defined as having less than half of the average annual take-home income, is 15.2 percent. For households with single mothers, it’s 42.9 percent. Kids of single moms can be hit particularly hard if the parent works in the afternoons and evenings; some kids have told teachers there are days when they don’t get dinner. The result is that those children show up to class tired, frustrated and unable to concentrate on their studies. Takeda also opposes the plan because she believes it won’t motivate teachers and will actually damage their pride as educators, leading to a result opposite of what the mayor intended. Finally, Takeda says there is no clear proof that raising or lowering bonuses leads to an improvement in academic ability. Similar efforts in the U.S. have had inconclusive results. “Where’s the evidence? The mayor and his Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) party are always talking about the importance of evidence as the basis for decisions,” she says. The education ministry has warned of the dangers of judging children’s academic abilities solely on their school education. In March 2014, it announced the results of its own investigation into the test. The ministry concluded that, in general, the higher the parents’ income and educational history, the better off their children will be academically. And children who had their parents read books to them when they were young tended to have higher academic abilities, as did families with books and newspapers in the house, the ministry added. Past efforts with regards to standardized academic testing have run into problems. In 1961, a national aptitude test was put in place for public elementary and junior high schools, and the results affected teacher’s work evaluations. Teachers whose students got high scores on the test would get priority in teaching assignments. But the test also led to a wave of media reports about educators’ attempts to inflate the achievement scores. This included using more classroom time to study specifically for the test, cutting gym and music classes out of the schedule, and forcing students to study after school and during breaks. Some schools also attempted to inflate their average by asking the weaker students to stay home on the day of the test. After these problems came to light, the test was abandoned in 1966. Yoshimura has emphasized he will work closely with local education officials to implement his reform proposals. However, getting the Osaka Municipal Assembly to agree to his plan is problematic, partially due to skepticism among assembly members and education bureaucrats, but also because of the political calendar. The assembly already faces a busy autumn schedule. Two issues near the top of its list of priorities are the ongoing debate over whether to merge the city’s wards and the need to discuss which casino resort proposal to approve. Osaka will also make its final push for the 2025 World Expo, the host of which will be decided in November. The city also needs to discuss local preparations for the Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit it will host next June. The Osaka municipal and prefectural assembly elections will then be held in April, where the contentious merger plan, backed by Yoshimura and his party but opposed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the other opposition parties, is likely to be a key issue.

osaka
teachers
education
schools
national achievement test


Hajj pilgrims use Japan-inspired 'nap pods' in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA - Mansour al-Amer swipes a card to reveal a narrow sleep pod, reminiscent of Japan’s famed capsule hotels. But this pod is in Saudi Arabia, where the Muslim hajj pilgrimage began Sunday. The kingdom is introducing capsule rooms in the western city of Mina, as an estimated 2 million Muslim faithful gather for the six-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. The free nap pods are part of new measures Saudi Arabia is rolling out this year in a bid to modernize the centuries-old practice of hajj. The government has also introduced apps for on-the-spot translation and emergency medical care. Al-Amer is the head of a Saudi charity, the Haji and Mutamer Gift Charitable Association, which is offering between 18 and 24 capsules for pilgrims to nap in for free in the coming days. Each fiberglass pod — less than 3 meters long and just over a meter high — features a mattress, clean sheets, air conditioning and a large, well-lit mirror. The pods can be lined up horizontally or stacked vertically to save on space. “We are always thinking about pilgrims and how to make them more comfortable during the rituals of hajj,” Al-Amer said. The nap pods provide a solution for pilgrims of limited means who cannot afford to book hotels on site but need a quick rest during hajj. Pilgrims will have three hours of access to the pods, which are imported from Japan at cost of just over $1,100 each. When the pilgrim wakes for prayer time — five times daily in Islam — workers will sterilize the pod before handing it over to the next pilgrim. “The idea already exists globally, in Japan for example, and in several cities across the world,” Al-Amer said. “We believe it’s extremely well-suited for crowded places in our holy sites and in Mecca.” But for hajj, which takes pilgrims across Mecca and Mina — two cities in western Saudi Arabia home to the holiest sites of Islam — the pods were also inspired by the rising popularity of car and bike sharing. “The capsules work through a share economy, like bicycles that you can rent for an hour and then leave for someone else,” said Al-Amer. A trial run of 12 pods earlier this year was, he said, a success. Al-Amer estimates 60 people used each pod every day during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The hajj presents Saudi authorities with major logistical challenges, as Islam is currently the world’s fastest-growing religion, according to the Pew Research Center. Providing accommodation for 2 million pilgrims is no small feat, with travelers staying in everything from five-star hotels to tents pitched in empty lots. Saudi authorities are pushing a “smart hajj” initiative to meet with the growing demands of hajj, which coincide with the kingdom’s unprecedented modernization drive. Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most restrictive countries, this year lifted a ban on women driving and has seen a string of reform initiatives spearheaded by the powerful young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. But the kingdom has also tightened its grip on dissent, with around a dozen women’s rights campaigners arrested in recent weeks. Some have been released. Every Muslim is required to complete the hajj at least once in their lifetime if they have the means to do so. The annual pilgrimage sees the Muslim faithful gather in Mecca, all clad in white, to perform rituals around the black Kaaba cube. The hajj also features a symbolic “stoning of the devil” ceremony, marking the start of Eid al-Adha, an Islamic holiday that started on Aug. 21 this year and will end Aug. 25. Eid al-Adha includes the slaughter of sheep, with the meat distributed to Muslims in need. The ritual symbolizes Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, on the order of God.

saudi arabia
capsule hotels
hajj pilgrimage
sleep pod


Scientists warn of 'unprecedented changes' on Japan's marine life as amount of CO2 increases

Abstract: LONDON - Japan’s marine life could see “unprecedented changes” if carbon dioxide emissions keep increasing, a team of British, Japanese and Italian scientists warned in a recently published study. The academics have been studying the effects of higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere upon marine fauna and flora and surveyed waters around some of Japan’s underwater volcanic vents as a “window to the future.” Their findings show rising CO2 emissions in the atmosphere have reduced the ocean’s alkalinity (a process more commonly known as “acidification”) and harmed biodiversity. In the long run, this could have a negative effect on Japan’s prized coral and kelp forests, the scientists warn in their peer-reviewed paper. Explaining the research, Jason Hall-Spencer, professor of marine biology at Plymouth University, said, “Unless we get a grip on reducing CO2 emissions, we will undoubtedly see major degradation of coastal systems worldwide.” Divers from the universities of Plymouth in Britain, Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture and Palermo in Italy studied reefs off Shikine Island, in the Izu Island chain south of Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, which is in a transition zone between the subtropical and temperate zones. Underwater volcanic vents pump large quantities of CO2 into the water, which reduces levels of carbonate used by organisms such as coral and shellfish to build skeletons and shells. Scientists found that around the vents the seascape was virtually barren and dominated by small algae. As the diversity of algae and organisms declines, so does the diversity of fish higher up the food chain. By contrast, when the divers explored areas away from the vents, which had seawater CO2 levels at pre-Industrial Revolution levels, they found an impressive amount of coral and shellfish, such as oysters, forming a diverse habitat for a wide variety of colorful marine life. In areas that had average levels of CO2, there was far less coral and other calcified life, the study showed. The findings are worrying because the seas are predicted to “acidify” in the coming decades due to increased atmospheric CO2. Oceans are already suffering from the effects of gradual warming — another consequence of global warming — and this has resulted in coral dying in southern Japan and warm waters have also impacted upon the growth of kelp. In statements released to the media, various team members expanded upon the importance of their findings. Sylvain Agostini, from the University of Tsukuba, said, “There was a mass mortality of corals in the south of Japan last year, but many people cling to the hope that corals will be able to spread north. It is extremely worrying to find tropical corals are so vulnerable to increases in CO2; this will stop them from being able to spread further north and escape the damage caused by water that is too hot for them.” Shigeki Wada, a seaweed specialist from the University of Tsukuba, said, “When we started this work I had hoped that extra CO2 in the water would help seaweed to thrive, but we found that whilst a few species do, it is the small inedible ones that seem to do the best.” “These are undesirable as they blanket the seabed, choking corals and lowering overall marine diversity. We know that wonderful kelp forests are dying as the waters of Japan are getting warmer, and it is now clear that extra CO2 in the water will not help them fight the stress caused by heat waves.” One researcher suggested a silver lining. “We are pleased to report that the currents flowing past Japan bring waters that have naturally low levels of CO2 and that fish benefit from the array of calcified habitats around our islands,” said Kazuo Inaba, who worked on the project when he was director of Shimoda Marine Research Center, part of the University of Tsukuba. “Small further increases in CO2 do not cause major damage to the ecosystem, so if we are able to meet the Paris Agreement targets (to keep temperature rises this century well below 2 C above preindustrial levels) to limit emissions we should avoid the much higher levels of damage seen close to underwater CO2 seeps.” The scientists’ report was recently published by Nature in Scientific Reports.

ocean
environment
co2 emissions
corals
marine life


Record 70,000 people rushed to hospitals since April 30 amid scorching Japan heat wave

Abstract: Scorching summer heat has sent more than 70,000 people to hospitals across the country over the last three months, far exceeding the previous annual record set in 2013, government data showed Tuesday. A total of 71,266 people were rushed to hospitals for suspected heatstroke or heat exhaustion between April 30 and Aug. 5, with 138 people dying from heat-related illnesses, according to the data from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The tally has already outstripped the previous all-time high of 58,729, registered between June 1 and Sept. 30 in 2013, with the scorching heat having raised the mercury to unprecedented levels in many areas. On July 23, the temperature reached a national record of 41.1 degrees Celsius in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, prompting the Meteorological Agency to label the heat “a natural disaster.” The temperature rose to 41 C in the city of Gero, Gifu Prefecture, on Monday, to log the country’s second-highest temperature on record. Tokyo saw the highest number of people taken to hospitals, at 5,994, followed by 5,272 in Osaka and 5,195 in Aichi prefectures. Of the 71,266 people, 1,651 were severely sick and hospitalized for more than three weeks, according to the data. About 40 percent, or 29,070 people, were taken to hospitals from their homes, while 5,068 people fell ill at educational facilities, including elementary schools and kindergartens. Elderly people accounted for 48.2 percent of the total. Over the week to Sunday, 13,575 people were rushed to hospitals and 13 of them died, the data showed. The disaster management agency expects the heat to continue and warned the public to take preventive measures, such as drinking plenty of water and using air conditioners. The education ministry issued an advisory Tuesday asking local officials across the country to consider extending this year’s summer holiday to protect students from heatstroke. Most schools are closed for summer vacation until late August. The ministry said a shorter winter vacation and Saturday classes could help make up for lost class time in the event of an extended summer break.

heatwave
the fire and disaster management agency


Abe asks ruling party to study daylight saving time for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday ordered his ruling party to study whether to introduce daylight saving time for the Olympic Games in 2020 as a way to deal with Japan’s intense summer heat. Following a meeting with Abe, Yoshiro Mori, head of the organizing committee for the games, revealed that the prime minister wants the Liberal Democratic Party to start gathering opinions, given that the public and the business community are divided over the idea of moving clocks forward. Mori quoted Abe as saying that the government and the LDP have to “carefully determine” whether there is a serious need for the new time system, as it would have a huge impact on people’s lives. The organizing committee is in favor of using the system and Mori, a former prime minister, requested late last month that Abe adopt it following the unusually high temperatures seen in the nation this summer. Mori told reporters that in addition to the Tokyo Games, the energy-saving measure is also important for the government’s commitment to protecting the environment. Olympic officials to been considering a plan to move clocks two hours forward. Japan, which has not used such a system for more than 60 years, is working to find effective measures to mitigate the physical impact on athletes and spectators from the scorching temperatures expected during the Olympics, which will be held from July 24 to Aug. 9 and followed by the Paralympics from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6. Toshiaki Endo, the committee’s vice president and an LDP lawmaker who also attended the meeting, told reporters that there is not much time to study such a shift, and that lawmakers should decide on the introduction of the system during an extraordinary Diet session expected to be convened this autumn. Endo said he wants to start discussions within the ruling party before mid-August, while noting that Japan is among a handful of major industrialized countries that does not operate daylight saving time during the summer. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga maintained a cautious stance, saying in a news conference shortly after the meeting that it was just one of the measures proposed to counter the heat. He had said Monday that the system “would have an impact on people’s lives, and there are only two years before the games.”High temperatures have become a new headache for the nation in the run-up to the Summer Games, as temperatures have topped 40 degrees Celsius repeatedly in some locations in the country this summer, including Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, where the mercury hit the nation’s record high of 41.1 C on July 23. Moving clocks two hours forward would mean male and female marathon runners will effectively start races at what is currently 5 a.m., because the International Olympic Committee had already decided to hold the event from 7 a.m. in an attempt to lessen the likelihood of them competing in sweltering, humid conditions. But some have pointed out that the daylight saving time switch could cause disruption, and that work to adjust computer systems in less than two years would be a difficult task. Japan last introduced daylight saving time in 1948 under the instruction of the General Headquarters of the Allied Forces following the end of World War II, but it was abolished within four years amid criticism it made working hours longer. Pressing the case for a switch to daylight savings, Masa Takaya, Tokyo 2020 spokesman, said in a statement that the step would “also help protect the environment and realize a low-carbon society in Japan.” Japan is among a handful of major economies that does not use daylight saving time during the summer, which also includes South Korea. But Seoul set the nation’s clocks back an hour in 1988, when it hosted the Summer Olympics. Japan operated daylight saving time from 1948 to 1952 under the Allied Occupation — a bitter memory experts say colored discussions about the measure as an energy-saving step in the 1970s and early 2000s. Popular fears were that peer pressure about leaving work during daylight would keep workers at their jobs for longer. “Things are completely different — companies are now trying to limit working hours,” said Hidetoshi Nakagami, head of the energy think tank Jyunkankyo Research Institute. “Data does show that working hours did rise then, but you have to consider historical context — productivity was booming.” Economists said the measure’s impact on behavior could be mixed. “If people start working two hours early and finish two hours early, consumer spending is expected to rise,” said Toshihiro Nagahama, executive chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. “But given the labor shortage, the end of working time may not change and people may still work longer hours.” That was the biggest fear on social media, where the topic was one of Monday’s hottest and worries ranged from having to reprogram computers to losing sleep. “It’s way too easy to imagine that we’ll start work two hours earlier and finish the same in the dark, meaning long days,” wrote one. That happened in Seoul, according to the National Archives. People complained that the longer days were hard to adjust to, and the sense that this was done to coordinate with foreign television stations left a bad taste for many. Accordingly, it was scrapped after 1988.

tokyo 2020
tokyo 2020 olympics
daylight savings time


New kind of artificial intelligence program takes computer hacking to another level

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - The nightmare scenario for computer security — artificial intelligence programs that can learn how to evade even the best defenses — may already have arrived. That warning from security researchers is driven home by a team from IBM Corp. who have used the artificial intelligence technique known as machine learning to build hacking programs that could slip past top-tier defensive measures. The group was to unveil details of its experiment at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday. State-of-the-art defenses generally rely on examining what the attack software is doing, rather than the more commonplace technique of analyzing software code for danger signs. But the new genre of AI-driven programs can be trained to stay dormant until they reach a very specific target, making them exceptionally hard to stop. No one has yet boasted of catching any malicious software that clearly relied on machine learning or other variants of artificial intelligence, but that may just be because the attack programs are too good to be caught. Researchers say that, at best, it is only a matter of time. Free artificial intelligence building blocks for training programs are readily available from Google and others, and the ideas work all too well in practice. “I absolutely do believe we’re going there,” said Jon DiMaggio, a senior threat analyst at cybersecurity firm Symantec Corp. “It’s going to make it a lot harder to detect.” The most advanced nation-state hackers have already shown that they can build attack programs that activate only when they have reached a target. The best-known example is Stuxnet, which was deployed by U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies against a uranium enrichment facility in Iran. The IBM effort, named DeepLocker, showed that a similar level of precision can be available to those with far fewer resources than a national government. In a demonstration using publicly available photos of a sample target, the team used a hacked version of videoconferencing software that swung into action only when it detected the face of a target. “We have a lot of reason to believe this is the next big thing,” said lead IBM researcher Marc Ph. Stoecklin. “This may have happened already, and we will see it two or three years from now.” At a recent New York conference, Hackers on Planet Earth, defense researcher Kevin Hodges showed off an “entry-level” automated program he made with open-source training tools that tried multiple attack approaches in succession. “We need to start looking at this stuff now,” said Hodges. “Whoever you personally consider evil is already working on this.”

internet hacking computers ibm cyberattacks ai


Sony opens experimental 'park' in Ginza

Abstract: In what appears to be an unusual mix, tech giant Sony Corp. opened a “park” in the middle of the Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district on Thursday with four subterranean levels. Ginza Sony Park was built at the site where the Sony Building, a former landmark, once stood. The ground floor consists of greenery and looks like a standard park, but the four underground floors consist of shops and free space. Some of the shops sell food and goods, but much of the facility’s 3,807 sq. meters of floor space is designed to let people hang out freely. “We think such free space is what makes a park,” said Daisuke Nagano, president of Sony Enterprise Co., during a media preview of the facility Wednesday. The Sony Building, which opened in 1966 and was dismantled last year, was used as a showroom for the company’s products, but Nagano stressed that Ginza Sony Park is neither commercial complex nor showroom. The basement levels are surrounded by bare concrete, which makes them look like garages, and has pipes and air ducts hanging from their ceilings. Sony said the facility can be used as a space for events. For now, a roller skating rink has been set up on the second basement floor that can be used for free until Sept. 24. The idea of Sony opening a park-themed facility may sound odd, but Nagano said it was an experiment before erecting a new Sony building on the site. Sony plans to run the park until fall 2020, when it will start construction on the new Sony Building with an eye to opening it in 2022. “At first, we were mainly discussing the design of the new building and how we will use it in Sony’s way,” said Nagano. But with many other companies also developing new buildings in Tokyo by 2020, “We came to think that not creating a building for now actually fits Sony’s way,” since its culture is to do something that others don’t, Nagano explained. Sony wants to see how the park concept will work out because it hopes to incorporate greater openness into the new Sony Building, he said, adding that another purpose is to enhance Sony’s brand image. Asked how Sony will make revenue from the park business, Nagano said most of it will come from the shopping and advertising space. Ginza Sony Park is open from 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. everyday except Jan. 1 and admission is free.


Crews gain ground on mammoth California wildfire as night temperatures ease

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - Crews battling the largest wildfire in California history took advantage of milder overnight temperatures to gain considerable ground in containing the blaze on Wednesday, a day after officials it would take until September to snuff it out. The Mendocino Complex fire, which has scorched an area of Northern California almost the size of Los Angeles, was 47 percent contained on Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said. A day earlier, the fire was 34 percent contained. So far, two firefighters have been injured fighting the blaze, which has consumed more than 300,000 acres. While sprawling, the wildfire was less destructive than last week’s Carr Fire near Redding, destroying 75 homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 23,000 people. The Carr Fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures. Overnight temperatures for Wednesday and Thursday should drop to a low of 64 degrees (18 Celsius) but highs were forecast to hit 98 degrees (36 Celsius) on Wednesday and 99 (37 Celsius) on Thursday, said National Weather Service meteorology intern Jennifer Guenehner. Some 4,000 firefighters were working on Wednesday to stop the fire from reaching communities at the southern tip of the Mendocino National Forest, about 100 miles north of San Francisco. The blaze is still threatening more than 10,000 structures, Cal Fire said. The Mendocino Complex is one of 17 major fires burning in California that have destroyed more than 1,500 structures and displaced tens of thousands of people over the past month. Cal Fire on Tuesday pushed back the date when it expected to bring the Mendocino fire under full control to Sept. 1, the fourth time the department has revised its timetable as the massive wildfire expanded. The fire became the largest in California history on Monday, after officials began battling two separate blazes in the Mendocino area as a single event, according to Cal Fire. Now, having scorched more than 300,000 acres, the blaze has surpassed the Thomas Fire, which burned 281,893 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties in Southern California last December, destroying more than 1,000 structures. Since Sunday, President Donald Trump has claimed, without substantiating his remarks, that California was letting water run into the ocean instead of using it to fight blazes, and he blamed California’s environmental policies for worsening the fires. The comments baffled California firefighters, who said they had more than enough water to douse the flames. Climate change is widely blamed for the higher temperatures that have fueled wildfires in California, and further afield like in Portugal, Sweden and Siberia. The California fires are on track to be the most destructive in a decade, prompting Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and Republican leaders such as state Sen. Ted Gaines to call for thinning forests and controlled burns to reduce fire danger. Environmentalists oppose such preventive burns, saying they kill wildlife.

global warming
heat wave
jerry brown
wildfires
california institute of technology
donald trump
mendocino complex fire


Set of teeth from ancient mega-shark found in rock on Australian beach

Abstract: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - A rare set of teeth from a giant prehistoric mega-shark twice the size of the great white have been found on an Australian beach by a keen-eyed amateur enthusiast, scientists said Thursday. Philip Mullaly was strolling along an area known as a fossil hot spot at Jan Juc, on the country’s famous Great Ocean Road some 100 km (60 miles) from Melbourne, when he made the find. “I was walking along the beach looking for fossils, turned and saw this shining glint in a boulder and saw a quarter of the tooth exposed,” he said. “I was immediately excited, it was just perfect and I knew it was an important find that needed to be shared with people.” He told Museums Victoria, and Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology, confirmed the 7-cm-long (2.7-inch) teeth were from an extinct species of predator known as the great jagged narrow-toothed shark (Carcharocles angustidens). The shark, which stalked oceans around 25 million years ago off what is now Australia, feasting on small whales and penguins, could grow more than nine meters long, almost twice the length of today’s great white shark. “These teeth are of international significance, as they represent one of just three associated groupings of Carcharocles angustidens teeth in the world, and the very first set to ever be discovered in Australia,” Fitzgerald said. He explained that almost all fossils of sharks worldwide were just single teeth, and it was extremely rare to find multiple associated teeth from the same shark. This is because sharks, which have the ability to regrow teeth, lose up to a tooth a day and cartilage, the material a shark skeleton is made of, does not readily fossilize. Fitzgerald suspected they came from one individual shark and there might be more entombed in the rock. So he led a team of paleontologists, volunteers and Mullaly on two expeditions earlier this year to excavate the site, collecting more than 40 teeth in total. Most came from the mega-shark, but several smaller teeth were also found from the six-gill shark (Hexanchus), which still exists today. Museums Victoria paleontologist Tim Ziegler said the six-gill teeth were from several different individuals and would have become dislodged as they scavenged on the carcass of the Carcharocles angustidens after it died. “The stench of blood and decaying flesh would have drawn scavengers from far around,” he said. “Six-gill sharks still exist off the Victorian coast today, where they live off the remains of whales and other animals. This find suggests they have performed that lifestyle here for tens of millions of years.”

evolution oceans australia animals paleontology sharks


Conservative media move to front line of battle to undermine Pope Francis

Abstract: VATICAN CITY - Last March, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano dined on the outskirts of Rome at the home of a conservative Italian Catholic journalist. Over pasta, fish and white wine, the prelate poured out his concern for the future of the Roman Catholic Church. It was the start of about five months of contacts and collaboration between Vigano and several conservative journalists and media outlets that would lead to one of the greatest crises for the church in modern times. In a bombshell statement published last weekend when Pope Francis was in Ireland, Vigano, the former Vatican ambassador to Washington, urged Francis to resign on the grounds he knew for years about the sexual misconduct of an American cardinal and did nothing. The full extent of journalists’ involvement in the statement — from conception and editing to translation and publication — emerges from a series of Reuters interviews that reveal a union of conservative clergy and media aimed at what papal defenders say is a campaign to weaken the reformist Francis’s pontificate. Since his election in 2013, conservatives have sharply criticized Francis, saying he has left many faithful confused by pronouncements that the church should be more welcoming to homosexuals and divorced Catholics and not be obsessed by “culture war” issues such as abortion. “The conservatives have declared war and they are convinced they can reform the Church with a frontal attack,” a senior Vatican prelate said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because “the line is silence” now. Vigano said he had told the pope of the allegations five years ago, soon after Francis’ election. The statement included no supporting documents and also accused a long list of current and past Vatican and U.S. Church officials of facilitating the expansion of a “homosexual network” in the church. Pope Francis told reporters on his plane returning from Ireland that he would “not say one word” about the accusations. “Read the document carefully and judge it for yourselves. It speaks for itself,” he said. Vatican sources say it still has not been decided if the Vatican will issue a detailed institutional response to Vigano’s accusations, which they say have caused consternation among many members of the faithful. Vigano’s move, an unprecedented attack on the pope by a Vatican insider, was the latest blow to the credibility of the church. Two weeks ago, a grand jury in Pennsylvania released the findings of the largest-ever investigation of sex abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church, finding that 301 priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years. The dinner with Vigano in March was held at the home of Aldo Maria Valli, a journalist who covers the Vatican for Italian state television RAI, publishes a conservative blog and has written several books. Valli writes in his blog that he had several other meetings with Vigano, including a second dinner in Valli’s home in August to discuss the topics of the statement. He says Vigano arrived at their last meeting in a secret location wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap — unusual headgear for an archbishop. On Aug. 22, Vigano went to the home of Marco Tosatti, a longtime Vatican journalist who writes for conservative publications and runs his own blog that is highly critical of Francis’ papacy. Tosatti said he helped Vigano rewrite and edit the statement during a three-hour meeting. Valli told Reuters Tosatti then sent him and other selected journalists the final version. Valli told Reuters there is clear division between his work as a television journalist and his personal opinions in his blog and books. The statement surfaced on Aug. 26, four days after it was dated. Interviews with those involved show its publication was coordinated in consultation with Valli, Tosatti, the National Catholic Register in the United States and Italy’s La Verita, both conservative newspapers that criticize Francis regularly. It was translated into English by Diane Montagna of the conservative LifeSiteNews, which published it at the same time and often carries full texts of speeches by Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the pope’s fiercest critics. “It’s very reminiscent of what is going on in conservative politics in the United States. It’s the same playbook,” said David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University in New York. He was alluding to the close relationship between President Donald Trump’s administration and conservative-leaning news outlets such as Fox News. Tosatti told Reuters there was “no conservative conspiracy” behind the statement and that its publication was delayed because it had to be translated in several languages. He said it was “a mere coincidence” that it was published during the pope’s trip to Ireland, where sexual abuse by the clergy was a main issue. But Valli says in his blog that its release was specifically timed so that it would come up during the pope’s in-flight news conference from Dublin to Rome. Experienced Vatican journalists such as Valli and Tosatti understand that the papal plane is a rare chance for reporters to ask the pope questions. Another journalist who received the statement also confirmed that Vigano, who is now in hiding in an undisclosed location and issues statements through Valli, wanted it published while the pope was in Ireland. “Obviously Vigano is being used as a weapon by a whole coterie of people who can’t stand Pope Francis and the changes he wants to make to the Church,” said Alexander Stille, professor of international journalism at Columbia University in New York and author of several books on Italy. “People who would defend to the death the doctrine of papal infallibility have no difficulty in treating a pope who has been elected by all the standard Vatican protocols as if we were a corporate manager who could be fired from one day to the next.”

vatican
pope francis
sex abuse
carlo maria vigano


Australia unleashes starfish-killing robot to protect Great Barrier Reef

Abstract: SYDNEY - A robot submarine able to hunt and kill the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish that are devastating the Great Barrier Reef was unveiled by Australian researchers on Friday. Scientists at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said the robot, named the RangerBot and developed with a grant from Google, would serve as a “robo reef protector” for the vast World Heritage site off Australia’s northeastern coast. The RangerBot has an eight-hour battery life and computer vision capabilities allowing it to monitor and map reef areas at scales not previously possible. “RangerBot is the world’s first underwater robotic system designed specifically for coral reef environments, using only robot-vision for real-time navigation, obstacle avoidance and complex science missions,” said Matthew Dunbabin, the QUT professor who unveiled the submarine. “This multifunction ocean drone can monitor a wide range of issues facing coral reefs including coral bleaching, water quality, pest species, pollution and siltation.” Software will also enable the bot to detect crown-of-thorns starfish, which eat coral, and “instigate an injection which is fatal” to the predators, he said, adding that the injection is harmless for other reef creatures. The starfish have proliferated in recent times due to pollution and agricultural runoff. The Great Barrier Reef, about the size of Japan or Italy, is reeling from two straight years of bleaching as sea temperatures rise because of climate change. Experts have warned that the 2,300-kilometer-long (1,400-mile) area could have suffered irreparable damage due to the combined effects of bleaching, damage from agricultural runoff and the impact of the crown-of-thorns starfish.


Justice Ministry to enforce rule designating number of weeks Japanese-language schools must be in session

Abstract: The Justice Ministry will impose new regulations on Japanese-language schools in October to ensure students who enter Japan to learn the language do not spend the majority of their stay working instead of studying. The change was implemented after one applicant raised the ministry’s eyebrows by asking about setting up a school that would be in session for just half a year, presumably so students could use the longer holiday period to work. Under current student visa conditions, students can work up to 40 hours a week when their schools are on holiday and 28 hours when they are in session. Although there were previously no rules on how long a school should be in session, the new rule will require schools to be in session for at least 35 weeks a year. “The main duty of a student is to study,” said Justice Ministry official Tetsuya Soga, who explained that the new rule is intended as a way to clarify that students should be putting their effort into studying rather than working. “Studying abroad in Japan is not the equivalent of a work visa,” Soga said. The current rules, which require schools to hold at least 760 classes per year and 20 classes per week, with each class running a minimum of 45 minutes, will remain unchanged. There were some 78,000 students enrolled at Japanese schools as of May 2017, according to a report published in December by the Japan Student Services Organization. The figure represents a threefold increase over six years from 25,000 in 2011, when record-keeping began. A separate study by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education published in 2010 showed that some 70 percent of students surveyed were working part-time while studying. The study also showed that students worked an average of roughly 15 hours a week. Unlike universities, which must be established by an educational corporation, Japanese schools can be set up by individuals and business corporations as long as the rules laid down by the Justice Ministry are complied with. Other major revisions to the rules state that school principals cannot head up more than two schools at once and must elect a vice principal if they are managing two schools.

immigration
japanese language
education
justice ministry
foreign students
foreign workforce


LGBT people seek apology from Sugita after LDP lawmaker called them 'unproductive'

Abstract: Members of sexual minority groups on Friday demanded an apology from a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker who claimed in a magazine article that the government should not support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people because they cannot bear offspring and thus are “unproductive.” LGBT representatives and their families submitted about 26,000 signatures to the headquarters of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, requesting that lawmaker Mio Sugita hold a news conference to apologize. The signatures were collected online for about a month to demand the LDP remove Sugita, a 51-year-old House of Representatives member, if her attitude does not change and enact a law to ban discrimination against sexual minorities. Among messages posted on the website where the signatures were collected, one person said, “Ms. Sugita should be responsible for her remark, admit her fault and apologize.” The mother of a transgender fourth grader said in her post, “It is really terrible. Ms. Sugita, what you are doing is bullying.” Titled “Support for LGBT is too much,” the article contributed by Sugita to the conservative magazine Shincho 45 on July 18 read: “Can spending taxpayers’ money for LGBT couples gain approval? They don’t make children. In other words, they lack ‘productivity.’ ” In early August, the LDP asserted in a statement its views are opposed to those of Sugita. But the party’s initial response — apparently tolerating her stance — fueled public anger. The party’s No. 2 figure, Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, said at a press conference on July 24 that the LDP “is a gathering of wide-ranging people from right to left. Each (LDP politician) has his or her own political position and life philosophy.”


More than 20,000 ordered to evacuate as rain lashes central and northeastern Japan

Abstract: KANAZAWA - More than 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate in parts of central and northeastern Japan on Friday as heavy rain sparked flooding. The Meteorological Agency also warned of landslides and flooding in other areas as a front bringing heavy rain was expected to move south toward the country’s eastern and western regions through Saturday. An evacuation order was issued for 7,965 people in the city of Nanao, in Ishikawa Prefecture, as the Kumaki River overflowed, while the town of Hodatsushimizu, which is also in the prefecture, ordered 13,337 residents to evacuate. In Yamagata Prefecture, a landslide blocked a road in the village of Tozawa, temporarily trapping five people. Yamagata’s Mogamioguni River also flooded causing a suspension bridge to collapse. The torrential rains also disrupted railway operations. Shinkansen services between Yamagata and Shinjo stations were suspended together with Thunderbird and Shirasagi limited express trains to and from Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the respective railway operators. On Friday morning 77 millimeters of rain was recorded in a single hour in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and 56 mm in the town of Kaneyama, in Yamagata Prefecture, the Meteorological Agency said. With the storm front extending from the Sea of Japan to the Tohoku region, damp and warm air flowed over the country creating unstable atmospheric conditions, the Meteorological Agency said. In the 24-hour period through Saturday morning, up to 180 mm of rain is expected in the northeastern and central regions, while western Japan is forecast to receive up to 120 mm.


930,000 Japanese teens addicted to Internet: survey

Abstract: More teenagers are becoming addicted to the internet with an estimated 930,000 junior high and high school students nationwide overusing online services, a health ministry team said Friday. The figure is double the number from the previous survey in 2013, and showed that more female students were hooked than males. The team said the prevalence of smartphone games and social networking services is partly to blame for the surge. Internet addicts can become reclusive or violent toward family members and might be at risk of neurological problems and illnesses such as depression. The survey by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry was conducted between December and February and targeted students at 103 junior high and high schools in Japan. Some 64,000 students responded. It showed 10.6 percent of junior high school boys and 14.3 percent of junior high school girls were using the internet obsessively. Among high school students, 13.2 percent of boys and 18.9 percent of girls were doing the same. Students were deemed to be obsessive users if at least five of eight statements indicative of internet addiction applied to their behavior. This included a statement that said: “You go into a sulk if you are going to stop using the internet.” The 930,000 estimate produced by the latest study is up from the 510,000 seen in 2013. Excessive playing of online games has become a global issue, prompting the World Health Organization to add gaming disorder to its list of medical conditions in June. Last year a 22-year-old man in China’s Zhejiang Province was reportedly rushed to the hospital after playing online games for four days in a row, without eating or drinking, and coming down with a kidney disorder. The Chinese government said Thursday it plans to control the release of online games to prevent young people from becoming near-sighted. In South Korea a man in his 20s who frequented an internet cafe starved his 2-year-old son by leaving him at home in 2014, while another man in his 20s died after playing games online for 86 hours virtually without sleep in 2002. The South Korean government is taking steps to fight the problem by introducing treatment programs.

internet
smartphones
social media
addictions