Thousands sign online petition to 'let people drink' reddish liquid found in 2,000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus

Abstract: Ancient elixir, skeletal soup — or something less insidious — thousands of people have signed an online petition to “let people drink” a reddish liquid discovered in a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus unearthed in Egypt. The tongue-in-cheek petition , started late last week and entitled “let people drink the red liquid from the dark sarcophagus,” has gathered some 11,000 electronic signatures as of Sunday evening — and looked likely to reach its 15,000 goal as the campaign went viral on social media. A humorous short blurb on the petition homepage suggested the ominous red liquid “from the cursed dark sarcophagus” be imbibed “in the form of some sort of carbonated energy drink so we can assume its powers and finally die.” However, Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry said in a statement Saturday that the liquid found in the large black granite sarcophagus is neither “juice for mummies that contains an elixir of life,” nor is it red mercury, but merely sewage water. The ministry said the wastewater probably found its way into the sarcophagus from a nearby sewage trench, and may have caused the mummies to decompose, leaving only their skeletons. Speculation had risen that the rare discovery in Alexandria earlier this month may have belonged to the ancient Greek ruler Alexander the Great, but the ministry said the find didn’t belong to any ancient rulers, adding that the remains were undergoing tests for more information. Still, hours after the release of the information that the liquid was not, in fact, an ancient elixir, those signing the petition appeared undeterred. “The people of the world have a right to drink dark questionable fluids,” wrote one under the name Paul Craig.


Tightrope walker stuns Parisians with netless Montmartre performance

Abstract: PARIS Reuters French tightrope artist Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga impressed hundreds of Parisians on Saturday with a performance that featured a walk on a rope suspended 35 meters (115 feet) above the ground in the city’s hilly northern district of Montmartre. Bongonga, 34, walked on a rope suspended by a crane at the base of the hill’s steps toward the Sacre Coeur basilica without any security equipment, a gesture many in the audience found nerve-racking. A chamber orchestra accompanied her performance. “It’s very surprising and very dangerous. It really impressed me, actually. I noticed that she was not secured. There was a lot of acrobatics. I had a really good time,” spectator Jennifer Mandelbaum told Reuters. Acrobats practicing tightrope walking, also called funambulism, maintain their balance by positioning their center of mass directly over their base of support, a rope or a wire. Bongonga, who prepared for the show for a year, has been practicing tightrope walking since she was 8.


Leaving on a jet-suit? London store offers chance to hover like 'Iron Man'

Abstract: LONDON - Ever fancied a dab at being “Iron Man”? Now you can. A jet-suit created by a British former commodities trader has gone on sale in a London department store with a cool price tag of £340,000 ($446,522). Made up of five miniature jet engines mounted on the pilot’s arms and back, and also of electronics and 3D printed parts, the suit by Gravity Industries is reminiscent of the one worn by Robert Downey Jr. as Marvel superhero “Iron Man.” Running on jet fuel or diesel, it has a speed record of 32 miles per hour (51 kph) and altitude limit of 12,000 feet (3,658 meters), though inventor Richard Browning hovers only a few meters above the ground when using it, for safety reasons. He has taken it on demonstrations around the world and on Wednesday took flight above a small closed-off street outside luxury department store Selfridges, which is selling custom-made versions of the suit. “This consumes about four liters a minute in the hover (position) so you can fly for three or four minutes quite easily and we have got another version — certainly on a cold day when you get more thrust, it’ll fly for about nine minutes,” he said. “That’s something we’re looking to improve but it’s the inevitable consequence of flying without wings.” The curious can see the suit at the store as well as test out a virtual reality version. Anybody who decides to buy a suit will also be offered training. “If you watch this as an audience member you probably get exposed to more warmth than I do as the pilot,” Browning said. “It’s actually surprisingly calm and not very violent. It’s very passive and gentle when you’re flying it.”


In Senegal, Xi pledges stronger Sino-African ties

Abstract: DAKAR - Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged during a visit to Senegal on Saturday to strengthen economic ties with Africa, a continent already awash with cheap Chinese loans in exchange for minerals and huge construction projects. Xi arrived in Senegal on Saturday for a two-day visit to sign bilateral deals, the first leg of an Africa tour that will also take him to Rwanda and South Africa, the latter for a summit of BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China now does more trade with Africa than any other nation does, and its consistent overtures to the continent contrast sharply with the United States, whose President Donald Trump has shown little interest in it. The visit was Xi’s first trip to West Africa as president, but his fourth to Africa, he told a joint news conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall after their third-ever meeting. “Every time I come to Africa, I have seen the dynamism of the continent and the aspirations of its people for development,” Xi said. “I am very confident in the future of Sino-African relations.” Earlier, Xi was greeted by a brass band and hundreds of people waving Chinese and Senegalese flags and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the two leaders’ faces. Africa is in the midst of a boom in infrastructure projects, managed and cheaply financed by China, part of Xi’s “Belt and Road” initiative to build a transport network connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. China has pledged $126 billion for the plan, which has been praised by its supporters as a source of vital financing for the developing world. In Senegal, Chinese loans have financed a highway linking the capital, Dakar, to Touba, its second main city, and part of an industrial park on the Dakar peninsula. China’s ambassador to Senegal Zhang Xun was quoted by the local press in March as saying China had invested $100 million in Senegal in 2017. “Senegal takes a positive view of China’s role in Africa,” Sall said at the news conference. “For its contribution to peace and stability and equally … for the financing of budgets.” But critics say Africa is loading itself up on Chinese debt that it may struggle to repay, with estimates ranging in the tens of billions of dollars. That could leave African nations with no choice but to hand over controlling stakes in strategic assets to the Chinese state. U.S. officials have warned that a port in the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, a host to major U.S. and French military bases, could suffer this fate, although Djibouti rejects the fear. In Guinea, meanwhile, one of the world’s poorest nations, China is lending $20 billion to the government in exchange for aluminum ore concessions. As well as trade and minerals, China has also seen Africa as a source of political support. Chinese diplomacy has, as of May this year, succeeded in getting every African country except Swaziland to break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province.

china
india
trade
south africa
aid
xi jinping
development
senegal
rwanda


India scraps tax on sanitary pads in boost for girls' education

Abstract: NEW DELHI - India scrapped a controversial tax on sanitary pads Saturday, a move hailed by campaigners who say it will help more girls to go to school during their periods and boost their job prospects. Activists say removing the tax on pads tackles one of the biggest barriers to education for girls, who are often forced to stay at home due to a lack of access to clean hygiene products, while also facing stigma and a lack of toilets in schools. Periods are among the leading factors for girls to drop out of school in a country where 4 out of 5 women and girls are estimated by campaigners to have no access to sanitary pads. “I am sure all mothers and sisters will be very happy to hear that sanitary pads are now 100 percent exempt from tax,” India’s interim finance minister, Piyush Goyal, told reporters at a news conference in New Delhi. Sanitary pads were taxed at 12 percent under India’s goods and services tax, which was launched in July 2017. The decision triggered protests, petitions and court cases that questioned why the government taxed pads as a luxury rather than an essential item, such as condoms, which are tax-free. Last year, lawmaker Sushmita Dev launched a petition to demand a reduction or total removal of taxes on pads, citing that about 70 percent of women in India could not afford them. The online petition gained more than 400,000 signatures. “This was a most-awaited and necessary step to help girls and women to stay in school, their jobs, to practice proper menstrual hygiene,” said Surbhi Singh, founder of Sachhi Saheli, a charity that raises awareness on menstrual health. “This will help them to grow, to show their true potential,” she said. Indian girls and women face many challenges when they have their periods, especially in rural areas where a lack of awareness and the cost of pads mean many instead use unsanitary cloth or rags, increasing the risk of infections and disease. Bollywood’s first film on menstrual hygiene, “Padman,” starring Akshay Kumar — one of Hindi cinema’s most popular action heroes — triggered debate over the taboo subject of menstrual hygiene in India after its release earlier this year. Kumar is at the forefront of a campaign by Niine Movement, an initiative promoting menstrual hygiene, to help increase the number of women using pads. Amar Tulsiyan, founder of Niine Movement, called Saturday’s decision “a big win for everyone” in India, where, he said, 82 percent women and girls have no access to sanitary pads. “The tax exemption is a massive boost,” he said. More than a third of girls in South Asia miss school during their periods because they lack access to toilets or pads, and many receive no education about menstruation before reaching puberty, according to a recent report by charity WaterAid and UNICEF.


Rampant bribery in Tokushima sheds light on rise on Japan's uncontested elections

Abstract: OSAKA - Common sense might tell you that, as small towns and villages in Japan face aging and declining populations, they would do whatever they could to encourage their remaining residents to run for a seat on the council when election time comes. But in the town of Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture, with a population just under 5,400, four of the 10 council members have been arrested on suspicion of bribing a former member to not run again. The head of the council, Shigetomi Hosoi, has admitted giving former member Mitsuyoshi Yamamoto ¥500,000 in cash but denies allegations the money was intended to persuade Yamamoto not to run. All 10 seats went uncontested, automatically returning the incumbents. With 40 percent of their elected representatives now under arrest, the town council faces an unclear future. While it does have the minimum five members needed to call meetings in September, when the next session is scheduled, a minimum of eight votes will be needed to dissolve the council and hold emergency elections. “For the moment, all we can really do is observe the situation,” said Kamiyama council member Tetsuo Nishisaki, one of those who brought charges against Hosoi and the others, at a July 2 news conference following their arrests. Last year, village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, also in Shikoku, made national headlines when the mayor suggested it might have to introduce direct democracy due to a lack of willing candidates among its 400 residents, many of whom were old or very old. The thought of citizens governing themselves panicked bureaucrats in Tokyo, who immediately looked into the problem by establishing a panel to study it. The committee later proposed easing restrictions on running for office and raising salaries to attract more people, while Kochi Prefecture has said it will work more closely with the council members. So Okawa will keep its town council, for now. In the 2015 round of nationwide local elections, 21.8 percent of the candidates for town or village assemblies ran unopposed. Explanations from political pundits and academic researchers, foreign and Japanese, tend to focus on detailed statistics and data related to changing demographics, which are offered as reasons for the rise in uncontested seats. They are not wrong to do so as a basic approach. But as the situation in Kamiyama suggests, sometimes a simpler explanation for the unopposed contests at the local level is just old-fashioned greed.


Deadly rains in western Japan revive calls for disaster prevention ministry

Abstract: OSAKA - The fatal rains and flooding in western Japan — and the ongoing difficulties caused by the extent of the damage and record high temperatures — have revived calls for creating a disaster prevention ministry that can coordinate and streamline rescue and relief efforts. The question is one that may influence the outcome of the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential race in September, with a key member and tough challenger to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joining local politicians in calling for a ministry-level organization. Over the past few weeks, Shigeru Ishiba, a former LDP secretary-general from Tottori Prefecture who is quite popular among local LDP chapters for promoting regional economic revitalization, has spoken and written about the need for a new ministry or agency to handle disasters. He outlined the idea in a book of policy proposals that was published on July 14. “Japan is a country with a lot of different kinds of natural disasters, and we’re very experienced in dealing with them. Isn’t it necessary to scale things up by centralizing this knowledge in one location, including knowledge gained from infrastructure issues and evacuations?” Ishiba wrote. He added that the idea for a disaster prevention ministry had been proposed back in 2015 and 2016, when he was regional revitalization minister, but that discussions within the government didn’t go anywhere. With concern about an earthquake leveling Tokyo — or striking in an area known as the Nankai trough off the Pacific coast — Ishiba says a ministry that would train experts, promote a culture of disaster prevention and conduct evacuation drills is necessary. Furthermore, Ishiba suggests the ministry could play a role in economic stimulation and technological innovation of a kind most Japanese embrace. “The development of scientific technologies for military use is strongly opposed in Japan. But the development of scientific technologies for disaster prevention would receive a lot of support. As a national policy, putting efforts into making this sector would lead to new industries and make Japan a world leader in innovation with regards to disaster prevention techniques,” Ishiba wrote. The idea for a full-scale ministry, or at least an agency, dates back to the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which killed over 6,300 people. At the time, there was great frustration within the Kobe Municipal Government and the Hyogo Prefectural Government over national laws, rules, and policies that resulted in bureaucratic delays and the lack of quick coordination on rescue and relief efforts between various organs in Tokyo and local governments and disaster response teams. Since then, Hyogo Prefecture, and more generally the Kansai region, has urged the central government to become more proactive and efficient in disaster prevention and response, including support from a disaster prevention ministry or agency. The most recent proposal was made in July 2017 by a panel of disaster response experts. They presented their recommendations to the Union of Kansai Governments, which includes the governors of eight prefectures and the mayors of four cities. The committee had been appointed by the union in July 2016 to investigate ways to improve national and local government responses to natural disaster. The committee agreed that a new ministry or agency for disaster prevention was needed for five reasons: To strengthen national policies from the viewpoint of preventing and reducing natural disasters. To have a bureaucratic organ that supports groups of disaster experts, who can share their knowledge and experience formally. To coordinate human resource and material needs. To improve local government response capabilities and create national standards for all local governments. To offer back-up support. “Does the current system for disaster response in Japan allow for responding to a giant natural disaster? You can’t just extend past policies if there is an unprecedented natural disaster,” the committee’s report said. One of those who served on the committee is Yoshiaki Kawata, a disaster expert at Kansai University and a longtime advocate for a new ministry. “The headquarters of the ministry or agency would be located in Tokyo, with a deputy headquarters in Kobe and regional bureaus in Sapporo, Sendai, Niigata, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, and Kumamoto. In the event of the largest scale of disaster, the prime minister would serve as head of an emergency response team, while in a smaller disaster, the Disaster Prevention Minister would be in charge. Dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces would be done by the Defense Minister,” Kawata said in an email interview. In addition to the Union of Kansai Governments, the National Governors’ Association is also supportive of a new ministry. But the central government remains wary, at the very least, over the idea. At a regular news briefing on July 17, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga expressed caution about the idea of a new disaster ministry or agency. “Usually, bureaucrats at related agencies are first trained, and in the event of a disaster, are immediately dispatched to the affected site. It’s critical that, based on the separation of roles for the national and local governments, a posture is adopted of making efforts for a speedy recovery,” Suga said. Even with the flood damage and recent calls by Ishiba, other LDP members and local government leaders for a new entity, Kawata doubts there will be movement by the Diet anytime soon to pass a bill authorizing the creation of a new ministry or agency. “This is because individual Diet members wouldn’t benefit from doing so. Most of them have a poor sense of mission and responsibility and a very poor ability to formulate policy,” he said. But the larger problem, he added, is one of indifference. “Japan is very lucky that it has no experience of being completely wiped out by a natural disaster or war. So nobody can imagine such a thing happening,” he said. “There is a danger of an earthquake striking Tokyo during the Olympics, but even if you think about it, there’s nothing you can do. So people decide not to worry and don’t consider the possibility,” he said.

disasters
shigeru ishiba
west japan floods


In mourning, Greece hunts for more victims as wildfires kill at least 74, send survivors into the sea

Abstract: ATHENS - Greece was in mourning Tuesday following some of the worst wildfires this century, with fears the toll — at least 74 dead and 187 injured so far — could rise, as rescuers search for people trapped in their homes or burned-out cars. The fires, which broke out on Monday afternoon, devoured homes and forests, forcing terrified residents to flea into the sea for safety, while pine forests were reduced to ash and charred cars lined the smoke-filled streets of seaside towns near Athens. “Today, Greece is in mourning,” said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning. Greek media described the disaster as a “national tragedy. The government has not yet said how many people were regarded as missing. But the death toll could surpass that from the blazes that hit Greece’s southern island of Evia in 2007 in which 77 people perished. Out of a total 187 people hospitalized, 82, including almost a dozen children, were still being treated on Tuesday evening, 10 of whom were in “serious condition,” the fire services said. One Belgian was among the victims, said Belgium’s foreign minister, Didier Reynders, while in Warsaw Poland’s government said a Polish woman and her son also died. Dozens of people were overtaken by the flames in their homes, on foot or in their cars. AFP photographers saw the burnt bodies of humans and dogs. The charred bodies of 26 people, including small children, were discovered at a villa at the seaside resort of Mati, 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Athens, said rescuer Vassilis Andriopoulos. They were huddled together in small groups, “perhaps families, friends or strangers, entwined in a last attempt to protect themselves as they tried to reach the sea,” he said. As world leaders including Pope Francis affirmed their solidarity, Athens said 308 engineers will arrive on site by Wednesday to assess the damage. But “the problem is what is still hidden under the ashes,” said Vice President of Emergency Services Miltiadis Mylonas. Dramatic video footage showed people fleeing by car as the tourist-friendly Attica region declared a state of emergency. “I saw the fire move down the hill at around 6:00 p.m. and 5 or 10 minutes later it was in my garden,” said 60-year-old Athanasia Oktapodi. Her home is surrounded by dry pine trees. “They caught fire. I ran out like a crazy person, got to the beach and put my head in the water. Then the patrol boats came.” Fire service spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said firefighters were still searching for more victims and taking “dozens of calls” from people looking for relatives, she said. Winds of above 100 kph (60 mph) in Mati caused a “sudden progression of fire” through the village, said Maliri. “Mati no longer exists,” said the mayor of nearby Rafina, Evangelos Bournous, adding that more than a thousand buildings and 300 cars had been damaged. “I saw the flames outside the window of our hotel. I thought it would explode,” said Alina Marzin, a 20-year-old German tourist who had been staying at the Capo Verde hotel in Mati on Monday evening with her brother and their parents. At least six people died trying to escape the flames into the sea. Some 715 people were evacuated by boats to Rafina, the government said. “People are shocked, lost. Some of them have lost everything: children, parents, homes,” said Red Cross spokeswoman Georgia Trisbioti. The European Union activated its Civil Protection Mechanism after Greece sought help. Several countries said they were sending aircraft to help fight the flames. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted the EU “will spare no effort to help Greece and the Greek people,” while Pope Francis spoke of his “deep sadness,” sentiments echoed by EU and NATO leaders. NATO head Jens Stoltenberg offered the alliance’s full solidarity with Greece, whose government earmarked financial aid for victims’ relatives. Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said the priority was to extinguish a fire still burning in Kineta, 50 km from Athens. Near the town of Marathon, residents fled to safety along the beach, while 600 children were evacuated from holiday camps. Officials raised the possibility the blazes could have been started deliberately by criminals out to ransack abandoned homes. “I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires,” Tsipras said as supreme court prosecutors announced they had opened an investigation into the causes of the fire. Showers were set to see temperatures around Athens drop slightly after hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Wildfires have also caused widespread damage in Northern Europe in recent days. Sweden, experiencing an unprecedented drought and the highest temperatures in a century, has counted more than 20 fires across the country. Fires have also hit Finland’s northernmost Lapland province. Norway, which experienced its hottest May temperatures on record, has seen several small fires. One firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to contain a blaze. Fires have raged for five days in Latvia, destroying more than 1,000 hectares in the Baltic state.

europe
greece
disaster
heat wave
wildfires


Heat wave killed record 65 people across Japan last week as over 22,000 were hospitalized

Abstract: More than 22,000 people were taken to hospitals due to the heat wave across Japan last week and 65 of them died, both record-high figures since comparable information became available in 2008, preliminary government data showed Tuesday. The fatalities were recorded in 28 of the 47 prefectures in a seven-day period through Sunday as most of the Japanese archipelago experienced unusually high temperatures, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. On Tuesday, the mercury climbed across the nation, hitting 39.3 Celsius in Mino, Gifu Prefecture, while at least two people died in Kagawa and Kochi prefectures after showing symptoms of heatstroke. The Meteorological Agency warned that high temperatures are expected to continue Wednesday in western Japan and elsewhere, calling for taking preventive measures against heat-related illnesses by replenishing water and salt, and staying cool indoors. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Tuesday that the government will support the installation of air conditioners in schools to make sure they will be well-prepared for heat by next summer. According to the education ministry, nearly 60 percent of 820,000 classrooms in the country’s public elementary and junior high schools were without air conditioning as of April last year. In the reporting week, 22,647 people were taken to hospitals. Tokyo accounted for the highest number, at 1,979, followed by the prefectures of Aichi at 1,954, Osaka at 1,779 and Saitama at 1,617. Of those, 685 were to be hospitalized for at least three weeks and 7,313 others for shorter periods of time. Among the three prefectures hardest hit by the recent rain disaster in western Japan, 576 people were taken to hospitals in Hiroshima, 573 in Okayama and 247 in Ehime. The latest weekly figures topped the previous records of 61 deaths in the seven days through July 25, 2010, and 12,064 taken to hospitals in a week through Aug. 2, 2015. During the two-week period through July 22, 77 people died and over 30,000 were taken to hospitals across the country, according to the disaster management agency and Kyodo News tally.


Facebook adds Alaska's Inupiaq as language option among community translation tools

Abstract: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - Britt’Nee Brower grew up in a largely Inupiat Eskimo town in Alaska’s far north, but English was the only language spoken at home. Today, she knows a smattering of Inupiaq from childhood language classes at school in the community of Utqiagvik. Brower even published an Inupiaq coloring book last year featuring the names of common animals of the region. But she hopes to someday speak fluently by practicing her ancestral language in a daily, modern setting. The 29-year-old Anchorage woman has started to do just that with a new Inupiaq language option that recently went live on Facebook for those who employ the social media giant’s community translation tool. Launched a decade ago, the tool has allowed users to translate bookmarks, action buttons and other functions in more than 100 languages around the globe. For now, Facebook is being translated into Inupiaq only on its website, not its app. “I was excited,” Brower says of her first time trying the feature, still a work in progress as Inupiaq words are slowly added. “I was thinking, ‘I’m going to have to bring out my Inupiaq dictionary so I can learn.’ So I did.” Facebook users can submit requests to translate the site’s vast interface workings — the buttons that allow users to like, comment and navigate the site — into any language through crowdsourcing. With the interface tool, it’s the Facebook users who do the translating of words and short phrases. Words are confirmed through crowd up-and-down voting. Besides the Inupiaq option, Cherokee and Canada’s Inuktut are other indigenous languages in the process of being translated, according to Facebook spokeswoman Arielle Argyres. “It’s important to have these indigenous languages on the internet. Oftentimes they’re nowhere to be found,” she said. “So much is carried through language — tradition, culture — and so in the digital world, being able to translate from that environment is really important.” The Inupiaq language is spoken in northern Alaska and the Seward Peninsula. According to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, about 13,500 Inupiat live in the state, with about 3,000 speaking the language. Myles Creed, who grew up in the Inupiat community of Kotzebue, was the driving force in getting Inupiaq added. After researching ways to possibly link an external translation app with Facebook, he reached out to Grant Magdanz, a hometown friend who works as a software engineer in San Francisco. Neither one of them knew about the translation tool when Magdanz contacted Facebook in late 2016 about setting up an Inupiatun option. Facebook opened a translation portal for the language in March 2017. It was then up to users to provide the translations through crowdsourcing. Creed, 29, a linguistics graduate student at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, is not Inupiat, and neither is Magdanz, 24. But they grew up around the language and its people, and wanted to promote its use for today’s world. “I’ve been given so much by the community I grew up in, and I want to be able to give back in some way,” said Creed, who is learning Inupiaq. Both see the Facebook option as a small step against predictions that Alaska’s Native languages are heading toward extinction under their present rate of decline. “It has to be part of everyone’s daily life. It can’t be this separate thing,” Magdanz said. “People need the ability to speak it in any medium that they use, like they would English or Spanish.” Initially, Creed relied on volunteer translators, but that didn’t go fast enough. In January, he won a $2,000 mini grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum to hire two fluent Inupiat translators. While a language is in the process of being translated, only those who use the translation tool are able to see it. Creed changed his translation settings last year. But it was only weeks ago that his home button finally said “Aimaagvik,” Inupiaq for home. “I was really ecstatic,” he said. So far, only a fraction of the vast interface is in Inupiaq. Part of the holdup is the complexity of finding exact translations, according to the Inupiaq translators who were hired with the grant money. Take the comment button, which is still in English. There’s no one-word-fits-all in Inupiaq for “comment,” according to translator Pausauraq Jana Harcharek, who heads Inupiaq education for Alaska’s North Slope Borough. Is the word being presented in the form of a question, or a statement or an exclamatory sentence? “Sometimes it’s so difficult to go from concepts that don’t exist in the language to arriving at a translation that communicates what that particular English word might mean,” Harcharek said. Translator Muriel Hopson said finding the right translation ultimately could require two or three Inupiaq words. The 58-year-old Anchorage woman grew up in the village of Wainwright, where she was raised by her grandparents. Inupiaq was spoken in the home, but it was strictly prohibited at the village school run by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, Hopson said. She wonders if she’s among the last generation of Inupiaq speakers. But she welcomes the new Facebook option as a promising way for young people to see the value Inupiaq brings as a living language. “Who doesn’t have a Facebook account when you’re a millennial?” she said. “It can only help.”

u.s .
social media
facebook
states
languages


China culls 38,000 pigs as swine fever spreads, is found in five provinces

Abstract: BEIJING - More than 38,000 pigs have been culled across China, state media said Sunday, as the world’s largest pork producer scrambles to contain an outbreak of African swine fever. The disease has been discovered in five Chinese provinces, the official Xinhua news service reported, quoting statistics from the country’s ministry of agriculture. China reported its first case of the disease in August in northeast Liaoning province. Since then the disease has moved south, with cases discovered as far as 1,000 km (600 miles) away, raising concerns it could infect pig farms across the country. Although the virus has continued to spread, a spokesman for the agriculture ministry said it is “generally under control,” Xinhua reported. Last week, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned the disease could spread to other parts of Asia. African swine fever is not harmful to humans but causes hemorrhagic fever in domesticated pigs and wild boar that almost always ends in death within a few days. There is no antidote or vaccine, and the only known method to prevent the disease from spreading is a mass cull of the infected livestock. Beijing said an emergency plan had been launched and control measures taken to halt the spread of the disease. The FAO warned in May of the risk of the spread of African swine fever from Russia. Around half of the world’s pigs are raised in China, and the Chinese are the biggest consumers of pork per capita, according to the FAO.


China state TV sorry for 12 minutes of ads before education program

Abstract: BEIJING - China’s state broadcaster issued an apology Sunday after parents complained that a compulsory television program targeted at millions of school children was preceded by almost a quarter of an hour of non-stop advertising. All elementary and middle school students and their parents were told by the education ministry to watch the program “First Lesson of New Semester” at 8 p.m. Saturday. The program, produced by CCTV and the education ministry since 2008, is aired on Sept. 1 every year to mark the start of the new school calendar after a two-month summer break. This year, the program focused on the “spirit of creativity” as China observed its 40th year of opening up. But TV viewers had to sit through 12 minutes of advertisements on cars and scooters, home appliances, toothpaste and stationery. “We sincerely apologize to parents and students for the long TV commercials ahead of the program,” the state broadcaster CCTV wrote on Weibo, a popular Twitter-like microblog. The commercials were dominated by ads on after-school tutoring in a country where a growing middle class is able to afford extra classes aimed at improving the chances of getting better grades and a stab at scholastic glory. “Are you so short of money?” wrote one Weibo user. The outcry over the commercials coincided with protests by parents over the weekend in a city in southern China about school enrollment. Police on Sunday detained 46 people in Leiyang city in Hunan province after bottles, bricks and firecrackers were thrown at officers and government officials during a 600-strong protest. Many parents also expressed disapproval over the choice of an all-male pop band for the program’s opening musical act, saying they were too “effeminate.” “Can we find someone who is more masculine? If our youth is effeminate, so will the country be,” one angry parent wrote on Weibo.


Two Malaysian women caned under Islamic law for lesbian sex

Abstract: KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA - Two Malaysian women were caned Monday for having lesbian sex in violation of strict Islamic laws, despite an outcry from activists at the “cruel and unjust” punishment. The case has sparked widespread condemnation and focused attention on what rights groups say is a deteriorating climate for the gay community in the Muslim-majority country. Campaigners said it was the first time that women in Malaysia have been caned for violating a Shariah regulation which forbids same-sex relations. The country operates a dual-track legal system and Islamic courts can handle religious and family matters for Muslim citizens, as well as cases such as adultery. The women, aged 22 and 32, were arrested in April by Islamic enforcement officers after they were found in a car in a public square in northern Terengganu state, one of the country’s most conservative areas. The pair, whose identities have not been revealed, pleaded guilty last month to breaking Islamic laws and were sentenced to six strokes of the cane each and a fine of 3,300 ringgit ($800). They were caned at the Shariah High Court in Kuala Terengganu, state capital of Terengganu, a court official confirmed. The women’s conviction sparked a storm of criticism. Before the caning was carried out, Gwen Lee, Amnesty International’s Malaysia head, slammed the punishment as “cruel and unjust.” Malaysia “must end the use of caning and repeal the laws that impose these torturous punishments completely,” she said. Thilaga Sulathireh, from transgender rights group Justice for Sisters, said the caning would “increase the impunity of perpetrators to carry out acts of violence” aimed at gay people. Concerns have been mounting in recent weeks in Malaysia — a multiethnic country where some 60 percent of the population is Muslim — about a deteriorating climate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The Islamic affairs minister has spoken out against homosexuals and ordered pictures of LGBT activists to be removed from a public exhibition, while a transgender woman was brutally attacked in the southern state of Negeri Sembilan. Malaysian Muslims have traditionally practiced a tolerant brand of Islam but concerns have been growing in recent years that attitudes are becoming more conservative.

malaysia religion rights women lgbt sexuality


Reuters reporters who exposed Myanmar military abuses are jailed for seven years

Abstract: YANGON/BRUSSELS - In a landmark case seen as a test of progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian country, a Myanmar judge on Monday found two Reuters journalists guilty of breaching a law on state “secrets,” sentencing them to seven years in prison. Yangon Northern District Judge Ye Lwin said Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, had breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act when they collected and obtained confidential documents. “The defendants . . . have breached Official Secrets Act section 3.1.c, and are sentenced to seven years,” the judge said, adding that the time served since they were detained on Dec. 12 will be taken into account. The defense can appeal the decision to the regional court and then the Supreme Court. The two reporters had pleaded not guilty and told the court police planted documents on them in the course of their work in reporting on Myanmar’s violence-plagued Rakhine state. Press freedom advocates, the United Nations, the European Union and countries including the United States, Canada and Australia had called for the journalists’ acquittal. “Today is a sad day for Myanmar, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the press everywhere,” Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said in a statement. “We will not wait while Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo suffer this injustice and will evaluate how to proceed in the coming days, including whether to seek relief in an international forum.” The reporters had told the court two police officials handed them papers at a restaurant in the city of Yangon moments before other officers arrested them. One police witness testified the restaurant meeting was a setup to entrap the journalists to block or punish them for their reporting of a mass killing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine. At least 50 people were packed into the small court Monday, with many standing outside. Judge Ye Lwin read out a summary of witness testimony for about an hour before delivering his verdict. He said it had been found that “confidential documents” found on the two would have been useful “to enemies of the state and terrorist organizations.” Documents in their possession and on their phones were “not public information.” As the judge spoke, several reporters cried as they took notes. Kyaw Soe Oo’s wife, Chit Su Win, burst into tears after the verdict, and family members had to support her as she left the court. Wa Lone shook hands with supporters, telling them not to worry. Wearing handcuffs and flanked by police, he addressed a cluster of friends and reporters. “We know what we did. We know we did nothing wrong. I have no fear. I believe in justice, democracy and freedom,” he said. Kyaw Soe Oo also said the reporters had committed no crime and that they would maintain their fight for press freedom. “What I want to say to the government is: you can put us in jail, but do not close the eyes and ears of the people,” he said. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo — who both have young daughters and have not seen their families outside of prison visits and court hearings for nearly nine months — were then taken back to prison. Kyaw Soe Oo has a 3-year-old daughter and Wa Lone’s wife, Pan Ei Mon, gave birth to their first child last month. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay didn’t respond to requests for comment about the verdict. He has mostly declined to comment throughout the proceedings, saying the courts were independent and the case would be conducted according to the law. The verdict comes amid mounting pressure on the government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi over a security crackdown sparked by attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on security forces in August 2017. More than 700,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims have fled across western Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh since then, according to U.N. agencies. The European Union on Monday called for the immediate and unconditional release of the pair, with its foreign policy service saying that the sentence “undermines the freedom of the media, the public’s right to information and the development of the rule of law in Myanmar.” “The prison sentences of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should be reviewed and the two journalists be released immediately and unconditionally,” it said in a statement. U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel, who attended the hearing, said he was troubled by the turn of events. “It’s deeply troubling . . . one has to ask, ‘Will this process increase or decrease the confidence the people of Myanmar have in their justice system,’ ” Marciel told reporters. U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Knut Ostby said he was disappointed. “The United Nations has consistently called for the release of the Reuters journalists and urged the authorities to respect their right to pursue freedom of expression and information.” There was no immediate comment from Tokyo, but the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan joined the international chorus in protesting the sentence. “The arrest of any journalist for doing their job is an attack on press freedom and human rights,” the FCCJ said in a statement. “The FCCJ requests that the Myanmar authorities urgently review the sentencing decision,” it added. The reporters were arrested on Dec. 12 while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya men and boys and other abuses involving soldiers and police in Inn Din, a village in Rakhine state. Myanmar has denied allegations of atrocities made by refugees against its security forces, saying it conducted a legitimate counterinsurgency operation against Muslim militants. But the military acknowledged the killing of the 10 Rohingya at Inn Din after arresting the Reuters reporters. A U.N. mandated fact-finding mission said last week that Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Muslim Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and called for top generals to be prosecuted. Myanmar rejected the findings. The International Criminal Court in The Hague is considering whether it has jurisdiction over events in Rakhine, while the United States, the European Union and Canada have sanctioned Myanmar military and police officers over the crackdown.

myanmar
genocide
rohingya
reuters
state secrets
rakhine


As state subsidies decline, Nagoya University turns to crowdfunding to support student activities

Abstract: Amid cuts in government subsidies for national universities, Nagoya University has turned to crowdfunding to support student activities and educational projects. So far the university has raised roughly ¥5 million — more than the targeted amount — for five projects, including the development of a race car by a student team and the restoration and digitization of historical documents by its affiliated library. The university hopes to expand crowdfunding to other projects so the method will offer an independent source of revenue, as well as a way of strengthening its brand image amid increasing competition to attract students. Since national universities were made into incorporated administrative agencies with increased autonomy in 2004, the government has been reducing subsidies for the institutions’ operational expenses. Government subsidies to Nagoya University amounted to ¥31.7 billion in fiscal 2016, down almost ¥5 billion over 10 years, making it more difficult for the university to help fund student activities and educational programs other than research projects. Crowdfunding is the practice of raising money for projects online through small contributions from a large number of individuals. There are different types of crowdfunding, including loans, reward-based or donation-based funding. In many cases collected funds are refunded if a campaign does not meet its goal. Nagoya University is using a donation-based system. Crowdfunding has also been adopted by other national universities, including the University of Tsukuba and Tokyo University of the Arts. Nagoya University sought out suitable projects and registered five on a crowdfunding site. They received contributions from graduates of the university as well as companies and individuals. Formula Team FEM, an auto racing team made up of Nagoya University students, set a target of raising ¥650,000 to help them develop an electric race car and managed to collect nearly ¥900,000 from 26 people. The team has been developing a new electric vehicle for next year’s Student Formula Japan, which is expected to cost a total of about ¥6.5 million. Team members decided to use crowdfunding because support from the university and local firms would not be enough. “We are thankful that many people whom we don’t know made contributions,” said Hironori Nagata, 22, the leader of the team who is studying at Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Engineering. “They made us even more determined to achieve a good result.” According to the team, a woman from Fukushima Prefecture donated ¥200,000 and wrote in her email: “I have been interested in cars for a long time. I want to donate money which I won’t be able to use for traveling because I have to care for my parents.” The team plans to send gifts to contributors and display the names of major donors on the vehicle. Nagoya University also plans to use crowdfunding for other projects, such as the development of a cognitive ability test for children in Mongolia. “(Through crowdfunding,) we believe Nagoya University can increase its presence outside the Tokai region,” said Vice President Shogo Kimura, 55. “We also hope donations of small amounts of money will lead to large contributions in the future.”

crowdfunding
nagoya university
subsidies


Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to enter European luxury ferry market following restructuring

Abstract: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will enter the luxury ferry market in Europe as part of a restructuring of its ship-building business. Its subsidiary, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., will expand production facilities at two shipyards, in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Nagasaki, to prepare for orders from Europe, President Koji Okura said in an interview Monday. “We are looking at the European market. We must win there on the price and performance (of our upscale ferries),” Okura said. While the company has already started marketing operations in Europe, it is also considering targeting the Asian luxury ferry market in the near future, Okura added. Mitsubishi Heavy spun off Mitsubishi Shipbuilding as a separate, wholly owned entity in January as part of a restructuring that included a withdrawal from the loss-making large passenger ship business. As demand is growing for various types of ferries in Europe, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding plans to focus on ferries with luxury interiors that carry passengers and vehicles. The Mitsubishi Heavy group plans to begin building ferries in Nagasaki by the end of March 2021. The group currently builds liquefied natural gas ships at the shipyard. Mitsubishi Heavy aims to boost sales in the shipbuilding business to ¥200 billion ($1.8 billion) a year over the next decade, up from about ¥100 billion in the last fiscal year, which ended in March 2018.

mitsubishi heavy industries
mhi
koji okura


Seoul to check public lavatories daily as anger boils over 'spycam porn' targeting women

Abstract: KUALA LUMPUR - Amid anger over “spycam porn,” authorities in Seoul have pledged to conduct daily checks in public toilets, but campaigners on Monday called for stronger regulations on hidden cameras commonly used to target women. The Seoul city government announced that the number of workers tasked to uncover hidden cameras at the city’s 20,554 public toilets would be boosted from 50 to 8,000, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. Campaigners have raised doubts that the latest move will be effective in curbing the crime, arguing that it is more crucial to overhaul both the law on hidden cameras and attitudes toward women. “What is imperative is to regulate the distribution of spy cameras, rather than what is being planned,” said You Seung-jin, of the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Centre. Authorities have in recent years struggled to stop perpetrators from using tiny, hidden cameras to film women in public places, or under their clothing. The videos are commonly shared or sold to illicit porn sites. Tens of thousands of women have taken to the streets in recent months to urge authorities to crack down on the crime, which they say traumatizes victims. You, vice president of the Seoul-based group that offers legal aid to victims of spycam crimes, said the phenomenon shows the country remains deeply patriarchal despite economic progress over the last few decades. “Misogyny is prevalent here and women are often treated as sexual objects,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. “What we need is to educate people that this is cybersexual violence — it is not their porn.” The current task force of 50 people has not found a single hidden camera despite a spike in the crime from 2,400 incidents reported in 2012 to nearly 6,500 cases last year, the Yonhap news agency reported. Officials have said that it was hard to tackle the crime, as the tiny cameras are often removed quickly by the perpetrators after they are installed in public places. South Korea ranked 118 out of 144 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum last year, after it scored poorly on the economic participation and opportunity for women.

women
seoul
me too
spycam port
public toilets


Having taken a dip, bears spotted in places in Japan they've not been seen for years

Abstract: SAPPORO - Rumiko Hamaya, 52, of Nemuro, the easternmost city in Hokkaido, was surprised to see a brown bear swimming in nearby Lake Furen in mid-August. “It might have been swimming for about 15 minutes, dog paddling for about 800 meters,” Hamaya said. One of her colleagues told her that a bear was out in the lake. Through binoculars, she could see the bear swimming smoothly with only its head above the water. As she took photos, the bear reached the opposite shore and disappeared. “I’ve been working at this roadside store (beside the lake) since it opened in 2000, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a bear swim,” said Hamaya. Bears swimming in lakes and the sea have been witnessed in several places across the nation. Earlier this year on the island of Rishiri, in northern Hokkaido, a brown bear was seen for the first time in 106 years, leading experts to point out that the bears, which normally remain on land, may be looking for other bears to mate with or possibly searching for a new home. Others said it was taking a dip because of the scorching hot weather. After bear tracks were found on Rishiri, which is located 20 kilometers off Hokkaido, at the end of May, a surveillance camera captured images of a bear walking in the forest. The last time a brown bear was seen near the island was one swimming in 1912. Tsutomu Mano, a division chief at Hokkaido Research Organization, says studies have shown polar bears can swim for more than 100 km and brown bears can also swim for dozens of kilometers. “Bears in heat are probably swimming to find a male bear to mate with,” he said. “Islanders should avoid going out at night so that they don’t bump into bears.” On Oshima Island in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, where Asiatic black bears were not believed to be inhabitants, local residents witnessed the bears for the first time in May. Local fishers also saw them arriving on the island’s rocky shores in June and July, with some witnessing the animals returning to the mainland. “They may be going back and forth,” said a local police officer. Toru Oi, a professor at Ishikawa Prefectural University and leader of the Japan Bear Network research institute, says it is common knowledge among academics that bears can swim using their forefeet. “I’ve heard about bears swimming in Lake Towada, which straddles the prefectures of Aomori and Akita, and the shores of Iwate Prefecture,” he said. “They may be looking for a new place where young bears have less competition (to set up a territory).” Oi added that bears also go into the water to cool down. “Because this year was particularly hot, they may be swimming to cool down.”


Yuichiro Tamaki chosen as sole leader of the Democratic Party for the People, Japan's second largest opposition party

Abstract: The Democratic Party for the People, Japan’s second-largest opposition party, elected one of its two former co-leaders as its new sole head Tuesday as it works to boost low support ratings ahead of key elections next year. The party was formed in May through a merger between two splinters of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, which was in power between 2009 and 2012. Yuichiro Tamaki, a four-term member of the House of Representatives, beat challenger Keisuke Tsumura on Tuesday in the first leadership contest since that time. Tamaki, who worked for the Finance Ministry before winning his parliamentary seat, had led the party since May together with House of Councilors member Kohei Otsuka, who did not compete in the election. Tamaki, 49, will lead the party until September 2021. A total of 61 lawmakers across both Diet chambers belong to the party, making it the second-largest opposition force after the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan — which also emerged from the Democratic Party of Japan. The CDP has 75 seats. The new leader will be tasked with broadening the party’s support base and promoting cooperation with other opposition parties in the run-up to the unified local elections and the House of Councilors poll next year. The approval rating for the Democratic Party for the People remains low at 1.5 percent, in comparison with 43.8 percent for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, according to the latest survey conducted by Kyodo News late last month. The ruling party, which controls the majority of both chambers, will also hold its leadership contest later this month. Abe is widely projected to secure his third consecutive term in the vote.

dpp
yuichiro tamaki
cdp
kohei otsuka
keisuke tsumura


Wives of Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar call for their release

Abstract: YANGON - The wives of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar jailed for seven years on official secrets charges insisted on Tuesday that the men were innocent and called for them to be released and reunited with their young families as soon as possible. A court found the two journalists guilty on Monday in a landmark case seen as a test of progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which was ruled by a military junta until 2011. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were investigating the killing of villagers from the Rohingya Muslim minority by security forces and civilians in Rakhine State when they were arrested in December. They had pleaded not guilty. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that the United States would become more vocal about their situation. Speaking at a news conference marking the U.S. assumption of the rotating chairmanship of the Security Council for September, Haley said the reporters were “in prison for telling the truth.” On Monday, she called for their immediate, unconditional release, saying it was “clear to all that the Burmese military has committed vast atrocities.” “In a free country, it is the duty of a responsible press to keep people informed and hold leaders accountable. The conviction of two journalists for doing their job is another terrible stain on the Burmese government,” Haley said. Both reporters have young daughters and have not seen their families outside of prison visits and court hearings since they were arrested in December. Kyaw Soe Oo has a 3-year-old daughter, and Wa Lone’s wife, Pan Ei Mon, gave birth to their first child last month. The wives, alongside Wa Lone’s brother, Thura Aung, and their defense lawyers, spoke to reporters at a news conference in Yangon on Tuesday. The defense can appeal the conviction, and the lawyers told the news conference they were considering all options. Kyaw Soe Oo’s wife, Chit Su Win, said she had expected the two reporters to be acquitted on Monday. “I believed that we would be able to go home together,” she said, adding that later she “almost went crazy.” “They are innocent. They were doing their jobs as journalists,” Chit Su Win said, She said she feared their daughter, Moe Thin Wai Zan, would be traumatized by the ordeal. Wa Lone’s wife, Pan Ei Mon, said she wanted the journalists to be released “as quickly as possible.” “I never thought such a harsh verdict would be handed down,” she said of the seven-year sentence. “Since I became pregnant, I stayed strong on the hope that Wa Lone would be released. After yesterday’s verdict, if feels like my hopes have been destroyed.” Pan Ei Mon said she was disappointed that Myanmar’s government leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, had appeared to speak against the reporters ahead of the verdict. Suu Kyi told Japanese television station NHK in an interview in June that the reporters were not arrested for their reporting on Rakhine, but because they “broke the Official Secrets Act. “I am really sad about that … the person who we really admired for our whole lives misunderstood us like that,” Pan Ei Mon said. Neither Suu Kyi nor her government’s main spokesman have commented publicly on the case since the reporters were convicted.

myanmar
nhk
aung san suu kyi
rohingya
rakhine
official secrets act
reuters reporters


Kansai counts the cost of Typhoon Jebi

Abstract: OSAKA - Osaka and the Kansai region spent Wednesday cleaning up after Typhoon Jebi roared through the area Tuesday, causing widespread damage. Most businesses in central Osaka reopened and trains and subways were running normally. But with Kansai International Airport still out of operation, thousands of passengers had to rebook flights from other international airports. A tanker crashed into the bridge connecting the airport to the mainland Tuesday, and high tides flooded the main runway and surrounding tarmac. There was no official word Wednesday on when flights would be able to resume, and concern is growing in the Kansai region over the economic losses that would be incurred by a prolonged closure of the airport. About 5,000 people were stranded Tuesday night on the artificial island on which Kansai airport is built. They were evacuated Wednesday by bus and boat. A Kyodo News tally as of Wednesday evening showed that 11 people had been killed due to the typhoon in western Japan and a combined 460 people had been injured nationwide. Kansai Electric Power Co. said about 349,000 homes and businesses in the Kansai region remained without power. Rescue and recovery efforts were also underway elsewhere in the region. A group of about 160 elementary school pupils in Kyoto have been stranded since Tuesday in a facility in Kyoto where they were staying on a school trip. Trees knocked down by the strong typhoon blocked surrounding roads, local officials said Wednesday. Of the pupils, two — a girl and a boy — have fallen ill and were taken to a hospital by helicopter on Wednesday morning, according to officials from the city of Kyoto’s board of education. Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui said that he was satisfied with the advance preparations the prefecture had made and the way it had handled the disaster response. Osaka Prefecture’s disaster response teams had already had to deal with heavy rains and an earthquake over the last three months before Tuesday’s typhoon. But attention is now focused on the damage to Kansai airport, a crucial air link to the region. “Kansai airport is the main international airport for all of western Japan and we want to make all effort at reopening it as soon as possible,” Matsui said. “But at this point, we’re still assessing the damage …. How long will it take? Passenger safety is first but we want to limit economic damage due to its closure.” Osaka Prefecture has requested financial assistance and expertise from the central government, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised to provide it. In a series of tweets, Abe hailed the relief operations and said the government will “come together to make every effort to urgently deal with the disaster and restore infrastructure.” The possibility of using Kobe and Itami airports more until operations are fully restored at Kansai airport is also something Osaka wants to discuss with the central government. Although the governor did not say so directly, that could mean a temporary return of some international flights to Itami airport. Itami served as the Kansai region’s international airport until Kansai airport opened in 1994.”The function of Kansai airport is currently at zero,” Matsui said. “If it is gradually raised to 50 percent, then we need to make efforts at cooperating, during this time of emergency, with Kansai’s other two airports (Itami and Kobe) in order to limit the economic damage to the region as much as possible.” “I want to discuss all possibilities,” he said, in reply to a question if he wanted both Kobe and Itami to take international flights. Kansai is extremely worried about losing business to other international hubs. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways on Wednesday canceled flights departing from and arriving at Kansai airport. A JAL spokesman said the carrier is mulling arranging emergency international flights to and from Narita International Airport “as soon as possible,” but declined to specify a timeline. Kansai International Airport sits on reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, and is the main international airport for the Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe areas. Itami, also known as Osaka International Airport, is located about 30 minutes north of Osaka station. Kobe also has a domestic-only airport. In fiscal 2017, Kansai airport hosted a total of 28.8 million tourists — a record high. The airport is linked by air routes with about 100 cities in the world. In that same fiscal year the volume of cargo handled at the airport stood at about 852,000 tons, while the number of flight landings and takeoffs totaled some 188,000.

osaka
kansai airport
typhoon jebi
kobe airport


More men pass entrance exams than women at 80% of Japan's medical schools: survey

Abstract: A government survey showed on Tuesday that men passed entrance exams more than women at nearly 80 percent of medical schools polled after a medical university in Tokyo admitted last month to altering exam scores to limit the enrollment of female students. Of 81 medical schools surveyed, men have passed entrance exams more than women at 63 schools over the past six years, while women got through such exams more than men at 17 schools. The 81 medical schools include Tokyo Women’s Medical University. The education ministry released the preliminary results of the survey after Tokyo Medical University admitted to unfairly lowering the scores of women applicants to curb their enrollment. The misconduct was severely criticized as gender discrimination. Excluding Tokyo Medical University, none of the universities surveyed said it had ever discriminated against applicants by gender or age, according to the survey. The rates of successful male applicants to female stood at 1.67 at Juntendo University and 1.54 at Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University and Showa University, while the average rate of all 81 schools was 1.18. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said it will send additional questionnaires before releasing its analysis on the disparity in the final results of the survey in October. Kenji Yasuda, a senior executive of education information company Daigaku Tsushin, said the results indicate the possibility of some “adjustment” being made to enroll more male students than female. The number of men passing entrance exams is “unnaturally high” compared to that of women and medical schools could have given male students higher scores in interviews, reflecting school officials’ own evaluations, he said. Tokyo Medical University set a ceiling for women’s admission to avert a future shortage of physicians as a result of women doctors resigning or taking long periods of leave after marrying or giving birth, according to sources. The score-rigging was discovered in the course of an internal investigation amid a bribery scandal involving the university’s top executives and a senior education ministry official.

scandal
survey
entrance exams
japan
medical schools
tokyo women 's medical university


Preparedness helped JR West keep passengers safe amid raging Typhoon Jebi

Abstract: As powerful Typhoon Jebi approached western parts of Japan, railway operators in the Kansai area acted quickly to inform customers they would halt services in the hope of preventing chaos at stations and encouraging businesses to let workers stay home to ensure safety. West Japan Railway Co. began alerting customers about its service suspension plans from Monday morning, a day before Jebi — the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years — slammed into the region. By Tuesday afternoon, the company had suspended operations on all of its lines in the Kansai area. “You can ensure safety to some extent, once you stop trains,” said a spokesman for JR West. “Most (railway) companies now issue notice of planned disruption earlier, and it appeared that operators suspended more trains than usual this time,” said an official with the Kinki District Transport Bureau, which is affiliated with the transport ministry. Kansai University professor Seiji Abe, who specializes in safety science, praised the railway operators’ response, which he believes were based on lessons learned from past disasters in the region. Back in October 2014, when heavy rain hammered western Japan, JR West swiftly announced its suspension of services on all lines in the region, but later faced criticism from the public as the scale of the disaster ended up to be relatively small, Abe recalls. But such precautionary measures seem to be gaining public approval following a strong earthquake that jolted Osaka Prefecture in June and torrential rains that triggered flooding and landslides in western Japan in July. In July, JR West was the only operator in Kansai that informed customers it would suspend trains a day before the downpours, Abe said. “They (JR) made a good call … and this time other companies, including private operators, followed suit,” the professor said. Osaka Prefectural Government officials also benefited from the early call, and reminded its staff to return home earlier than usual, an official said by phone. “Now it’s easier to predict how weather conditions may affect (employees’) commutes,” he added. Mayumi Itoh, 33, a small business owner in the Umeda district of Osaka, said, “We had good advance warning of the typhoon and so were able to make preparations.” JR West now uses social media to better inform potential travelers of the status of train services. “We started using Twitter on Aug. 1, following the massive quake in June” during rush hour, the JR West spokesman said. But Kansai University’s Abe also called for railway operators to provide services that take account of foreigners coming to Japan, and lamented that information is mainly available in Japanese. “This information should also be published in English and Chinese, at least,” he said.


Forty percent of Japanese adults face higher risk of disease from lack of exercise: WHO

Abstract: GENEVA - About 40 percent of Japanese adults were physically inactive in 2016, above the global average of 28 percent, exposing them to risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia, a World Health Organization report showed Wednesday. The WHO report found more than 1.4 billion people age 18 and older — or a quarter of people in the 168 countries and regions surveyed — did not get enough physical activity to stay in shape due to such factors as long working hours, developed public transport and prevalence of smartphones. The ratio of such people in Japan compared with 67 percent in Kuwait, the highest in the world, 42 percent in Germany, 41 percent in Italy and 40 percent in the United States. The prevalence for low physical activity levels was more than double in high-income countries than in low-income countries. China and Russia had relatively low ratios of physically inactive adults at 14 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Uganda and Mozambique had the world’s lowest prevalence at 6 percent. The WHO study also found lower activity in women than in men, with the ratio of physically inactive adults registering 32 percent and 23 percent, respectively, in each gender. “Insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, and has a negative effect on mental health and quality of life,” said the study of world exercise levels published Wednesday by The Lancet Global Health Journal. Researchers found there had been no improvement in physical activity levels since 2001, despite numerous public health initiatives extolling the benefits of exercise. As recommended levels of exercises, the WHO calls on individuals to do “at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or any equivalent combination of the two.” Moderate-intensity activity includes walking and swimming, while vigorous intensity covers pursuits such as jogging and playing soccer. But in 55 nations, more than a third of adults did not meet this requirement. The WHO urged governments to implement policies to address the issue, such as improved provision of cycling and walking infrastructure and creating more opportunities for physical activity in public open spaces and parks, in workplaces and in other local community settings.

disease
who
diabetes
heart attack
exercise


Accounts of those who were left stranded by Typhoon Jebi in Japan

Abstract: Typhoon Jebi tore through western Japan on Tuesday, leaving residents and tourists stranded throughout the Kansai region. Whether people took refuge in train stations, airports or hotels, most faced a large degree of uncertainty as to when they would be able to return home or move on to their next destination. Stories from those who spent a frantic day in the midst of the powerful storm: ‘Karaoke refugees’ Saitama Prefecture resident Daniel Fath was making his way from Tokyo to Kyoto by shinkansen with his daughter, father and stepmother, when Typhoon Jebi made landfall, forcing the train to stop at Hamamatsu Station in Shizuoka Prefecture for nine hours before it was able to continue on to Nagoya Station. Nearby hotels were already at capacity when they arrived in Nagoya around midnight and with no more trains departing until the next morning, Fath and his family could only find lodging in a karaoke room — sometimes tapped for a place to sleep by all-night revelers but hardly a common lodging for a family. Fath also noted that, while train station announcements were made in both Japanese and English through signboards and loudspeakers, the English announcements were slightly confusing. As a Japanese speaker himself, he also noticed that the Japanese announcements contained more specific information about when the trains were expected to resume service. Fath noticed that some travelers who were unable to speak either Japanese or English had trouble understanding the announcements. At 6 a.m. the next morning, Fath and his family were finally able to board the shinkansen from Nagoya Station without any more significant delays. Although there were hundreds of people waiting for the trains to restart, the crowds — both tourists and locals — filed back into the station in an orderly manner, he said. A long day at Kansai airport Osaka native Ami Kataoka, who works at Kansai International Airport, was unable to return home after her shift and spent 24 hours stranded at the airport as Typhoon Jebi flooded parts of the facility. Kataoka said that the situation at the airport was a little chaotic after the power went out and that there were long lines to buy food at convenience stores. She was able to take a bus to Osaka’s Izumisano Station on Wednesday morning, while others were taken by ferry to Kobe airport. Kansai International Airport is one of the largest in Japan, hosting 28.8 million passengers in 2017, 21.9 million of which came from international flights, according to the airport’s operator. A 30-story climb Nathan, a tourist from Vancouver who gave only his first name, spoke to The Japan Times through Twitter on Wednesday to talk about how scary it was to stay at a hotel in Osaka as the typhoon swept through the region. “Highlights of the experience were definitely the shaking in our hotel,” he wrote. “We were up high on the 30th floor and it was almost like a boat. We could feel the building moving. On the lower floors you could hear the banisters and glass windows creaking. “Elevators stopped working so we had to either walk up 30 stories worth of stairs or stay in the hotel lobby,” he added. “Most people did. Ended up becoming very crowded. “Honestly we got off quite easy compared to other places we saw on the news,” he wrote. “Just unsure of how to get home in our current situation. Our flight was supposed to be today but kansai airport is not functioning. “Took over a half hour for us to contact our airlines (air Canada) due to the amount of people calling in to reschedule flights,” he wrote.


LIVEBLOG: Updates on Typhoon Jebi

Abstract: Live updates from The Japan Times newsroom and social media about Typhoon Jebi — the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years.

weather
kansai
shikoku
tokai
western japan
typhoon jebi


Japan's FSA tightens screening process for aspiring cryptocurrency exchanges

Abstract: The Financial Services Agency has effectively tightened its registration screening for cryptocurrency exchanges to see whether they are properly conducting risk management, sources say. Such registration processes are conducted under the revised Payment Services Act, which took force in April 2017 to protect cryptocurrency users. The state watchdog has increased the number of questions asked when screening applications to about 400 items, up fourfold, sources said Saturday. It now obligates applicants to submit minutes of board meetings so it can check whether enough discussions have been held about measures to sustain the company’s financial health and ensure the security of its computer system, the sources said. The FSA’s screening of cryptocurrency exchanges resumed after a suspension was imposed following the cyber-theft in January of about ¥58 billion in customer assets from Tokyo-based Coincheck Inc. In its screenings, the FSA conducts on-site inspections to verify answers submitted to questions that were sent to the applicants beforehand. Previously, the questions only covered such items as an applicant’s financial status and measures to ensure system safety. The agency now intends to assess whether company executives are properly involved in decision-making by perusing the records of board meetings, the sources said. The upgraded screening process also regularly reviews the composition of an applicant company’s shareholders, while examining if an internal system is in place to check for links to antisocial groups, the sources said. The FSA’s on-site inspections have revealed sloppy internal controls at cryptocurrency exchanges, including a lack of board meeting minutes. More than 100 companies have shown interest in being registered as cryptocurrency exchange operators. The stricter process may prompt some to give up, analysts said.


Serbian testicle chefs triumph in 'aphrodisiac festival'

Abstract: LIPOVICA, SERBIA - Spring rolls, ratatouille and curry were on the menu at a quirky food festival in rural Serbia on Saturday, with one ingredient in common: animal testicles. Now in its 15th year, the World Testicle Cooking Championship draws a motley mix of teams — from groups of friends to professional chefs — for a few days of fun in the Serbian countryside. There they set up cooking camps in a forest, stirring bubbling stews over wood fires as they vie for the coveted “Ball Cup.” While the testicles — gray and with a kidney-like texture — may spoil some appetites, festival-goers wax poetic about their taste and alleged aphrodisiac qualities. “There were some really interesting combinations of flavor. … The winner was super, really fantastic,” said Philomena O’Brien, an Australian woman who sat on the three-judge panel that blind-tasted dishes from nearly 20 teams. “Choosing the best balls is quite a responsibility.” The event was started by Ljubomir Erovic, the author of a recipe book called “Cooking with Balls,” who claims testicles boost a man’s libido. “It’s really an aphrodisiac festival,” he said before donning a chef’s hat and announcing the winner on stage. Flares and fireworks lit up the sky after a local Serbian team was crowned the winner, with a team of Japanese curry-makers and French restaurateurs also singled out. “It was quite challenging to do French gastronomy with testicles,” said a member of the French team, Philippe, who runs a restaurant in Paris. “But we are happy with the result,” he added, showing off the team’s four-course menu featuring bull testicles with foie gras and chocolate “salty balls,” for which it received a special award. Milos Kojanic, a 24-year-old from the winning team, said his group also took home last year’s trophy. The secret to their saucy stews? “That’s a mystery,” he said.


With rising sea levels, Bangkok struggles to stay afloat

Abstract: BANGKOK - As Bangkok prepares to host climate-change talks, the sprawling city of more than 10 million is itself under siege from the environment, with dire forecasts warning it could be partially submerged in just over a decade. A preparatory meeting begins Tuesday in Thailand’s capital for the next U.N. climate conference, a crunch summit in Poland at the end of 2018 to set rules on reducing greenhouse emissions and providing aid to vulnerable countries. As temperatures rise, abnormal weather patterns — like more powerful cyclones, erratic rainfall, and intense droughts and floods — are predicted to worsen over time, adding pressure on governments tasked with bringing the 2015 Paris climate treaty to life. Bangkok, built on once-marshy land about 1.5 meters (5 feet) above sea level, is projected to be one of the world’s hardest-hit urban areas, alongside fellow Southeast Asian behemoths Jakarta and Manila. “Nearly 40 percent” of Bangkok will be inundated by as early as 2030 due to extreme rainfall and changes in weather patterns, according to a World Bank report. Currently, the capital “is sinking 1 to 2 centimeters a year and there is a risk of massive flooding in the near future,” said Tara Buakamsri of Greenpeace. Seas in the nearby Gulf of Thailand are rising by 4 millimeters a year, above the global average. The city “is already largely under sea level,” said Buakamsri. In 2011, when the monsoon season brought the worst floods in decades, a fifth of the city was underwater. The business district was spared thanks to hastily constructed dikes. But the rest of Thailand was not so fortunate, and the death toll passed 500 by the end of the season. Experts say unchecked urbanization and eroding shorelines will leave Bangkok and its residents in a critical situation. With the weight of skyscrapers contributing to the city’s gradual descent into water, Bangkok has become a victim of its own frenetic development. Making things worse, the canals that used to traverse the city have now been replaced by intricate road networks, said Suppakorn Chinvanno, a climate expert at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. “They had contributed to a natural drainage system,” he said, adding that the water pathways earned the city the nickname ‘Venice of the East’. Shrimp farms and other aquacultural development — sometimes replacing mangrove forests that protected against storm surges — have also caused significant erosion to the coastline nearest the capital. This means that Bangkok could be penned in by flooding from the sea in the south and monsoon floods from the north, said Chinvanno. “Specialists anticipate more intense storms in this region in the years to come.” Narong Raungsri, director of Bangkok’s Department of Drainage and Sewage, admitted that the city’s “weaknesses” stem from its small tunnels and the hyperdevelopment of neighborhoods. “What used to act as water basins are now no more,” Raungsri said. “Our system can only handle so much — we need to enlarge it.” Today, the government is scrambling to mitigate the effects of climate change, constructing a municipal canal network of up to 2,600 kilometers with pumping stations and eight underground tunnels to evacuate water if disaster strikes. Chulalongkorn University in 2017 also built in central Bangkok an 11-acre (4.5-hectare) park specially designed to drain several million liters of rain and redirect it so surrounding neighborhoods are not flooded. But these ad hoc fixes may not be enough. “We need a clear policy of land management,” said Greenpeace’s Buakamsri, adding that the need for increased green spaces is outweighed by developers’ interests. “The high price of land in Bangkok makes economic interests a priority.”

thailand
climate change
floods
environment
bangkok
paris agreement


Diabetes camp helps Japanese children take control of disease at young age

Abstract: During a summer camp in Daisen, Tottori Prefecture, children screamed with excitement as they ran toward incoming waves at a beach. They were no different from other kids enjoying themselves except that they had diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes because it often develops during childhood and adolescence, requires that patients monitor their blood glucose and self-administer insulin to keep it at a proper level. Child patients are no exception in that they must thoroughly understand the disease but will not have to limit their physical activities as long as they can carry out self-management. In Japan, somewhere between one and two of every 100,000 children are said to develop Type 1, in which the body does not produce insulin. More common is Type 2, in which insulin is produced but the body does not respond normally. The Daisen camp, organized by a patients’ group that is part of a diabetes association in adjacent Shimane Prefecture, is intended to teach children with diabetes how to manage their condition without the assistance of their parents. Similar events have been held across Japan by hospitals and patients’ associations. The Daisen camp started in 1974. This year’s camp, the 45th held, ran for eight days and involved 27 participants. Every day, participants checked their blood sugar as usual and received insulin injections. Since the children use a variety of medicines and insulin pens, many learned that different options were available to treat their condition. The camp also held classes on various topics related to the disease, from the correct way to inject insulin to how to deal with low blood sugar. The children also received urine, eye and dental checkups as they learned about the medical complications Type 1 diabetes can cause. But the camp was not just about learning. It also included athletics contests and recreational activities ranging from mountain climbing to ocean swimming. Not all of the children were used to self-management, but there was plenty of medical support: This year’s camp attracted 59 doctors, 38 dieticians and cooks as well as 30 nurses and pharmacists. A total of 55 student volunteers from universities and elsewhere intent on careers in medicine also helped out. “In the past, it was normal that diabetic children were not allowed to go on school excursions. More people now understand the disease, but nothing has changed about the fact that children have to take care of themselves without the help of others,” said Akira Takeda, a former adviser at Tottori Prefectural Central Hospital. “We want the children to know that, and that is why we have continued this event.” Nearly 400 people have attended the event over the years, and some participants and their parents stay in touch even after it is over, providing an occasion to create friendships that may last a lifetime. It is also customary for participants to return to the event as assistants once they become university students. Another key part of the program is nutritional guidance. This year, by looking at a meal planning guide explaining about nutritional balance and calories for certain foods, children were asked to decide what they wanted to eat for dinner on the day of an athletics contest. Knowing how one’s blood sugar will change when certain foods are consumed is important for managing diabetes. The children seem to be hungry for knowledge, even though what they are taught seems to include technical, rather than practical, content. A 12-year-old junior high school student participating in the program for the third time said he had learned new things from each camp. “The first time was tough, but fun. I was also able to do things I cannot usually do, such as mountain climbing,” he said, adding he signed up the second time not because of peer pressure, but because he wanted to learn more about nutrition. The camp also enables trained medical staff to learn more about children with diabetes, said Kazuyoshi Murao, a doctor specializing in the disease at Tottori Prefectural Central Hospital. Murao attends the camp every summer. “(Ordinary medical staffers) hardly ever get a chance to spend a whole day together with children living with diabetes. The camp allows us to learn things we won’t notice if we just carry out medical examinations, such as what they usually have on their minds or their way of living,” he said.


Japan's household assets rise for eighth straight quarter thanks to positive performance of shares

Abstract: Financial assets held by Japanese households stood at ¥1.8 quadrillion ($16.5 trillion) at the end of June, rising for the eighth straight quarter, the Bank of Japan said Thursday. The figure climbed 2.2 percent from a year earlier thanks to an appreciation in share prices. By asset type, cash and deposits grew 2 percent to ¥971 trillion, and equities rose 8.8 percent to ¥203 trillion. Investment trusts edged up 0.9 percent to ¥73 trillion, while debt securities fell 1.7 percent to ¥23 trillion. Assets held by companies other than financial institutions also grew for the eighth consecutive quarter, rising 6.5 percent to ¥1.1 quadrillion. Meanwhile, the outstanding balance of Japanese government bonds increased 1.3 percent to ¥1.1 quadrillion, of which the BOJ held ¥465 trillion, up 6.5 percent. The central bank’s holdings accounted for 42.3 percent of the total, the largest share it has held since March 2005, when comparable data became available, though the pace of purchases under its monetary easing scheme has slowed recently.


In wake of bribery scandal, Tokyo Medical University taps first female president

Abstract: A medical university in Tokyo that was recently found to have manipulated entrance exam scores to discriminate against female applicants has chosen its first female president, officials said Thursday. Yukiko Hayashi, head of pathophysiology at Tokyo Medical University’s School of Medicine, on Wednesday beat her sole rival — a male pediatrician — in an election among professors. She is expected to officially assume the top post next Tuesday upon approval by the board of regents. Her predecessor, Mamoru Suzuki, stepped down in July after his alleged involvement in a bribery case came to light. He was later indicted on suspicion of ensuring backdoor admission for a bureaucrat’s son in exchange for a government subsidy. Hayashi, an alumna of the school, has taught at the university since 2013 as a senior professor and has served as deputy head of the university hospital’s center for genetic diagnosis since 2016. The choice of a woman to lead the university after the scandal is believed to be an attempt to limit the damage to the school’s reputation and recover public trust. On Aug. 7 the scandal-ridden university admitted that it had deliberately curbed female enrollment for at least 12 years by deducting exam points for women. The score-rigging was aimed at keeping the ratio of women studying at the university at around 30 percent. The practice was conducted to prevent a shortage of doctors at affiliated hospitals under the rationale that female doctors tend to resign or take long leaves of absence after getting married or giving birth. The revelation caused outrage among female medical professionals. It also prompted the education ministry to investigate whether the practice was widespread across the country. The ministry survey showed earlier this month that men passed entrance exams more than women at nearly 80 percent of the 81 medical schools polled over the past six years. Tokyo Medical University also deducted points from male applicants who had failed the school’s annual entrance exam more than three times. The university shunned them, believing they also tend to fail the national exam for medical practitioners, which would lower the school’s ratio of successful applicants and hurt its reputation. The school also padded the scores of some applicants with alumni parents to garner donations. The manipulation came to light in the course of an internal investigation prompted by a bribery scandal which also led to the resignation of university Chairman Masahiko Usui in July. The school is set to choose his successor in the near future. In 2017, the World Economic Forum ranked Japan 114th out of 144 countries in terms of gender equality. Among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries, Japan has the lowest ratio of female doctors at 20.4 percent, according to 2015 statistics of the Paris-based group of 36 nations.

universities
gender discrimination
doctors
tokyo medical university


Town in Yamaguchi Prefecture adopts petition that opposes deployment of land-based Aegis missile defense battery unit

Abstract: YAMAGUCHI - The mayor of a town in Yamaguchi Prefecture that was named in May as a potential host site for an Aegis Ashore missile defense battery unit, said Thursday that he opposes the deployment, after the municipality adopted a petition against the plan. “(The site) is close to a residential area, and it goes against our policy of building a town that cares for nature and people,” Mayor Norihiko Hanada said at a plenary session of the Abu Municipal Assembly, which unanimously adopted a petition earlier in the day that called for the Defense Ministry to retract its Aegis Ashore deployment plan. “It is the responsibility of the town mayor to remove any threat to residents’ safety,” he said. Hanada is the first municipal leader of a potential host site to officially oppose deployment of the anti-ballistic missile defense system. The Defense Ministry, which intends to deploy two batteries to counter the threat of North Korean missiles, has listed as candidate sites a Ground Self-Defense Force training area straddling Abu and Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and another exercise area in the city of Akita in the northern Tohoku region. “The equipment is necessary to protect our country from the threat of ballistic missiles,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in Tokyo. “The deployment must be based on local support and it is important to sincerely respond to various concerns and requests,” he added. The ministry plans to survey the candidate sites to see whether their geography and ground composition makes them fit to host Aegis Ashore missile launchers and related facilities. The petition adopted by the municipal assembly, which was compiled by 16 local residents’ associations and four farming bodies, states that hosting the Aegis Ashore system would be “too big of a risk” as Abu could become a target for attacks, and agricultural products could suffer reputational damage due to electromagnetic waves used in radar. Japan decided to acquire the ground-based missile defense system in December. North Korea test-fired around 20 ballistic missiles in 2017, two of which flew over Japanese territory. While North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to work toward denuclearization at a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June, Japan believes the North Korean missile and nuclear threat remains and is aiming to introduce the defense system in fiscal 2023.

defense
north korea
missiles
yamaguchi
aegis ashore
abu
norihiko hanada


'Workation' concept catching on in overworked Japan

Abstract: Yoshimasa Higashihara, a 35-year-old worker at Japan Airlines Co., worked for half a day at a cafe while he was on vacation in Singapore this year, drafting documents for a corporate event that was scheduled to take place right after he returned from his vacation. “I feel like I can take a vacation (by doing this) even if there is something imminent at work. I can now plan a longer holiday,” said Higashihara. Higashihara is talking about “workation,” a phrase coined for working while on vacation, which JAL introduced last year. Under the new system, employees bring their computers and smartphones to their travel destination, allowing them to work from there. This way, they don’t need to cancel their vacation plans even if they need to attend an important meeting, and it encourages them to take longer vacations, a practice that is beginning to spread in Japan. Some, like Noriteru Ino, 44, who works for an IT firm, even worked at a summer resort for an entire month in August, bringing their family with them. Ino spent this summer in Kitanomori, Yamanashi Prefecture, in the hope of spending more time with his family. He mainly worked at a home he rented or a local library, which effectively meant no commute. Like other colleagues who work remotely outside big cities, Ino started working at 8 a.m. and left early in the evening to play with his children. Ino has been working remotely from a resort during the summer for the past three years. He first looks for housing he can rent for a month and then makes sure he has a stable internet connection. “It’s cool and comfortable. My children are also glad to be able to play out in the woods,” said Ino. But he’s also careful not to make mistakes, which is the downside of working on your own. In an attempt to cash in on the trend, municipalities are trying to lure employees on workation. Wakayama Prefecture, for example, offered workers in the Tokyo metropolitan area the chance to stay in the town of Shirahama for workations on a trial basis in July. Still, critics argue that people on vacation should take their days off entirely. Hiroshi Amano, an official at Wakayama Prefecture, said the prefecture wants to offer an option for workers who can’t take long vacations. “People who have experienced it say their work efficiency improved” when they had a better work-life balance, said Amano. An official at JAL noted workations are a last resort. “It’s a safety net for those who have work that can’t be rescheduled,” the official.