213 deaths in Tokyo linked to improper A/C use: Our 5 most-read stories from last week
Study finds 213 deaths in Tokyo apparently caused by improper A/C use
TOKYO -- There were 213 cases of deaths in the Japanese capital's 23 wards that were believed to have been caused by the improper use of air conditioners, according to joint research by the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine and the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office. Full story.
25-yr-old singles need approx. $2K per month to live 'normally' in Tokyo's Setagaya: study
TOKYO -- A single 25-year-old needs a minimum of just under 300,000 yen (about $2,030) to live a modest but ordinary life in the capital's Setagaya Ward, according to a new study by the Tokyo Regional Council of Trade Unions (Tokyo Chihyo) -- a sharp increase from the 2019 survey and well above the 2025 minimum wage for Tokyo. Full story.
More Japanese consumers in Gunma Pref. turning to foreigner-owned shops for rice
An increasing number of Japanese consumers in Gunma Prefecture, which has one of the highest ratios of foreign residents per unit of population in the country, were seen turning to foreign-owned stores to buy imported rice amid high prices and shortages of the grain in early June. Full story.
Brown bear attacks Yezo deer on road in Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula
NEMURO, Hokkaido -- A brown bear was filmed attacking a male Yezo deer with impressive antlers on a national road in Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula on July 27. The bear was later killed by municipal officials who rushed to the scene, and the deer was also recovered. Full story.
Japan education ministry OKs plan to exclude foreign PhD students from living expenses aid
TOKYO -- The Japanese education ministry's human resources committee on July 30 broadly approved a plan to limit the recipients of living expenses aid for doctoral candidates to Japanese students only, to be implemented as early as the 2027 academic year. Full story.
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The Mainichi
6 hours ago
- The Mainichi
US restoring Pacific island wartime airfield for deterrence
TINIAN (Kyodo) -- The United States is restoring a World War II-era airfield on Tinian, a tiny, strategically important Pacific island in its territory in the Northern Mariana Islands used as a launching point for U.S. nuclear strikes on Japan 80 years ago, as it ramps up deterrence against China. Once completed, North Field airfield will give the U.S. military's expeditionary forces more flexibility to maneuver across the Pacific amid concerns over growing Chinese influence in the region, according to a ranking U.S. Navy official. "We can move forces there, train there, practice and work with allies," U.S. Rear Adm. Gregory Huffman, then Commander of the Joint Task Force -- Micronesia, said of the project's impact in a Kyodo News interview in April. "That builds up that readiness, that operational efficiency, and increases the lethality," he said. "All of that adds to a deterrent effect by demonstrating that we have the forces ready to counter any kind of activity that or nefarious," he added. Located south of the Northern Marianas' most populated island of Saipan, Tinian is around 101 square kilometers in size and lies approximately 2,400 kilometers south of Japan. The U.S. military is currently leasing two-thirds of the island. The island was occupied by Japan before WWII but was won by the United States in a fierce battle in 1944, becoming an important Allied base during the latter stages of the war. In 1945, U.S. B-29 aircraft took off from North Field's runways to conduct an air raid on Tokyo. The atomic bombers that attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, were also launched from North Field. Following the bombings of the two cities, Japan surrendered to Allied forces on Aug. 15, marking the end of the war. Officials said the approximately $500 million North Field rehabilitation project commenced in 2024, with two of the four runways targeted for completion by 2027. U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Corey Bower, whose unit is involved in the reconstruction project, told Kyodo News that clearing the runways of overgrown vegetation and unexploded ordnance is "progressing very well", and surface construction could start before the end of the year. Huffman said North Field will not become a permanent U.S. base but could be used for training with allies such as Japan. For U.S. Pacific Air Forces, it could be an "alternate location" to the airbase on Guam in the event of a conflict. Aside from North Field, the U.S. military is close to completing an almost $300 million airfield, named Divert, on the north side of Tinian's airport, with a runway to be shared by commercial aircraft. It also rebuilt a Japanese wartime runway on Palau's Peleliu island. The U.S. military said refurbishing airfields rather than building new facilities is more cost effective and reduces disruption to local communities. Arnold Palacios, the late governor of the Northern Marianas, expressed mixed feelings toward the U.S. military build-up when he spoke to Kyodo News in April before his sudden death on July 23. He said that while nobody wants war, there is a need to be prepared given the tensions between the United States and China. He also said he could see a scenario in which the United States flies bombers carrying nuclear weapons from these airfields. Local residents understand the risks associated with their island hosting military facilities. Tinian is so small that there is no way for locals to escape in an attack as part of a wider U.S.-China armed conflict, said a resident who requested anonymity. "We hope they don't use (restored airfields) to drop bombs, to hurt and to kill people. That, we don't want to be a part of," said Tinian Mayor Edwin Aldan, even as he acknowledged the security and economic windfall the U.S. presence gives the island of 2,000 people. (By Maricar Cinco)
The Mainichi
10 hours ago
- The Mainichi
213 deaths in Tokyo linked to improper A/C use: Our 5 most-read stories from last week
We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between July 26 and August 3. The first story was viewed by 27.5% of our regular readers. (The Mainichi) Study finds 213 deaths in Tokyo apparently caused by improper A/C use TOKYO -- There were 213 cases of deaths in the Japanese capital's 23 wards that were believed to have been caused by the improper use of air conditioners, according to joint research by the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine and the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office. Full story. 25-yr-old singles need approx. $2K per month to live 'normally' in Tokyo's Setagaya: study TOKYO -- A single 25-year-old needs a minimum of just under 300,000 yen (about $2,030) to live a modest but ordinary life in the capital's Setagaya Ward, according to a new study by the Tokyo Regional Council of Trade Unions (Tokyo Chihyo) -- a sharp increase from the 2019 survey and well above the 2025 minimum wage for Tokyo. Full story. More Japanese consumers in Gunma Pref. turning to foreigner-owned shops for rice An increasing number of Japanese consumers in Gunma Prefecture, which has one of the highest ratios of foreign residents per unit of population in the country, were seen turning to foreign-owned stores to buy imported rice amid high prices and shortages of the grain in early June. Full story. Brown bear attacks Yezo deer on road in Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula NEMURO, Hokkaido -- A brown bear was filmed attacking a male Yezo deer with impressive antlers on a national road in Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula on July 27. The bear was later killed by municipal officials who rushed to the scene, and the deer was also recovered. Full story. Japan education ministry OKs plan to exclude foreign PhD students from living expenses aid TOKYO -- The Japanese education ministry's human resources committee on July 30 broadly approved a plan to limit the recipients of living expenses aid for doctoral candidates to Japanese students only, to be implemented as early as the 2027 academic year. Full story.
Yomiuri Shimbun
12 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Families of WWII Soldiers Who Died in Bashi Channel Mourn at Ceremony in Southern Taiwan
PINGTUNG COUNTY, Taiwan — A memorial service was held Sunday at Chaoyin Temple in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, to commemorate Japanese soldiers who died in battle during the World War II in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines. About 160 people, including family members of the soldiers and those engaged in Japan-Taiwan relations, attended the service and offered prayers for the repose of their souls. At the ceremony, a 83-year-old priest from Ogi, Saga Prefecture, recited sutras. His father was the captain of the destroyer Kuretake, which sank in the Bashi Channel. Kazuyuki Katayama, representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office, equivalent to an embassy, read out a condolence message from Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Takamaro Fukuoka. A 80-year-old female resident of Tokunoshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, lost her father, who was a lance corporal in the Imperial Japanese Army. Attending the ceremony for the first time, she released photos of her father, as well as of her late mother and brother, into the sea from a sandy beach overlooking the strait. 'This is the first time all four members of my family have gathered here. War destroys families and makes people miserable,' she said, emphasizing the value of peace. The Bashi Channel was a major supply route connecting Japan and areas to the south during the war. Nicknamed 'the graveyard of transport ships' due to intense U.S. military attacks that sank Japanese ships one after another, it is said that over 100,000 people lost their lives in the channel. Some of the remains drifted ashore to southern Taiwan, where local residents cremated and buried them. In September, Japan plans to conduct a search to excavate the remains of the war dead.
