Latest news with #Akihiko
Newsweek
06-07-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Woman Spends 71 Years Thinking She's an Only Child, Then She Gets an Email
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. For 71 years, Sharon L., a retired nurse, believed she was an only child. Then, one day, she received an email that changed her life forever. The sender? Akihiko N., 73, a retired Japanese professor—and Sharon's brother. Both siblings had lived decades pondering their father's mysterious past, and now, the questions were answered. Sharon and Akihiko spoke to Newsweek about finding each other after so many years, and how they feel about completing a puzzle they thought they'd never solve. Sharon knew her father, John, who died in 2003, had always grieved a child he thought was put up for adoption in postwar Japan. Akihiko, on the other hand, spent his life feeling abandoned by his American father. Then, in 2022, a MyHeritage DNA test taken by his daughter in Tokyo connected them to a cousin in California, and everything changed. The journey to reunion began with a message from Sharon's cousin, Charlene, who had received notification of family in Japan. "She said that something very strange has happened," Sharon said. "'We've got some cousins in Japan.'" It turned out that Akihiko's daughter, Naima, was the one who took the MyHeritage DNA test, connecting with Charlene. Then, a DNA kit of Sharon's confirmed that Naima was indeed her niece. For Akihiko, the news was completely unexpected. "My elder daughter, Naima, had been researching our family history and looking for her ancestors, without my knowledge," he said. "It was a great surprise to me and hard to believe it was true, because I've not known about my birth father for about seven at the same time, I was deeply devastated because I learned my father is no longer with me." Akihiko sent an email to Sharon about the discovery, and their consequent reunion left the siblings reeling in unexpected joy and grief, all at once. (L) Akihiko and Sharon's father, John. (R) Akihiko and Sharon. (L) Akihiko and Sharon's father, John. (R) Akihiko and Sharon. Akihiko and Sharon/MyHeritage A Story of Misconceptions Their reunion brought to light decades of misunderstanding. Sharon said she had always known her father was deeply saddened by the child he couldn't find. Her father, a U.S. serviceman in Japan in the early 1950s, had fallen in love. While she was pregnant, he was shipped home to the United States. Later, he returned to Japan to find the woman, only to be told by her family that he had a daughter who had been given up for adoption. "Believing he had a daughter lost to the world, my father tried to search for her for years, fruitlessly," Sharon said. "I saw my father cry over that many times throughout my life, because he couldn't find his child." Akihiko's childhood was also marked by a false narrative. "My birth mother never talked about my biological father. She only told me he was an American and died later on," he said. He described the pain of growing up as a mixed-race child in postwar Japan, often bullied and called "gaijin," a derogatory term for foreigner. "I had always felt abandoned by my father ever since I was a little boy," he said. "He was in shock to hear the truth from me," Sharon added. "That my father searched for him, dreamed of finding him." Extraordinarily, their paths could have crossed several times throughout Akihiko's career as an academic. "I visited California many times for work from the 1980s to the 1990s," he said, noting he was likely "less than several hundreds of miles physically apart" from his father at times. "I could have met him if I had known him earlier. I had so many chances to meet my birth father in person there, and it's a real shame that I didn't get to do so." An Instant, Joyful Connection Despite the lost decades, the siblings' connection was immediate. "When we met at the airport, we ran to each other and just hugged each other and kissed each other like we'd known each other all our lives. It was an instant connection," Sharon said. She quickly noticed her brother's striking resemblance to their father. Akihiko has since embraced his new family, including his father's wife, who he said treats him like her own son. The siblings now email every day, making up for lost time. Akihiko has visited Sharon in California twice, staying for three months each time. "We've gotten the whole family dad's brother—he ran out to [Akihiko] and hugged him, and he said, 'It's like hugging my brother. You look just like him,'" Sharon said. "I'm closing an incredible circle for my father, our father, and for my brother as well... "I mean, being able to prove to him that what he thought was all wrong—that his father did want him. He wanted him and thought about him until his last days. I just wish my father could be here." Their story highlights the enduring impact of family secrets, as well as the power of technology to reconnect lost relationships. "You can find what you have been searching for in places you didn't think possible," Sharon said. "Every day there is so much bad news from around the world. And here we are giving hope, spreading good news to the world. I see our reunion as a miracle." The two long-lost siblings, separated by seven decades and an ocean, found each other—and they aren't letting go. "He calls me 'My Sharona,'" Sharon said. "I call him 'Big Brother.'"
Pink Villa
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 9: Kanna Investigates A ‘Ghost'—Recap, Release Date And More
In ' Grim Reaper's Score,' Kanna hears of a cursed musical score said to bring misfortune. When Sugimoto-sensei discovers a suspicious sheet, she becomes increasingly anxious. After Sugimoto is attacked by a masked man, Kanna turns to Akihiko, who deciphers the scores as coded messages. The attacker is revealed to be Motohashi-sensei. However, the codes were originally created by Sugimoto and her American partner, Jonathan Claude, to secretly communicate. With Akihiko's help, the two reunite. He later credits Kanna's presence for aiding the case's discreet resolution. Expected plot in The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 9 The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 9 will see rumors circulate, mentioning a mansion haunted by a grinning white figure appearing at night. Kanna will learn from Yukie about 'Sawako,' the woman living there, and will encounter her by chance in town. Unable to ignore her distress, Kanna will offer help and introduce herself as a paranormal detective. However, the case will prove too difficult to handle alone. Akihiko, officially requested to investigate, will arrive, and Kanna will become his assistant as they begin examining the truth behind the ghostly mansion Release date and where to stream The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 9, titled 'Rumors of the Haunted House,' will come out in Japan on Monday, June 2, 2025, starting with a 9:30 pm JST broadcast on AT-X. A follow-up airing is scheduled on TV Tokyo on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:30 am JST. Japanese fans can also stream it on platforms like U-NEXT, Lemino, Anime Hodai, and Anime Times at a later date. Additional streaming options include ABEMA, d-anime Store, Hulu, and others. In South and Southeast Asia, Ani-One Asia's official YouTube channel will stream The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 9. For more updates on The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei anime, stay tuned to Pinkvilla.
Pink Villa
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 8: Kanna Finds Reaper's Score, Release Date And More
In ' The Monster Cat Is Here,' Kanna and Atsuko take in a stray cat and bring it to Atsuko's home. With Chizuko and Yukie's help, they clean it and name it Pomegranate. Chizuko's missing hand mirror is later found by the cat, prompting Akihiko to suspect it is a Kinka-byo. Meanwhile, Akihiko helps resolve a dispute over a pawned backpack, revealing the buyer unknowingly possessed hidden money. After resolving the issue, Akihiko looks for a suitable bowl for Pomegranate, now part of the family. The Mononoke Lecture Logs of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 8 will center on one of the school's seven mysteries involving a cursed musical score said to summon death to those who see it. While cleaning the old school building as punishment, Kanna and her classmates will discover a strange, nonsensical sheet of music. While they dismiss it, music teacher Mr. Sugimoto will react with visible distress. As his condition deteriorates and he is later attacked by a masked assailant, questions will arise whether the curse of the so-called 'Reaper's Score' is real. The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 8 will either be titled 'The Reaper's Score' or 'Shinigami Sheet Music,' depending on the translation. is scheduled to premiere in Japan on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, beginning with a Teletext broadcast at 1:30 am JST, followed by BS Teletext on May 28 at 12:30 am JST. Japanese viewers can start streaming The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei Episode 8 from 2:30 am JST on May 27 via U-NEXT, Lemino, Anime Hodai, and Anime Times. From June 1, it will also be available on ABEMA, d Anime Store, Hulu, Bandai Channel, and Amazon Prime Video Japan. Ani-One Asia will stream the subtitled version on YouTube for South and Southeast Asia. For more updates from The Mononoke Lecture Logs Of Chuzenji-Sensei anime, stay tuned to Pinkvilla.
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Japanese research engineer urges Indian researchers to focus on patents
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian researchers need to be more 'patent-driven' so that their patented inventions can generate profit for the industry and thereby contribute to the country's economic growth, noted Japanese research engineer Akihiko Sugiyama (a.k.a. Ken Sugiyama) , who has over 200 patents to his credit, has said. In an interaction with TNIE on the sidelines of an invited talk in the capital, Akihiko also urged Indian students and researchers to utilise the immense opportunities in Japan's industrial sector for internship and advanced research. "There are emerging sectors such as bio-engineering and bio-signal processing that hold immense potential for researchers. Not to be forgotten is the strong automobile and ancillary industries that make up more than 15% of Japan's overall industry," Akihiko said. Akihiko, with a career spanning over three decades with NEC Central Research Laboratories and Yahoo! Japan Research, said contribution to a product or a specific project is more valued by the industry in Japan than high academic credentials or publishing of many research papers. "It is true that the funding for academic research is coming down. But there is no dearth of opportunities for talented young minds to get trained at an early stage and eventually absorbed by top companies the world over," he opined.
