Latest news with #Nansei
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan aims to complete Yonaguni evacuation shelter in 2028
The central government has said that the construction of an evacuation shelter on the country's westernmost island of Yonaguni, in Okinawa Prefecture, will start next fiscal year, with the completion expected around spring 2028. The schedule was included in a progress report released Friday that details the construction of such shelters in five municipalities covering Okinawa's Sakishima Islands, including Yonaguni. Japan started the project bearing in mind a possible emergency over Taiwan in the Nansei southwestern island region, which includes the Sakishima chain and stretches from Kagoshima Prefecture to Okinawa. Underground shelters will be built in the five municipalities to accommodate local residents for about two weeks in the event of an invasion or a missile attack. The town of Yonaguni will build a shelter on the underground level of a new town office complex that will be capable of holding about 200 people. The city of Miyakojima plans to start the construction of its shelter this winter, while the city of Ishigaki aims to begin such work as early as fiscal 2026. Each facility will have a capacity of about 500 people. The town of Taketomi and the village of Tarama hope to draw up detailed designs for their shelters as early as next fiscal year.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Sea creature with ‘prickles' on its ‘eyeball skin' discovered as new species
Thousands of feet down in the East China Sea, a diamond-shaped sea creature with 'prickles' on its 'eyeball skin' swam through dark waters, or tried to, at least. Something enveloped it and pulled it toward the surface. Trawlers looked at the 2-foot-long animal in their net. They didn't know it, but they'd just discovered a new species. Trawlers off the coast of southern Japan dropped their nets in the Okinawa Trough several times between 1978 and 1980. Among the catch, they found three deep-sea ray fish known as softnose skates, according to a study published June 21 in the peer-reviewed journal of Ichthyological Research. At the time, scientists identified the skates from Okinawa Trough as a new record of a known species. The specimens were put in an archive and largely forgotten — until they caught the attention of Ryo Misawa. 'I first noticed the existence of this potential new species during my time as a student at Kochi University, Japan,' study co-author Misawa told McClatchy News via email. He saw one of the skates from Okinawa Trough and thought 'its body proportions differed in a subtle but noticeable way.' Intrigued, Misawa and other researchers tracked down more specimens, took a closer look at the animals, and realized they'd discovered a new species: Bathyraja nansei, or the Nansei skate. Nansei skates are considered 'very small,' reaching about 2 feet long and 16 inches wide, the study said. Their diamond-shaped bodies are 'remarkably broad and thin,' their heads are 'rather small,' and their tails are 'long and slender.' Photos show the new species soon after being caught and after being preserved. In life, the skate is 'almost entirely bluish-dark gray' with white thorns on its tail and edges. Nansei skates also have 'prickles' on their fins, snout, 'eyeball skin' and between their eyes, the study said. Their bellies are 'entirely smooth.' The new species was caught at depths of 2,500 to 3,300 feet, but much about the new species' lifestyle and behavior remains unknown. 'It is likely that, similar to other species of the genus Bathyraja, (Nansei skates) primarily feeds on crustaceans and fishes,' Misawa said. 'This new species has not been recorded since the 1980s, which is likely due to the fact that bottom trawl surveys in the Okinawa Trough were conducted more frequently during that period,' Misawa said. Researchers said they named the new species after the Nansei Islands near the Okinawa Trough where it was first discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found. The Nansei Islands., also known as the Ryukyu Islands, are in southern Japan and near Taiwan. The new species was identified by its skin texture, overall size, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said. Researchers did not include a DNA analysis of the new species. The research team included Misawa, Masato Moteki and Hiromitsu Endo.
Japan Times
05-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan to decide plans for shelters from armed attacks within fiscal 2025
The government says it will work out plans to establish shelters from potential armed attacks from abroad by the end of fiscal 2025, sources said Wednesday. The security-related section of the government's upcoming economic and fiscal policy guidelines, to be finalized this month, will refer to such a plan, according to an early draft of the guidelines. The draft also says the government will compile in fiscal 2026 basic guidelines for evacuating residents in Okinawa Prefecture's Sakishima Islands, apparently with the possibility of a Taiwan contingency in mind. The government will secure more underground facilities to establish shelters, so that it can "strengthen its system to protect citizens," the draft states, adding that the government will examine how to conduct wide-area evacuations of residents in the Nansei region. "We will strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance and enhance cooperation with like-minded countries," the draft read. Meanwhile, the draft only states that further consideration would be given regarding when to raise the income tax to procure funds to strengthen the country's defense capabilities. In the area of economic security, the draft points to the need to secure think tank-like functions to make policy proposals to the government that incorporate the perspectives of diplomacy and defense. Also included is a plan to draw up a cybersecurity strategy within this year. Amid an increase in foreign nationals visiting and staying in Japan, the draft states that the government will find and repatriate foreign nationals illegally staying in Japan to reduce their number to zero. It also calls for making the system that allows foreign nationals to convert their driver's licenses into Japanese licenses stricter, following frequent traffic violations.
