Latest news with #NotoPeninsula
NHK
5 days ago
- Climate
- NHK
Scorching heat grips Japan over 3-day weekend
Intense heat has gripped much of Japan as the rainy season officially ended nationwide. Sweltering conditions are expected to continue through the three-day weekend. Daytime highs on Saturday reached 37.5 degrees Celsius in the northeastern city of Yamagata. The mercury climbed above 35 degrees in other cities as well. A ceremony to begin the swimming season was held on the Goshikigahama beach in the town of Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday. It is the only one to open in the Oku-Noto region. Others have remained closed since a major earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day last year. Locals and visitors from other prefectures gathered to enjoy the sea around Noto. A 24-year-old local who came with her family said that while other beaches still await safety checks of the seabed, she is happy that one has opened. Clear skies and scorching heat are expected across Japan on Sunday with daytime highs of 37 degrees forecast for Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture, Fukui City, and Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture. Sweltering conditions could continue for about a week in wide areas from northern to western Japan, with the mercury expected to reach 35 degrees in many areas. Recommendations for coping with the heat include using air conditioners as needed, drinking liquids, taking salt and resting frequently during outdoor activities.
NHK
14-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
LDP lawmaker steps down as chair of Upper House committee over verbal gaffe
The chair of the Upper House Budget Committee has resigned from his post to take responsibility for a verbal gaffe about a powerful earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula in central Japan last year. Committee chair Tsuruho Yosuke of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has come under fire for the remarks on July 8. He said, "Fortunately, there was an earthquake in the Noto Peninsula, which allows Wajima residents to get their residence certificates in Kanazawa City." That is where they evacuated to at the time. He made the comment during an Upper House election campaign speech to explain the need for two-region lifestyles in which people can live and work in multiple places. The next day he apologized for his lack of consideration for victims and retracted the comment. But Tsuruho has continued to be criticized by members of both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as residents of the disaster-hit region. His successor as chair will likely be chosen at an extraordinary session of the Diet that will be convened following the Upper House election this Sunday.
Japan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
LDP lawmaker to quit as parliamentary committee chief over Noto quake gaffe
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho plans to resign as chairman of a parliamentary committee to take responsibility for a gaffe about a powerful earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan last year, sources said Saturday. According to a senior official of the ruling LDP, Tsuruho is poised to step down from the post of chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, following criticisms of the verbal blunder from both the ruling and opposition sides as well as by people affected by the Jan. 1, 2024, temblor. Tsuruho has already submitted a letter of resignation as Budget Committee chairman to Upper House President Masakazu Sekiguchi, the senior party official said. Tsuruho said in the city of Wakayama on Tuesday, during a campaign speech for an LDP candidate in the July 20 Upper House election, that "it was lucky that the earthquake occurred in Noto." The remark came as Tsuruho expressed hopes that the temblor would facilitate dual residency, or a lifestyle in which people have two bases of living — one typically in an urban area and the other in a rural location. Tsuruho withdrew the remark and apologized later Tuesday, saying that he lacked consideration for the disaster victims. He offered an apology again at a news conference Wednesday, and LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama gave him a stern warning. But the criticisms did not subside. Tsuruho is believed to have decided on his resignation to reduce the adverse impact on the LDP in the upcoming election. On Saturday, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, renewed his criticism of Tsuruho, stating, "I have kept saying that (the remark in question) was beyond a slip of the tongue." Tsuruho "has finally made up his mind," Noda told reporters in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. "It is natural for him to quit." Also on Saturday, the Ishikawa prefectural chapters of the CDP and two other opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Party for the people, sent a letter to Prime Minister and LDP President Shigeru Ishiba, in which they accused Tsuruho's gaffe and sought a severe punishment against him. On Friday, the assemblies of four municipalities on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture sent a letter of protest to Tsuruho over the controversial remark. The letter demanded that he step down from "a key post."
Japan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Noto assemblies urge LDP lawmaker to step down over quake gaffe
The assemblies of four municipalities on the Noto Peninsula have demanded that ruling party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho step down from "a key post" over his gaffe about an powerful earthquake that struck the central Japan region last year. The assembly speakers from the cities of Wajima and Suzu as well as the towns of Anamizu and Noto, all located in Ishikawa Prefecture, made the demand in a joint letter of protest sent Friday to Tsuruho, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament. On Tuesday, the Upper House lawmaker said in the city of Wakayama, during a campaign speech related to the July 20 Upper House election, that "it was lucky that the earthquake occurred in Noto." The four municipalities were heavily damaged by the Jan. 1, 2024, earthquake. "We are unable to believe from the comments and attitude (in Tsuruho's apology) that he is regretting his remark (in question)," the letter said. "We can't condone this," it said, noting that the controversial remark hurt the feelings of people affected by the earthquake. The local assembly speakers also sent a letter to LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama asking the party to take action against Tsuruho. Also on Friday, the Wajima city assembly sent a separate letter saying that it cannot forgive Tsuruho for his gaffe as it "deeply hurt people's hearts."
Japan Times
11-07-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Nearly half in quake-hit Noto area felt digital divide
Nearly half of respondents living in the earthquake-hit Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture believe that a digital divide was evident right after the January 2024 disaster, a survey has shown. According to the survey by LY, which operates messaging app Line, and Kanazawa University, 48.0% of respondents said there was a gap between those who could access information and those who could not. The survey was conducted online with 2,094 residents of areas affected by the temblor, which highlighted the need for local governments to improve their information dissemination so that necessary information, including on soup kitchens and other relief measures, reaches affected people. In the survey, 87.1% of respondents said they trusted official accounts of local governments on the Line app as they gathered information during the chaos just after the disaster. The share of respondents who said they will use information from such Line accounts again stood at 88.3%. LY and the university said that local governments have an important role in ensuring the authenticity of information, noting the need to utilize social media so that information is shared smoothly within local communities. The company also compiled a set of examples of information dissemination conducted on Line through cooperation between the quake-hit city of Suzu and the city of Kobe, which sent officials to help Suzu. The examples, along with tips on wording and timing of information releases, will be disclosed to local government officials.
