Latest news with #Yokosuka
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Hundreds pray for marine safety at sacred seaside festival in Japan
Published On 29 Jul 2025 29 Jul 2025 Hundreds of residents gathered at a beach in Yokosuka city's Kurihama area, south of Tokyo, over the weekend to pray for marine safety in a summer festival that fuses sacred ritual and seaside spectacle. As a portable shrine called mikoshi, decorated with Shinto ornaments, was lifted onto bearers' shoulders, the audience cheered. The mikoshi had started from Sumiyoshi Shrine and was paraded through neighbourhood alleyways. Shrine priests paused to bless offerings and pray for good fortune for people gathered outside their homes. When the procession reached the beach, the priests danced and chanted. The festival reached its climax when the bearers entered the water up to their necks, their sweaty faces splashed with seawater. The procession made a final stop at the nearby ferry terminal, where the mikoshi was carried onto a vessel for prayers for its safe travels. 'Everyone has been looking forward to this day all year,' said Shuji Shimizu, head of the Kurihama Neighbourhood Association. 'It's a celebration of our own strength and unity. Please stay safe out there … and enjoy every moment.' As evening fell, the mikoshi was carried back to storage at the shrine, until next summer.
Nikkei Asia
16-07-2025
- Science
- Nikkei Asia
Japan to build new survey ship to hunt for deep-sea rare earths
Japan's current research mother ship, the Yokosuka, is aging and can carry only one probe. (Photo by Dai Kuwamura) KEITO NAKAOKA TOKYO -- Japan plans to build a new research support ship capable of carrying multiple deep-sea probe vehicles to look for rare earths and other marine resources. The new mother ship is expected to support autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles, as well as crewed submersible research vessels like the Shinkai 6500. Carrying multiple probes will shorten the number of days required for voyages.
CNA
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
Nissan says Oppama plant will stop production by March 2028
TOKYO :Nissan Motor Co said on Tuesday it will stop producing vehicles at its Oppama plant in Japan by March 2028 and transfer operations to its factory in the southern prefecture of Fukuoka as part of a global restructuring plan to reduce capacity. Japan's third-biggest automaker is looking to slash production capacity to 2.5 million vehicles from 3.5 million and consolidate production sites to 10 from 17 as it grapples with falling sales and mounting losses. Reuters reported last week that Nissan was in talks to allow Taiwan's Foxconn to use the Oppama factory to produce EVs and avert a closure. Nissan said in a statement on Tuesday that it would explore "a wide range of options" for the future use of the Oppama plant, in the port city of Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. Related costs will be disclosed along with first-quarter financial results, it said. CEO Ivan Espinosa has announced sweeping restructuring plans aimed at turning around the struggling automaker, including reducing its global workforce by some 15 per cent.
CNA
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
Nissan considers Foxconn EV output to save Oppama plant from closure, sources say
TOKYO :Japan's Nissan Motor is in talks to allow Taiwan's Foxconn to use one of the automaker's domestic factories to build electric vehicles, said two people familiar with the matter, a deal that could save the plant from closure. Reuters reported in May that Nissan was considering closing its Oppama plant, in the port city of Yokosuka south of Tokyo. CEO Ivan Espinosa has announced sweeping restructuring plans aimed at turning around the struggling automaker, including closing seven of Nissan's 17 factories globally and reducing its workforce by some 15 per cent. Allowing electronics manufacturer Foxconn to produce its own EVs at Oppama could avert plant closure, mitigating the impact of restructuring on the plant's 3,900 employees and suppliers, the people said, declining to be identified. The discussions were first reported by the Nikkei business daily late on Sunday. Nissan in a statement said the Nikkei report was not based on information released by the automaker. A Foxconn spokesperson did not respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Kyodo News reported separately on Monday that Foxconn was considering a plan to acquire a portion of the Oppama plant. In May, Nissan's junior partner Mitsubishi Motors signed a memorandum of understanding with a Foxconn subsidiary for the Taiwanese firm to supply it with an EV model.
CNA
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
Nissan considers Foxconn EV output to save Oppama from closure, sources say
TOKYO :Japan's Nissan Motor is in talks to allow Taiwan's Foxconn to use one of the automaker's domestic factories to build electric vehicles, said two people familiar with the matter, a deal that could save the plant from closure. Reuters reported in May that Nissan was considering closing its Oppama plant, in the port city of Yokosuka south of Tokyo. CEO Ivan Espinosa has announced sweeping restructuring plans aimed at turning around the struggling automaker, including closing seven of Nissan's 17 factories globally and reducing its workforce by some 15 per cent. Allowing electronics manufacturer Foxconn to produce its own EVs at Oppama could avert plant closure, mitigating the impact of restructuring on the plant's 3,900 employees and suppliers, the people said, declining to be identified. The discussions were first reported by the Nikkei business daily late on Sunday. Nissan in a statement said the Nikkei report was not based on information released by the automaker. A Foxconn spokesperson did not respond to a Reuters' request for comment. In May, Nissan's junior partner Mitsubishi Motors signed a memorandum of understanding with a Foxconn subsidiary for the Taiwanese firm to supply it with an EV model.
