Latest news with #Yoshihara
NDTV
14-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
Abandoned Dog Saves Buddhist Monk From Bear Attack In Japan
Tougen Yoshihara, a Japanese Buddhist monk who adopted an abandoned dog, deemed too loud by its previous owners, received the reprieve of a lifetime when the same dog protected him during a bear attack. Mr Yoshihara, the abbot of Youkoku Temple, a historic temple in Niigata in central Japan, was on a walk in the woods near the temple last month when the unexpected encounter took place. Mr Yoshihara, alongside his one-year-old Beagle, Chico, was suddenly flanked by a 1.6-metre-tall bear who looked ominous, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. In the fight or flight mode, Mr Yoshihara decided to take off but stumbled and fell, trying to engineer an escape. The tumble was severe and resulted in an instant dislocated right shoulder, further lowering Mr Yoshihara's chances of survival against the apex predator. Despite being physically fit and having an exceptional muscular physique, all Mr Yoshiara could do was feel helpless in the situation. With the odds stacked against him, the 45-year-old monk was ready to throw in the towel until Chico intervened. Displaying extraordinary courage, the little puppy started barking fiercely at the bear. Eventually, the bear got scared and ran away with Chico running after it. As Chico drifted deeper into the woods, Mr Yoshihara gathered himself and ran after him, despite the intense pain from his shoulder. While searching the forest, he received a call from his wife who informed him that Chico had returned home. Overwhelmed by the news, Mr Yoshihara started crying before returning to his faithful dog, beaming with pride. He now prefers to call Chico his "saviour". While Mr Yoshihara may have saved Chico earlier by giving it a home, the puppy has returned the love equally by putting its life on the line and saving the monk. Notably, the Niigata prefecture, where Mr Yoshihara narrowly escaped the bear attack, is known for regular sightings of bears. As per local media, over 160 bear sightings have been reported this year alone, alongside two injuries resulting from bear attacks.
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Is China planning to declare shared control of Diaoyu Islands with Japan?
China is preparing to take the next step in its campaign to challenge Japanese control of the disputed Diaoyu Islands by unilaterally declaring them to be jointly administered, a prominent maritime security expert has warned. Advertisement Dr Toshi Yoshihara, a leading authority on China's naval strategy and a former professor at the US Naval War College, told the right-leaning Sankei Shimbun newspaper that Beijing could also dispatch members of its maritime militia disguised as fishermen to land on the uninhabited islets to further its claims, complicating any coordinated response by Tokyo and Washington. Yoshihara said China had maintained a near-constant coastguard presence in waters surrounding the Diaoyus – known in Japan as the Senkakus – including regular incursions into what Tokyo considered its territorial waters. By maintaining this presence, Beijing could argue that Japan was failing to exercise administrative authority, thereby justifying a claim of shared control. '[If] China can demonstrate that it can be in those waters on a more or less permanent basis and Japan can't do anything about it, how can Japan actually in practise claim that it has administrative control of the waters?' he said in the interview, which was published on Tuesday. The disputed Diaoyu Islands, also known as Senkaku in Japan, in the East China Sea. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo This approach was the natural progression from Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the China coastguard's Shanghai headquarters for the East China Sea in November 2023, during which he ordered measures to 'strengthen sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands', Yoshihara said.
