2024-12-03 22:41:00
The Chinese government has announced that it will in principle ban the export of rare metals such as gallium, which is used in semiconductor materials, to the United States. This is seen as a countermeasure to the United States' tightening of export controls on semiconductors to China.
2024-12-03 22:36:00
The South Korean government has revealed that North Korea has destroyed an electricity transmission tower at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was jointly operated by North and South Korea. This further emphasizes North Korea's decision to cut off relations with South Korea, which it regards as an "enemy nation."
2024-12-03 21:31:00
On the 3rd, Akita Prefecture announced that Mir, a Siberian cat given to Governor Satake by Russian President Putin in 2013, had died of illness.
2024-12-03 21:15:00
Regarding the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that a Chinese research institute is analyzing seawater samples taken around the nuclear power plant, based on an agreement between Japan and China. The focus is on whether the results will lead to a swift resumption of imports of Japanese seafood.
2024-12-03 21:01:00
The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office has decided not to indict a 56-year-old man who was arrested by the Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters for allegedly being a member of the Philippines-based crime group "JP Dragon" and for his involvement in specialized fraud. The reason given was that "all circumstances were taken into consideration."
2024-12-03 20:48:00
On the 3rd, the Ministry of Defense announced that a Russian military submarine had sailed between Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture, temporarily entering the contiguous zone. This was the first time that a Russian military submarine had been confirmed to have sailed through this area, and the Ministry of Defense is continuing to monitor and be vigilant.
2024-12-03 20:36:00
On the 3rd, the election campaign income and expenditure reports submitted to the election management committee by candidates in last month's Hyogo Prefectural gubernatorial election were made public. Governor Saito, who was re-elected, did not include some of the 710,000 yen he allegedly paid to a Hyogo Prefectural PR company in his report. However, the governor's lawyer explained that "items that are not part of the election campaign were excluded, so there is no problem."
2024-12-03 20:08:00
A bus operating in Ehime Prefecture has been approved as a Level 4 vehicle capable of fully autonomous driving under certain conditions. If it begins full-scale operation as a route bus in the future, it is expected to be the first in the country.
2024-12-03 19:46:00
A meeting of foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will begin in Belgium on the 3rd. With the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Trump in January next year, who has called for a review of NATO's structure, due to Europe's low burden for collective defense, among other things, the meeting is expected to discuss issues such as increasing defense spending.
2024-12-03 19:37:00
The number of brown bears captured in Hokkaido last year was a record high of over 1,800. The Hokkaido government believes that an increase in the population and a poor acorn harvest in the mountains have led to an increase in bears appearing in human settlements, which has led to an increase in captures.
2024-12-03 19:05:00
A presentation of toys for the Christmas season that are attracting attention this year was held in Tokyo on December 3rd. There were toys equipped with AI, toys with communication functions, and the latest versions of toys that were hits during the Showa and Heisei eras. Children's requests, the impact of rising prices, and the worries of Santa Claus seem to never end every year.
2024-12-03 18:59:00
In Syria, where the civil war continues, the government has launched large-scale airstrikes against the increasingly aggressive rebel forces, and the fighting is intensifying over key transport hubs in the center of the country. With more than 48,000 people now being forced to flee, there are concerns that the humanitarian situation will worsen.
2024-12-03 18:55:00
In a lawsuit filed by a woman in Hokkaido Prefecture after being interrogated by police, the Sapporo District Court ruled that the removal of the notebook in which she had written down her findings was illegal, and ordered the prefectural government to pay a total of 250,000 yen, ruling that the removal of the notebook violated her right to speak to a lawyer and her right to remain silent.
2024-12-03 18:37:00
Regarding the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, which connects Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, a variable toll system has been introduced on a trial basis to alleviate congestion, Chiba Prefecture has proposed raising the toll by up to twice the normal amount from fiscal 2025 on particularly congested holiday afternoons.
2024-12-03 18:20:00
In a robbery and assault case in October this year in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, a group of four people working illegal part-time jobs broke into a house and committed a robbery and assault. A woman in her 20s who is believed to have been the "fund manager" who received cash from the perpetrators and transferred the rewards was arrested. She is said to be denying the charges during questioning.
2024-12-03 18:08:00
An international conference to discuss resource management for bluefin tuna in the Pacific Ocean is being held in Fiji in the South Pacific, and it is expected to agree to increase next year's fishing quota for large bluefin tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the waters off Japan, by 1.5 times the current amount.
2024-12-03 17:32:00
Regarding Funai Electric, an Osaka-based home appliance manufacturer that has received a court decision to start bankruptcy proceedings, it has been revealed that a bankruptcy petition has also been filed for its holding company, and that the court has issued a protective administration order to preserve the company's assets.
2024-12-03 17:29:00
A translated Christmas-themed Snoopy picture book that the poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, who passed away last month at the age of 92, was working on until just before his death, has been completed.
2024-12-03 17:04:00
In a trial where a former junior high school principal is accused of sexually assaulting and injuring a female student 14 years ago, the prosecution sought a 10-year prison sentence, claiming that the principal "took advantage of the overwhelming hierarchical relationship to inflict severe pain on the student."
2024-12-03 16:44:00
"Eel" was chosen as the "Dish of the Year" to select a food that reflects the current social climate. The reasons cited include the expansion of chain restaurants offering eel at reasonable prices and the diversification of how it is served.
2024-12-03 15:01:00
New candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame, which honors people who have made significant contributions to the development of baseball, include Ichiro Suzuki, who played for the Mariners in Major League Baseball and the Orix Buffaloes, and Shinnosuke Abe, who is currently the manager of the Yomiuri Giants.
2024-12-03 14:53:00
On the 2nd, a US court ruled again that Tesla's proposed huge compensation for CEO Elon Musk was invalid. Tesla has announced that it will appeal the ruling.
2024-12-03 14:14:00
The British public broadcaster BBC announced its "100 Women of the Year" list of people who have influenced the world, and from Japan, the talent Naomi Watanabe and Yumi Suzuki, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit over the former Eugenic Protection Law, were selected.
2024-12-03 13:55:00
Following the indictment of a former employee of Nomura Securities on charges of attempted murder and robbery and arson, Nomura Securities announced that President Kentaro Okuda and other executives will hold a press conference at 4pm on the 3rd. They are expected to explain future responses and the responsibilities of the management team.
2024-12-03 13:53:00
It is known that the Noto Peninsula earthquake caused a tsunami to reach the coast of Toyama Bay, far from the epicenter, in a short time, causing part of the undersea slope off the coast of Toyama City to collapse. Further investigation by the Japan Coast Guard confirmed collapses on the seabed off the coast of Takaoka City, and it is highly likely that these collapses caused the tsunami in various parts of Toyama Bay.
2024-12-03 13:17:00
On the 3rd, Hyogo Prefecture Governor Saito expressed his intentions at the first regular prefectural assembly meeting since being re-elected in the gubernatorial election, stating that he would approach running the prefecture's affairs with a humble attitude, and indicated his intention to quickly establish a whistleblower hotline and to work on creating an organization free of harassment.
2024-12-03 12:39:00
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested the manager of a restaurant in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, in connection with a case in which employees are suspected of repeatedly luring men they met on a dating app into their establishments and ripping them off.
2024-12-03 12:35:00
A total of 12 people have been arrested on suspicion of violating the Seed and Seedlings Act, among other things, for allegedly selling seedlings of a rare variety of strawberry developed by a national research institute on an internet flea market site without authorization.
2024-12-03 12:10:00
In the Diet, the House of Councillors also began a representative question session on Prime Minister Ishiba's policy speech. With regard to the review of the "1.03 million yen annual income barrier," the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan called for the issue of insurance premium burdens to be addressed for those earning more than 1.3 million yen a year, while Prime Minister Ishiba explained that he would carefully advance discussions in order to create a system that would allow workers to work according to their wishes.
2024-12-03 12:08:00
Prime Minister Ishiba has instructed his Cabinet members to work toward the early passage of this year's supplementary budget bill, which includes expenses for rebuilding lives and other aspects of life in the aftermath of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and to also take into consideration measures to protect victims from the cold and ensure hygiene as winter approaches.
2024-12-03 11:59:00
Regarding Nippon Steel's plan to acquire US Steel, a major American steel manufacturer, US President-elect Trump posted on his social media, "I am completely opposed to the once great and powerful US Steel being acquired by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel. I will prevent this deal from happening." Nippon Steel and US Steel agreed to acquire US Steel in December last year, but amid opposition from steel industry labor unions and others, Nippon Steel has once again submitted its plan to a US government committee that reviews acquisition plans.
2024-12-03 11:50:00
As the number of people with dementia increases due to the aging population, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the 3rd on a basic plan to promote efforts based on a "new view of dementia" to create a society in which people can live with hope even if they have dementia.
2024-12-03 11:49:00
Regarding the glitch that occurred in LINE's album function that caused images of other users to be displayed, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Murakami revealed at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting on the 3rd that he had asked the company to confirm the facts, and expressed his intention to prevent recurrence based on the report from the company.
2024-12-03 11:31:00
Early on the morning of the 3rd, a shell-shaped object was found caught in the net of a fishing boat off the coast of Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. The fishing boat was moved to a port in Matsuyama City, and the Japan Coast Guard has prohibited navigation within a 50-meter radius of the boat.
2024-12-03 10:48:00
Prince and Princess Akishino departed from Haneda Airport on the 3rd on a government plane for an official visit to Turkey, which is marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
2024-12-03 10:13:00
North Korea has announced that it will hold an important meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea later this month to decide on next year's policy direction, and attention is focused on what will be mentioned regarding relations with the incoming Trump administration in the United States and Russia.
2024-12-03 09:27:00
On the 3rd, the Nikkei average rose by more than 500 yen at one point in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Due to expectations for the future of the US economy, the major stock indexes "Nasdaq" and "S&P 500" in the New York market on the 2nd reached new highs, and following this trend, buying orders are spreading in the Tokyo market, mainly for semiconductor-related stocks.
2024-12-03 08:03:00
On the 2nd, the New York stock market saw a rise in buying orders, especially for technology-related stocks, and the Nasdaq stock index and other indexes hit new record highs.
2024-12-03 06:46:00
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has called for the release of many people being held hostage by the Islamic organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip for long periods by the time he takes office as president on the 20th of next month, and has hinted at the possibility of some form of retaliation if their release is not observed.
2024-12-03 06:29:00
In response to a series of problems in the industry, such as major non-life insurance companies fixing premium prices among themselves, the Financial Services Agency is embarking on a revision to the Insurance Business Act. It plans to broaden the scope of "facilitations" currently prohibited by law to include insurance companies using the services of companies with which they have contracts.
2024-12-03 06:18:00
In Syria, where the civil war continues, anti-government forces have been stepping up their offensive since the ceasefire agreement with neighboring Lebanon. In response, President Assad is believed to be hoping to restore his position by holding a telephone conversation with Iranian President Pezechkian on the 2nd to secure support.
2024-12-03 05:42:00
Starting on the 3rd, the House of Councillors will also hold a representative question and answer session regarding Prime Minister Ishiba's policy speech, and debate is expected to take place on efforts to restore trust in politics and the nature of economic policy.
2024-12-03 05:31:00
In Lebanon in the Middle East, small-scale attacks by the Israeli military have continued even after a ceasefire came into effect. However, on the 2nd, the Shiite Islamic organization Hezbollah fired a rocket for the first time since the ceasefire as a warning to Israel, raising concerns about whether the ceasefire will be maintained.
2024-12-03 05:17:00
A government-designated institution has begun a service that provides those who request it with a so-called "credit score," which is an easy-to-understand numerical representation of creditworthiness in financial transactions based on card payment history, etc. The aim is to prevent excessive borrowing by making people more aware of their own creditworthiness, and attention is focused on whether this service will become more widely used.
2024-12-03 05:09:00
A new drug for some patients with ALS, an incurable disease that gradually causes the muscles in the entire body to stop moving, has been approved for manufacture and sale by a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare expert committee. It is expected to be officially approved by the government in the future, and will be the first drug in Japan that targets the root cause of ALS.
2024-12-03 05:04:00
Shipment of 'Hougi shellfish', a popular gift item for the New Year holidays, began on the 2nd in Ainan Town, Ehime Prefecture.
