2025-02-21 22:45:00
The second half of the pairs free skating event was held at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships being held in Seoul, South Korea, and the ``Rikuryu'' pair of Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi won their first title in two years.
2025-02-21 22:11:00
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission has recommended to the Financial Services Agency that it order a systems development company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Standard Market to pay a penalty of approximately 630 million yen for raising funds by issuing stock options without disclosing important information.
2025-02-21 22:10:00
An earthquake occurred at around 10:01 pm on the 21st. There is no need to worry about a tsunami caused by this earthquake. The epicenter was off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, the depth of the epicenter was 50 kilometers, and the magnitude of the earthquake was estimated to be 5.0. The seismic intensity of each city and town is as follows. ▽Seismic intensity 4: Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture. ▽ Seismic intensity of 3 was recorded in: Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture, Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, Ogawara Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Shibata Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Marumori Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Watari Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Yamamoto Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Fukushima City, Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, Tamura City, Fukushima Prefecture, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture, Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, Koori Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Kunimi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Kawamata Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Otama Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Kagamiishi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Amae Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Izumizaki Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Tamagawa Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Katsurao Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture.
2025-02-21 21:58:00
The professional baseball team Orix announced that they have ordered pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka, in his ninth year at the team, to suspend his activities for the time being for using online casinos. The team is also consulting with the police, and will announce the official punishment as soon as it is decided.
2025-02-21 21:46:00
At the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in South Africa, Foreign Minister Iwaki called for the G20 to unite in tackling challenges such as natural disasters and climate change, and emphasized the importance of free trade, bearing in mind the measures proposed by U.S. President Trump to impose high tariffs.
2025-02-21 21:07:00
The cold wave that began around the 17th of this month is expected to continue to have an impact until the three-day weekend. A cold wave is a phenomenon in which cold air moves south and causes extremely low temperatures for two to three days or more. A cold wave that lasted for a week reached the beginning of this month. We spoke to Masataro Tanaka, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's Anomaly Weather Information Center, about the background to the successive cold waves' impact.
2025-02-21 21:03:00
Three people, including the hotel manager at Takayu Onsen in Fukushima City, died after going into the mountains to manage the hot springs' source. Police investigations have revealed that the cause of death was hydrogen sulfide poisoning. The three people collapsed in the same place, and police are currently investigating the details of the incident.
2025-02-21 19:41:00
A Hispanic junior high school girl living in the southern US state of Texas took her own life in February, and her mother said that her daughter had been bullied by classmates, who told her that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would take her parents away. With the Trump administration advocating the deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal records, the girl's death has sent ripples through American society.
2025-02-21 19:26:00
It has been learned that arrangements are underway for Princess Kako, the second daughter of Prince and Princess Akishino, to make an official visit to Brazil in June of this year.
2025-02-21 19:22:00
The presentation ceremony for the 172nd Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize was held in Tokyo, with the three winning authors expressing their joy.
2025-02-21 19:14:00
It has been learned from an interview with a member of the assembly that the Hyogo Prefectural Government's 100-Article Committee, which is investigating whistleblower documents filed by Governor Saito, will soon compile a draft report stating that the allegations of power harassment against the governor "can be said to be largely true. The governor's words and actions could be considered power harassment." The Japan Innovation Party, which had been negative about the allegations, has now changed its stance to not oppose them after the issue of providing undisclosed audio data and other materials to an outside party.
2025-02-21 19:08:00
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his meeting with Trump administration special envoy Kellogg had "restored hope," signaling his desire to improve relations with President Trump amid strained relations between the two leaders.
2025-02-21 18:19:00
Long-term interest rates have been rising sharply recently against the backdrop of expectations of an interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan. The yield on 10-year government bonds, which is a representative indicator of long-term interest rates in Japan, rose temporarily to the mid-1.4% range on the 21st, reaching its highest level since 2009.
2025-02-21 17:47:00
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, known as one of the city's leading wedding venues, suddenly decided this month to close at the end of September, meaning that approximately 180 couples who had made reservations for October onwards will be unable to hold their weddings.
2025-02-21 17:43:00
Following a large-scale road collapse last month in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, believed to have been caused by a sewer pipe, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism established a committee of experts to consider measures to prevent a recurrence. After the accident, emergency inspections of sewer pipes in various areas were carried out, but regular inspections have been carried out separately from these. We will provide detailed information on the inspection results by municipality so far using data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and how to respond if an abnormality is found.
2025-02-21 17:26:00
The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of a defendant who was charged with murdering his wife and six children and setting fire to a house in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and was sentenced to death in the first and second trials, citing "a gross disregard for human life," and has now finalized the death sentence.
2025-02-21 17:09:00
Regarding the review of the "1.03 million yen annual income barrier," a senior LDP official revealed that they are considering a new proposal to expand the scope of those eligible for the income tax exemption from those with an annual income of 5 million yen or less, as stated in the previous LDP proposal, to those with an annual income of 8.5 million yen or less.
2025-02-21 16:52:00
Ten years ago, in 2015, a 17-year-old girl visited a gynecology and obstetrics clinic in Yokohama where she was undergoing treatment for an abortion when her condition suddenly worsened at home and she died. The police have referred the doctor in charge of professional negligence resulting in death to the prosecutor's office, alleging that the doctor in charge did not hospitalize the girl despite knowing that her water had broken.
2025-02-21 16:51:00
This year, 2025, all baby boomers will be 75 years or older, meaning an increase in the number of people needing nursing care. It is also predicted that approximately 7 million people, or roughly one in five seniors, will suffer from dementia. In this climate, it is estimated that as many as 100,000 people will leave their jobs to care for or look after their parents, making balancing caregiving and work a challenge. If a parent or partner develops dementia, how can you keep an eye on them while still working? We spoke to Ishida Yotaro, a senior manager at the Japan Research Institute, who has made recommendations on how to prevent people from leaving their jobs to care for their parents.
2025-02-21 14:47:00
The House of Representatives Budget Committee held intensive deliberations on the new fiscal year budget proposal, and Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his intention to find stable and permanent funding sources for the move to make high school tuition free, stating that the burden must not be passed on to future generations.
2025-02-21 14:16:00
A 78-year-old father was on trial for the murder of his disabled 44-year-old second son at his home in Chosei Village, Chiba Prefecture, last July, and the prosecution sought a five-year prison sentence, arguing that the father "not only lost his life, but also the joy of living." On the other hand, the defense argued that the father, who was caring for the son, could not be blamed alone, and sought a suspended sentence.
2025-02-21 13:36:00
Regarding the Fair Trade Commission's inspection of the Nagano Prefecture Petroleum Commercial Association on suspicion of forming a cartel to fraudulently adjust gasoline prices in the prefecture, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto stated, "If this is true, the problem is very serious," and expressed his intention to call on petroleum associations and other organizations across the country to strengthen their compliance with laws and regulations.
2025-02-21 13:32:00
A senior White House official said President Trump is frustrated with President Zelensky's handling of Ukraine's mineral rights dispute, but President Zelensky has said he is willing to conclude an investment and security agreement and is thought to be reluctant to deepen the rift between him and President Trump.
2025-02-21 11:55:00
A nationwide initiative will begin next year that will use My Number health insurance cards to allow ambulance crews to check information such as the medical history and medications of patients they are transporting.
2025-02-21 10:57:00
Entrance exams for Tokyo metropolitan high schools were held on the 21st, with the average competition rate being the lowest since the 1994 entrance exams under the current system.
2025-02-21 10:44:00
Amid a succession of damage caused by bears and their appearance in urban areas, the government has approved a cabinet decision to amend the Wildlife Protection and Management Act to make it possible for municipalities to make exceptions to the use of hunting rifles in urban areas, which is currently prohibited, in cases where bears appear in people's living areas, at their discretion.
2025-02-21 10:15:00
The MLB season open season has begun, and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, scheduled to be the opening pitcher, started in the first game against the Cubs. His fastball speed exceeded 155 km/h, and he pitched two innings without giving up any runs, suggesting that his preparations for the opening game are going well.
2025-02-21 08:50:00
The amount of snow has increased rapidly in Ishikawa Prefecture, and the Japan Meteorological Agency just announced "Information on significant heavy snowfall" at 8:37 a.m. In Koura, Hodatsushimizu Town, the amount of snowfall in the six hours up to 8 a.m. reached 28 centimeters. In the plains of southern Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture, the risk of large-scale traffic impacts is increasing, and people are being urged to be on high alert.
2025-02-21 08:41:00
The Consumer Price Index for January, which looks at the price movements of goods and services consumed at home, excluding fresh food, which is subject to large fluctuations due to weather, rose 3.2% from the same month last year. The rate of increase was 0.2 percentage points higher than the previous month's 3.0%, marking the second consecutive month of a rise in the 3% range.
2025-02-21 06:54:00
In response to a forest fire that broke out in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture on the 19th, the city issued an evacuation order to residents on the night of the 20th, citing the risk of the fire spreading to nearby houses. Helicopter water spraying operations have begun at the scene since the morning of the 21st.
2025-02-21 06:33:00
A meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Special Envoy for the Trump administration Kellogg was held in the capital Kyiv. However, a joint press conference between the two leaders was suddenly canceled, which may have been influenced by the strained relationship between the leaders, including President Trump's intensified criticism of Zelensky.
2025-02-21 06:32:00
Due to the influence of winter atmospheric pressure, snowfall is increasing mainly along the mountains on the Sea of Japan side, so be careful of avalanches and falling snow. There is a risk of heavy snowfall, including on the plains, over the three-day weekend, so please pay attention to the latest information.
2025-02-21 06:05:00
A verdict will be handed down on the 21st in a lawsuit filed by more than 3,000 people, including local residents, seeking an injunction against the operation of Units 1 and 2 of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture. The trial has been dragging on since the lawsuit was filed 13 years ago, and the court's decision is attracting attention.
2025-02-21 05:49:00
Based on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of the four hostages were returned to the Israeli side. The six surviving hostages are expected to be released on the 22nd, but talks on the second phase, which aims for a permanent ceasefire, have not progressed and the future remains unclear.
2025-02-21 05:46:00
Regarding the revision of the new fiscal year budget, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komeito Party, and the Japan Restoration Party confirmed the direction of free education. The three parties will continue to work out the final wording of the agreement document on the 21st in order to find common ground on the remaining reduction of social insurance premiums.
2025-02-21 04:20:00
Of the two Japanese high school students rescued from a specialized fraud base in Myanmar, Thai police officials have revealed that they believe the 17-year-old male high school student was instructed by a Chinese man to take part in the specialized fraud under the guidance of a Japanese man who is suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of the high school student. Thai police are currently investigating the actual situation of the organization, including the chain of command.
2025-02-21 04:17:00
Foreign Minister Iwaki, who is attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in South Africa, expressed hope that diplomatic efforts will bring an end to the fighting in Ukraine and lead to a breakthrough in the difficult situation, and emphasized Japan's determination to continue supporting Ukraine.
