Main news(2025/04/02)
[Earthquake Alert] Earthquake magnitude 4 hits Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, no risk of tsunami
2025-04-02 23:10:00
An earthquake occurred at around 11:04pm on the 2nd. There is no need to worry about a tsunami caused by this earthquake. The epicenter was off the east coast of the Osumi Peninsula, the depth of the epicenter was 40km, and the magnitude, which indicates the scale of the earthquake, is estimated to be 6.0. The seismic intensity in each city and town is as follows: ▼Seismic intensity 4: Miyazaki City, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kushima City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kanoya City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Higashikushira Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kinko Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kimotsuki Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. ▼The earthquake recorded a magnitude of 3 in the following areas: Kanzaki City, Saga Prefecture; Minami Ward, Kumamoto City, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture; Taragi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture; Asagiri Town, Kumamoto Prefecture; Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture; Kobayashi City, Miyazaki Prefecture; Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture; Ebino City, Miyazaki Prefecture; Mimata Town, Miyazaki Prefecture; Takaharu Town, Miyazaki Prefecture; Kunitomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture; Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture; Takanabe Town, Miyazaki Prefecture; Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture; Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Ibusuki City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Tarumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Soo City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Isa City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Takeshima Prefecture; Yūsui Town, Kagoshima Prefecture; Osaki Town, Kagoshima Prefecture; and Minamiosumi Town, Kagoshima Prefecture.
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Zelensky accuses Russia of not honoring the agreement, hopes for tougher U.S. sanctions
2025-04-02 19:53:00
Regarding the agreement between Ukraine and Russia to stop attacks on energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Russia for not abiding by the agreement and expressed hope that the United States would strengthen sanctions and put pressure on Russia.
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New employees are also requesting "resignation services" right at the start of the new fiscal year. What are companies doing to combat this?
2025-04-02 18:41:00
The new fiscal year began on the 1st. With entrance ceremonies being held all over the country and many people just starting their new lives as working adults, a Tokyo-based company that provides "resignation proxy" services has already received requests from new employees who graduated from universities and other institutions this spring. In a seller's market in favor of students, and with companies raising starting salaries, why are new employees choosing to retire early?
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24-year-old suspect arrested for threatening teenage female celebrity via social media messages
2025-04-02 17:51:00
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 24-year-old suspect on suspicion of intimidation and other offenses after he sent messages such as "Go die" to a teenage female talent on social media, preventing her from attending an event.
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A stone wall believed to be from Azuchi Castle town discovered on the shore of a lake in Shiga
2025-04-02 17:27:00
According to an interview with the city, a new stone wall believed to be from a castle town has been discovered on the lake shore of Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, where the ruins of Azuchi Castle, built by Oda Nobunaga, are located. This is the first time that a full-scale stone wall believed to be from a castle town has been found on a lake shore.
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Fuji TV president offers "sincere apology" for former announcer's comments
2025-04-02 16:42:00
On the 1st, a woman who was a former announcer for the company who was found to have been sexually assaulted by Nakai Masahiro as an extension of her job in the investigation report by a third-party committee set up by Fuji Television and its parent company released a comment detailing her current feelings. Fuji Television President Kenji Shimizu apologized again to reporters on the 2nd, saying, "I would like to offer my sincere apologies."
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A bear appears in a residential area in Morioka city center
2025-04-02 16:02:00
On the afternoon of the 2nd, a bear was spotted in the center of Morioka city, entering the grounds of a temple and wandering around residential areas. Police and other authorities are on alert and urging residents in the area not to leave their homes.
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U.S. Senate protests against Trump administration in 25-hour-plus speech, record long?
2025-04-02 14:28:00
In the U.S. Senate, a Democratic senator gave a speech that lasted more than 25 hours in protest against the Trump administration, with major U.S. media outlets giving it wide coverage, saying things like it "breaked the previous record for the longest speech ever given in the Senate."
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"Hokkahokkatei" restaurant operator apologizes for April Fool's Day social media post
2025-04-02 14:15:00
The company that operates the bento chain "Hokkahokkatei" posted on social media on April 1st as an April Fool's Day lie that it would stop selling rice at all of its stores, but later apologized for not being considerate enough.
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Elon Musk tops this year's list of the world's richest people
2025-04-02 13:54:00
On the 1st, the American economic magazine Forbes announced this year's ranking of the world's richest people, and Elon Musk, CEO of the American electric car manufacturer Tesla and a key figure in the Trump administration, was ranked first for the first time in three years since 2022. Musk has been criticized for being too aggressive in his methods of cutting government agencies' workforces, and there have been a series of incidents in which Tesla vehicles have been vandalized in various places, but the value of the company has been recognized.
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Chinese military conducts military exercises around Taiwan for two consecutive days, intensifying warning against the Democratic Progressive Party government
2025-04-02 13:09:00
The Chinese military announced that it conducted military exercises around Taiwan on April 2nd, following on from April 1st, further strengthening its deterrence against Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party government.
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Tokyo Bunkyo Ward utility pole worker hit by falling object, possibly transformer, injured
2025-04-02 12:10:00
On the morning of the 2nd, in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, a male worker working on a utility pole was hit by a falling object and taken to the hospital, but is unconscious and in critical condition. There is information that a transformer fell, and the Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the details of the incident.
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Some of the documents related to Moritomo Gakuen to be received by family members on the 4th
2025-04-02 11:55:00
It has been learned that the wife of a Kinki Finance Bureau employee who committed suicide after being implicated in the falsification of approval documents related to Moritomo Gakuen will receive some of the related documents she requested from the Ministry of Finance on the 4th. The documents to be disclosed are over 2,000 pages long and detail the details of the land transaction with the school, and attention is focused on whether they will reveal new facts.
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Japan Meteorological Agency: Restrictions on climbing Mt. Shinmoe in Kirishima Mountains continue, areas requiring caution narrowed
2025-04-02 11:49:00
Regarding Shinmoe-dake in the Kirishima mountain range on the border between Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, where the eruption alert level was raised to "level 3" last month, the Japan Meteorological Agency has stated that no changes have been observed indicating further increased volcanic activity, and has therefore reduced the area requiring caution. It is calling for continued vigilance against large volcanic rocks and other hazards within approximately 3 kilometers of the crater.
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Professional baseball player Hayato Sakamoto of the Giants pointed out for failing to declare around 240 million yen
2025-04-02 08:54:00
According to an interview with a person involved, professional baseball player Hayato Sakamoto of the Giants was subjected to a tax investigation by the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau and found to have failed to declare approximately 240 million yen. He had included expenses such as food and drink at restaurants and clubs in his necessary expenses, but the Regional Taxation Bureau determined that these could not be recognized as expenses.
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French far-right party leader Le Pen's appeal trial to "decide next summer"
2025-04-02 08:33:00
The court of appeal has announced that it will issue a ruling next summer on the case of Marine Le Pen, the former leader of the far-right French party, who was suspended from running for office for misappropriating public funds. Attention is focused on the upcoming hearing to see whether the ruling of the first instance trial will be overturned and she will be able to run in the presidential election the year after next.
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US administration to review Harvard University funding for failing to protect Jewish students
2025-04-02 08:14:00
The Trump administration in the United States has announced that it will review grants totaling $9 billion to Harvard University and related organizations, citing insufficient responses to Jewish students who have been harassed over the Palestinian issue.
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"Greenland buys Alaska": local TV station fights back with satire
2025-04-02 07:51:00
As U.S. President Trump called for the acquisition of Greenland, a local public broadcaster responded with satire by publishing a false article on April 1st, April Fool's Day, claiming that "Greenland's government has announced its purchase of the U.S. state of Alaska."
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Myanmar earthquake: 2,719 dead, homes collapse, rescue operations difficult
2025-04-02 07:11:00
The death toll in the Myanmar earthquake, which hit central Myanmar, has now exceeded 2,700. Many houses have collapsed, making rescue efforts difficult, and the military, which holds real power in Myanmar, has warned that the death toll could rise further.
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President Zelensky: "First meeting on post-ceasefire troop deployment plan on the 4th"
2025-04-02 07:08:00
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, President Zelenskyy revealed that he will hold the first meeting on the 4th of this month with France and the UK, as well as other countries that are prepared to send troops if a ceasefire is achieved, to discuss their plans.
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Tourist arrested for "accidentally bringing in a handgun" - did he pass airport security check?
2025-04-02 06:37:00
An American tourist who left Hawaii in March and entered Japan from Kansai Airport was arrested when he visited Kobe after accidentally bringing a handgun for self-defense, according to an interview with an investigator. Police believe that the man passed through airport security with the handgun in his suitcase, and are currently investigating the details of the incident.
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Aichi: Suspect in body abandonment case sends message saying female student is safe?
2025-04-02 06:26:00
In a case where a 21-year-old suspect was arrested for abandoning the body of a high school girl in a closet in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture, it was revealed through an interview with an investigator that the suspect is believed to have logged into the high school girl's app and sent a message to those around her to let them know that she was safe. The police are investigating the case as an attempt to prevent the incident from being discovered.
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Discussion on corporate and group donations: no progress in sight as LDP, Komeito and CDP disagree
2025-04-02 06:15:00
The Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and Democratic Party for the People, which are seeking to strengthen regulations regarding the handling of corporate and group donations, have called on the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to join the discussions. However, the Constitutional Democratic Party has asked the three parties to submit a bill, and there is no sign of any progress in the discussions due to the gap in opinion.
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Israeli military plans to occupy 25% of Gaza Strip by expanding ground operations
2025-04-02 05:54:00
As talks continue over extending the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, it has been reported that the Israeli military is seeking to expand its ground operations to occupy 25 percent of the Gaza Strip in order to increase pressure on the Islamic organization Hamas, raising concerns about the impact this may have on future talks.
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US spokesman: "President Trump may announce reciprocal tariffs tomorrow"
2025-04-02 04:10:00
The White House announced that President Trump will speak at an event at 5 a.m. on the 3rd (Japan time), where he is expected to reveal details of "reciprocal tariffs" that would raise tariffs to the same level as trading partners.
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