Main news(2025/04/05)
Myanmar military chief asks for aid for earthquake at international conference
2025-04-05 19:19:00
The head of the military, who holds real power in Myanmar, attended an international conference in Thailand and requested assistance from various countries for the damage caused by the earthquake. However, the United Nations and pro-democracy forces claim that the military continues to attack even after announcing a temporary ceasefire, and it is unclear whether assistance for the victims will be accelerated.
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An event showcasing Awa Odori at the famous cherry blossom spot in Otsu, Miidera
2025-04-05 18:21:00
An event featuring Awa Odori dance under cherry blossoms in full bloom was held at Miidera Temple in Otsu City.
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Judo All Japan Championships Weight Class Abe Uta wins for the first time
2025-04-05 18:02:00
Abe Uta, a Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in the women's 52kg class at the All-Japan Judo Championships, won her first title at this tournament, taking a big step towards becoming a representative for this year's World Championships.
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Prime Minister Ishiba visits the Expo site: "An opportunity to communicate Japan's vision for the future"
2025-04-05 17:55:00
With the opening just eight days away, Prime Minister Ishiba inspected the Osaka-Kansai Expo site and stated that preparations are progressing smoothly, and emphasized that he wants to use the expo to present Japan's vision for the future to the world.
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Nankai Trough mega-earthquake: Early evacuation reduces deaths from tsunami by about 70%
2025-04-05 17:22:00
In the new damage estimates of the country in the event of a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough, the death toll from a tsunami could reach 215,000 in the worst case scenario, but this could be significantly reduced if many people were able to evacuate quickly immediately after the earthquake. However, an online survey by experts has highlighted the problem of awareness of "tsunami evacuation buildings," which are being designated in various regions to encourage evacuation. We verified this with experts in Umeda, Osaka.
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Another new prediction for a massive Nankai Trough earthquake: "half-break" would cause massive damage
2025-04-05 17:11:00
The government's new damage estimates for a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough also take into account cases other than magnitude 9. These are so-called "half-breaks" occurring on either the east or west side of the expected epicenter. In the past, these have occurred one after the other with a time lag. The estimates indicate that there will be severe damage, with over 70,000 deaths on the east side alone and over 100,000 deaths on the west side alone. However, the estimates also show that if measures such as evacuation are taken after the first earthquake, damage can be significantly reduced if a major earthquake occurs with a time lag. With the current situation in which it is difficult to accurately predict earthquakes, the challenge is whether these measures can be put into practice.
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100 cherry trees of 10 varieties in Ashikaga, Tochigi, are in full bloom, one week later than in Tokyo
2025-04-05 15:57:00
With cherry blossom viewing season upon us, the approximately 100 cherry trees at the tourist botanical gardens in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, are in full bloom, attracting many visitors, including families.
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Prime Minister Ishiba intends to arrange a telephone meeting with President Trump within the next week
2025-04-05 15:48:00
In response to the tariff measures imposed by the Trump administration in the United States, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his intention to arrange a telephone meeting with President Trump within the next week. However, he expressed his disapproval of imposing retaliatory tariffs as a countermeasure.
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Forest fire in Ofunato, Iwate - Ground investigation to put out fire, no heat source found
2025-04-05 15:46:00
More than a month has passed since the forest fire broke out in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture. In order to put out the fire, firefighters conducted a ground survey of the affected areas to see if there was a heat source. According to the firefighters, no heat source was found.
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Sending relief supplies to a temple frequented by many Myanmar people in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama
2025-04-05 15:28:00
In response to the major earthquake that occurred in central Myanmar, a temple in Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, which is frequented by many Myanmar people, is working to send relief supplies to the affected area.
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Judoist Abe Hifumi wins his first match since the Olympics but misses the semi-finals due to injury to his left elbow
2025-04-05 14:39:00
Judo athlete Hifumi Abe, who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals in the men's 66 kg class, competed in a domestic tournament for the first time since the Paris Olympics and won in the first round. However, he injured his left elbow in the match and was forced to miss the semi-finals.
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Osaka Mint Bureau's "Cherry Blossom Pass" begins with 340 cherry trees of 142 varieties
2025-04-05 13:11:00
The "Cherry Blossom Pass" at the Osaka Mint, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, began on the 5th, with visitors enjoying the cherry blossoms in the spring sunshine.
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Two China Coast Guard vessels invade Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa
2025-04-05 13:06:00
On the morning of the 5th, two China Coast Guard vessels entered Japanese territorial waters off the coast of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. The Japan Coast Guard is continuing to warn and monitor the vessels and urge them to leave the territorial waters immediately.
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US National Security Agency chief fired by far-right activists who lobbied the president
2025-04-05 12:28:00
The head of the National Security Agency (NSA), an intelligence agency under the US Department of Defense, has been fired. The reason for his dismissal has not been made clear, but US media reports that far-right female activists have lobbied President Trump to dismiss him for not being loyal to the administration's policies.
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Chuo Expressway: Road closure due to accident involving two buses, Hachioji JCT to Sagamiko IC, outbound
2025-04-05 12:07:00
According to NEXCO Central Japan, the outbound lane between Hachioji Junction in Hachioji City, Tokyo and Sagamiko Interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture has been closed since around 10:20 a.m. due to an accident involving two large buses.
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Temperatures to rise to late April levels, with unstable atmospheric conditions in western Japan through tomorrow
2025-04-05 12:06:00
On the 5th, high pressure will cover the area around Japan, making it sunny, especially in eastern Japan, and in some places it is expected to be as warm as late April. On the other hand, the atmospheric conditions are expected to be very unstable in western Japan through the 6th, so be careful of sudden changes in the weather, such as lightning strikes, tornadoes, and other strong gusts of wind, and sudden heavy rain.
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"Tariffs raise risk of global recession to 60%" - US financial institutions
2025-04-05 12:01:00
A major U.S. financial institution has estimated that the series of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration has increased the risk of the global economy falling into recession by as much as 60%.
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Okayama: Light vehicle crashes into roadside signpost; 5 people taken to hospital, 4 of them in critical condition
2025-04-05 11:58:00
On the morning of the 5th, a light vehicle crashed into a roadside signpost on a national highway in Minami-ku, Okayama City, and five passengers were taken to the hospital. According to the police, four of them are in critical condition.
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Prince Hisahito enters University of Tsukuba
2025-04-05 11:53:00
Prince Hisahito, the eldest son of Prince and Princess Akishino, enrolled at the University of Tsukuba on the 5th.
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Dodgers' Yamamoto loses for the first time, ending team's eight-game winning streak
2025-04-05 11:38:00
In Major League Baseball, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto started against the Phillies on the 4th and pitched well, allowing only one run in six innings. Shohei Ohtani also recorded a hit in his third consecutive game, but the team lost the game 2-3, bringing their winning streak since the start of the season to an end at eight.
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Nintendo changes pre-order start date for new game console in the U.S. following tariff measures
2025-04-05 11:37:00
Gaming giant Nintendo has announced that it will change the start date for pre-orders for its new game console, the Nintendo Switch 2, in the United States from its original plan, in order to gauge the impact of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
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Ukraine to exhibit wartime life at Expo 2025 in Osaka
2025-04-05 07:49:00
At the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which opens on the 13th of this month, Ukraine is exhibiting helmets used in the restoration of facilities damaged in Russian attacks, in an effort to raise awareness of the difficult life during wartime.
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[Explanatory Video] Why did the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall to its third-largest level in history? How did the market respond?
2025-04-05 07:43:00
On the 4th, the New York Stock Exchange saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall by $2,231, the third largest one-day drop on record. This was due to growing concerns that trade friction would intensify further after China announced countermeasures against the Trump administration's reciprocal tariffs. Arai Toshiki, a reporter from the US bureau, explains how market participants are reacting to the news. (The video is 1 minute 44 seconds long. It cannot be viewed on data broadcasting.)
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South Korea presidential election: June 3rd vote likely; ruling and opposition parties accelerate efforts
2025-04-05 07:14:00
On the 4th, South Korean media reported that the election to decide the next president of South Korea, Yoon Seok-yeol, who was impeached, is likely to take place on June 3rd. In opinion polls, the names of the leader of the largest opposition party and cabinet members of the ruling party have been mentioned, and both the ruling and opposition parties plan to accelerate their efforts toward the election.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga's second win of the season, his longest with only one run allowed in the 8th inning
2025-04-05 07:12:00
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga started against the Padres in Major League Baseball and pitched his longest game of the season, a career-long 7 1/3 innings, allowing only one run, earning his second win of the season.
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US Fed Chairman: Trump administration tariffs are bigger than expected, but "we will not rush into lowering interest rates"
2025-04-05 07:01:00
On the 4th, US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated that he recognized that the tariff hikes proposed by the Trump administration would be much larger than expected. However, he emphasized that the economy is still in good shape and that he will not rush to lower interest rates and will continue to make careful monetary policy decisions.
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LDP, Komeito and New Komeito parties agree to lower gasoline prices, concrete measures to be considered
2025-04-05 06:35:00
In response to the continued high price of gasoline, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komeito Party, and the Democratic Party for the People have agreed to implement measures to lower prices from June this year. They will begin examining specific measures, including further support through subsidies, in the future.
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President Trump to impose 10% tariffs across the board this afternoon Japan time
2025-04-05 06:32:00
Among the tariff measures announced by US President Trump on the 2nd, a uniform 10% tariff will be imposed on all countries and regions, which will come into effect in the afternoon of the 5th Japan time. Meanwhile, in retaliation, the Chinese government has announced that it will impose the same additional 34% tariff on all imports from the US, raising concerns about the serious impact that the intensifying trade friction will have on the global economy.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2,231 dollars, the third largest drop in history, as concerns mount over intensifying trade friction between the U.S. and China.
2025-04-05 06:10:00
On the 4th, the New York Stock Exchange saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall by $2,231, the third largest one-day drop in history. This was due to growing concerns that trade friction would intensify as China announced countermeasures against the Trump administration's mutual tariffs.
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Pertussis "resistant bacteria" reported across the country; specialists urge vaccination
2025-04-05 05:49:00
As the number of patients with whooping cough, which mainly infects children and causes severe coughing, increases, resistant bacteria that are ineffective against the medicines that have been used to treat it up until now have been reported in various places. In one case, a one-month-old infant died at a hospital in Tokyo, and specialist doctors are calling for infants to be vaccinated against the disease.
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