Social News(2025/04/09)
Nagano Iiyama: Bear attacks three men and women, injures them; may have entered a nearby vacant house
2025-04-09 22:22:00
On the evening of the 9th, three men and women in their 90s and 60s were injured when a bear entered a storage shed and a house in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, and attacked them. According to the police, all three are conscious. There is information that the bear has entered a nearby vacant house and is staying there, and the police and the local hunting association are investigating.
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Nagano Iiyama: Bear attacks three men and women, injures them; may have entered a nearby vacant house
2025-04-09 21:06:00
On the evening of the 9th, three men and women in their 90s and 60s were injured when a bear entered a storage shed and a house in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, and attacked them. According to the police, all three are conscious. There is information that the bear has entered a nearby vacant house and is staying there, and the police and the local hunting association are investigating.
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Just before the Expo opens: A look at the pavilions of each country and region
2025-04-09 21:05:00
With the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2070 due to open on the 13th of this month, a "Media Day" was held for members of the press. 73 pavilions from Japan and abroad unveiled their exhibits, highlighting their own technologies and cultures.
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New system for flood control corps members to share location information, etc., as a lesson learned from heavy rains in western Japan
2025-04-09 20:53:00
Learning from the heavy rains that hit western Japan seven years ago, the government has developed a new system that allows flood control corps members, who patrol swollen rivers and guide residents to evacuations, to share each other's location information and other information via smartphone.
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Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office: 50-year-old woman arrested for stabbing 70-year-old woman in the back not indicted
2025-04-09 20:51:00
The Kobe District Public Prosecutors' Office has decided not to indict a 50-year-old woman who was arrested last year for stabbing a woman in her 70s in the back with a knife at a subway station in Kobe, causing serious injuries.
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Minister of the Environment to hold two-day meeting with Minamata disease patients and victim groups this year
2025-04-09 20:33:00
Last year, at a meeting between the Minister of the Environment and a group of patients and victims following a memorial service for Minamata disease victims, the microphone was cut off while a group was speaking. This follows an incident in which arrangements are being made to hold a meeting with the Minister over two days this year, the day of the memorial service and the day before.
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Body found in freezer in Nagahama, Shiga, identified as suspect's wife
2025-04-09 20:32:00
In April, a body was found in a freezer in a house in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, and three people, including a parent and child who lived in the house, were arrested on suspicion of abandoning the body. As a result of the police investigation, it was confirmed that the deceased was a 57-year-old woman, the wife of one of the three. The police are continuing to investigate the details of the incident.
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Miyagi's Ogo Town Council referendum on whether to dissolve the town council likely to be postponed
2025-04-09 20:29:00
The Sendai District Court has decided to suspend procedures for a certain period of time regarding the referendum on whether to dissolve the town council of Ogo Town in Miyagi Prefecture. Ogo Town will suspend early voting from the 9th, and the vote scheduled for the 20th of this month is likely to be postponed.
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Fuji TV anchor Minoru Aoi apologizes to program staff for inappropriate behavior
2025-04-09 19:56:00
Fuji Television announced that it has asked news anchor Aoi Minoru not to make similar remarks or actions again after he behaved inappropriately towards staff members of the news program.
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Four days until the Expo opens: A look at the pavilions of each country
2025-04-09 19:28:00
With just four days until the opening of the Osaka Kansai Expo, a "Media Day" is being held for members of the press. 73 pavilions from Japan and abroad are showing off their exhibits and promoting their own technologies and cultures.
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Nagano Iiyama: Bear attack leaves three men and women injured, two of whom are seriously injured
2025-04-09 19:24:00
On the evening of the 9th, three men and women in their 90s and 60s were injured in a storage shed and a house in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, when they were attacked by a bear. According to the fire department, the two men are believed to be seriously injured, but all three are conscious. There is information that the bear has entered a nearby building and is remaining inside, and the police and others are rushing to confirm this.
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Nagasaki helicopter accident: 3 killed; "It took more than 30 minutes to report" Coast Guard investigates situation
2025-04-09 19:20:00
In the accident in which a medical evacuation helicopter was found capsized off the coast of Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture, killing three people, it took the operating company more than 30 minutes from when they lost track of the aircraft's location to when they notified relevant authorities, so the Japan Coast Guard will be investigating the details of what happened at the time.
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Accident involving a minibus in Adachi Ward, Tokyo leaves 5 injured
2025-04-09 19:17:00
According to the Tokyo Fire Department, at around 5:30 pm on the 9th, an accident involving two passenger cars and a minibus occurred in Iriya 1-chome, Adachi Ward, Tokyo, leaving five people injured. One of the injured was a pedestrian, a girl of elementary school age. All five were conscious. The accident occurred in an area lined with houses near Toneri Station on the Nippori-Toneri Liner.
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Four days until the Expo opens: A look at the pavilions of each country
2025-04-09 19:15:00
With just four days until the opening of the Osaka Kansai Expo, a "Media Day" is being held for members of the press. 73 pavilions from Japan and abroad are showing off their exhibits and promoting their own technologies and cultures.
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Rice stockpile release to be carried out monthly until this summer; could this lead to price cuts?
2025-04-09 18:55:00
Rice prices continue to remain high. The average price at supermarkets is 4,206 yen per 5 kg, including tax, and has risen for 13 consecutive weeks. In this situation, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto announced on the morning of the 9th that the government will release rice from its stockpile every month until this summer. Will this lead to a price reduction?
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Former president of driver's company indicted over three-person fatality in Metropolitan Expressway accident last May
2025-04-09 18:49:00
In connection with last year's accident in which a large truck crashed into a traffic jam on the Metropolitan Expressway in Saitama Prefecture, killing three people, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has referred the former president of the transportation company where the truck driver worked to the prosecutor's office on the grounds that the company failed to take necessary measures, such as arranging for a replacement driver, despite the truck driver having complained of feeling unwell the day before.
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Former president and others referred to prosecutors for concealing flooding on JR Kyushu ferry "Queen Beetle"
2025-04-09 18:44:00
On the 9th, the Japan Coast Guard sent papers to prosecutors on eight people, including the former president, and the company on suspicion of violating the Maritime Transportation Act in relation to the case of a subsidiary of JR Kyushu concealing flooding of a high-speed ferry plying between Fukuoka and South Korea. Following the sinking of a tourist boat off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula, some provisions of the Maritime Transportation Act were made more severe, and this is the first time they have been applied.
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Mie: Two women lost while hiking, one found safe, one injured
2025-04-09 18:20:00
Two 64-year-old women who are believed to have been lost while hiking in the mountains on the morning of the 7th in Mihama Town, Mie Prefecture, were found on the morning of the 9th. None of them are in life-threatening condition, but one of them is believed to have been injured and was taken to the hospital.
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Nagano Iiyama: Bear attack leaves three men and women injured, two of whom are seriously injured
2025-04-09 18:19:00
According to a report from the fire department, three people, including two men in their 90s and 60s, and a woman in her 60s, were attacked by a bear in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, at around 4 p.m. on the 9th, and were injured. Two of the men are believed to be seriously injured.
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ETC outage: President of Central Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd.: "We will prepare a manual for handling the issue as soon as possible"
2025-04-09 18:16:00
Regarding the ETC failures that occurred at toll booths and other locations on expressways this month, Central Nippon Expressway Company President Tadashi Nawata said at a press conference on the 9th that one thing to reflect on was the lack of a manual for dealing with wide-area system failures, and expressed his intention to quickly put one in place.
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks ICPO to continue international arrest of former Sea Shepherd leader
2025-04-09 17:53:00
Regarding the temporary suspension of the international wanted list for Paul Watson, the former leader of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Kitamura stated that the ministry intends to ask the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) to continue the wanted list.
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Students reaffirm their determination at the entrance ceremony at large-scale correspondence university "ZEN University"
2025-04-09 17:22:00
The entrance ceremony for ZEN University, a large correspondence university that opened this spring, was held in Tokyo, and students who participated online and elsewhere renewed their determination.
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Thai police officials in talks with National Police Agency to eliminate Myanmar fraud hub
2025-04-09 17:07:00
Regarding the issue of many foreigners, including Japanese, being forced to take part in specialized fraud and other crimes in crime hotspots in Myanmar, a senior police official from Thailand, which borders Japan, visited Japan to hold discussions with the National Police Agency and confirmed that they will strengthen cooperation to eradicate fraud organizations.
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23-year-old suspect arrested for escaping after vehicle breaks into House of Representatives accommodation grounds
2025-04-09 16:40:00
In the early hours of the 8th, a suspicious vehicle being pursued by a Metropolitan Police Department patrol car entered the grounds of a House of Representatives member's accommodation in Akasaka, Tokyo. A 23-year-old suspect who abandoned the car and fled was arrested on the 9th on suspicion of trespassing. The car was stolen in Mie Prefecture, and the Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating the details.
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Company president arrested for selling stolen cars to gangsters after finding different license plate numbers
2025-04-09 16:01:00
The Metropolitan Police Department and Chiba Prefectural Police Joint Investigation Headquarters arrested the president of an automobile repair company for illegally attaching another vehicle's license plate number to a stolen Toyota luxury minivan "Alphard." The stolen car had the chassis number of a car that was supposedly purchased cheaply at an online auction replaced, and the Metropolitan Police Department and others are investigating the possibility that the company repeatedly sold the stolen car to members of organized crime groups using this method.
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Former president of driver's company indicted over three-person fatality in Metropolitan Expressway accident last May
2025-04-09 15:51:00
In connection with last year's accident in which a large truck crashed into a traffic jam on the Metropolitan Expressway in Saitama Prefecture, killing three people, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has referred the former president of the transportation company where the truck driver worked to the prosecutor's office on the grounds that the company failed to take necessary measures, such as arranging for a replacement driver, despite the truck driver having complained of feeling unwell the day before.
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Suspect Hirosue Ryoko indicted; still unstable; investigation into her behavior before the incident
2025-04-09 15:39:00
Actor Ryoko Hirosue, who was arrested for injuring a nurse at a hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture, has been reported to be calm during questioning, but she still shows signs of instability. The police will send the suspect to the Public Prosecutor's Office on the afternoon of the 9th to further investigate her actions before the incident.
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Elephant's paintings donated to aid disaster-hit areas in Myanmar Chiba
2025-04-09 15:15:00
In an effort to support the areas affected by the devastating earthquake that hit Myanmar last month, a zoo in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, has begun donating proceeds from the sale of paintings made by its elephants.
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Ministry of Justice: "Sexual deep fakes are subject to legal restrictions as they involve real children"
2025-04-09 15:14:00
Regarding so-called "sexual deepfakes," which use AI technology to create obscene images and videos of children, the Ministry of Justice has expressed the view that if it is confirmed that the children in the photos and other images used to create the images actually exist, they could be subject to regulation under child pornography laws.
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Forest fire in Akiota, Hiroshima extinguished, no damage to buildings
2025-04-09 15:05:00
The fire that broke out in a mountain forest in Akiota Town, Hiroshima Prefecture on the 8th was completely extinguished and put out by the morning of the 9th, just one day after it started.
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Mito District Public Prosecutor's Office drops charges against mother and daughter arrested for abandoning son's body
2025-04-09 15:02:00
In March, prosecutors decided not to indict a 50-year-old mother and her 30-year-old daughter who were arrested for abandoning their son's body in a car parked in a parking lot in Mito City.
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Ehime Imabari forest fire: Firefighting activities across the prefecture begin on the third day of outbreak
2025-04-09 13:39:00
In a forest fire that broke out in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture in March, it was discovered that fire departments from across the prefecture began operating on the third day after the fire broke out, in response to a request from the city. In Okayama City, where a forest fire broke out on the same day, fire department support teams from across the prefecture began operating the following morning, and experts have pointed out that "the response may have been slow."
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Mie: Two missing hikers confirmed safe, one injured
2025-04-09 13:02:00
Two 64-year-old women who are believed to have become lost while hiking in the mountains in Mihama Town, Mie Prefecture on the morning of the 7th were found safe on the morning of the 9th.
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Ehime Imabari forest fire: Firefighting activities across the prefecture begin on the third day since the outbreak
2025-04-09 12:38:00
In a forest fire that broke out in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture in March, it was discovered that fire departments from across the prefecture began operating on the third day after the incident, in response to a request from the city. In Okayama City, where a forest fire broke out on the same day, support teams from fire departments across the prefecture began operating the following morning, and experts have pointed out that "the response may have been slow."
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Nagasaki helicopter accident: 3 killed; aircraft salvaged by ship
2025-04-09 12:35:00
On the 6th of this month, a medical evacuation helicopter transporting a patient was found capsized off the coast of Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of three people. The helicopter involved in the accident was washed up off the coast of Fukuoka Prefecture, and work began on the morning of the 9th to salvage it by boat.
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Company president arrested for selling stolen cars to gangsters after finding different license plate numbers
2025-04-09 12:31:00
The Metropolitan Police Department and Chiba Prefectural Police Joint Investigation Headquarters arrested the president of an automobile repair company for illegally attaching another vehicle's license plate number to a stolen Toyota luxury minivan "Alphard." The stolen car had the chassis number of a car that was supposedly purchased cheaply at an online auction replaced, and the Metropolitan Police Department and others are investigating the possibility that the company repeatedly sold the stolen car to members of organized crime groups using this method.
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Former president of driver's company indicted over three-person fatality in Metropolitan Expressway accident last May
2025-04-09 12:07:00
In connection with last year's accident in which a large truck crashed into a traffic jam on the Metropolitan Expressway in Saitama Prefecture, killing three people, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has referred the former president of the transportation company where the truck driver worked to the prosecutor's office on the grounds that the company failed to take necessary measures, such as arranging for a replacement driver, despite the truck driver having complained of feeling unwell the day before.
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Nagasaki: Japan Coast Guard searches for operator of helicopter crash that killed three
2025-04-09 11:58:00
On the 6th of this month, a medical evacuation helicopter transporting patients was found capsized off the coast of Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of three people. In the morning of the 9th, the Japan Coast Guard began searching the helicopter operating company in Saga City on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death or injury.
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Agriculture Minister Eto announces additional release of stockpiled rice, to be released monthly until this summer
2025-04-09 11:41:00
On the morning of the 9th, after meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto announced to reporters that the government will release rice from its stockpile every month until this summer. He also revealed his intention to hold a third bidding for 100,000 tons of stockpile rice in late April.
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Nagasaki helicopter accident: 3 killed; salvage work begins
2025-04-09 11:39:00
The helicopter involved in the accident was found drifting off the coast of Fukuoka Prefecture, and work to salvage it by boat began on the morning of the 9th.
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Revised road law and other laws passed to strengthen disaster response in light of road destruction caused by Noto Peninsula earthquake
2025-04-09 11:13:00
Taking into account the fact that many roads leading to disaster-stricken areas were cut off in the Noto Peninsula earthquake, a revised Road Act was passed and enacted at a plenary session of the House of Councillors on the 9th, which includes provisions allowing the national government to remove road obstructions on behalf of local governments.
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Agriculture Minister Eto announces additional release of stockpiled rice, to be released monthly until this summer
2025-04-09 10:48:00
On the morning of the 9th, after meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto announced to reporters that the government will release rice from its stockpile every month until this summer. He also revealed his intention to hold a third bidding for 100,000 tons of stockpile rice in late April.
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Agriculture Minister Eto announces additional release of stockpiled rice, to be released monthly until this summer
2025-04-09 10:15:00
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Eto, who had just met with Prime Minister Ishiba, told reporters that the government will release rice from its stockpile every month until this summer.
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Odakyu Odawara Line resumes operation
2025-04-09 09:34:00
According to Odakyu Electric Railway, services on the Odakyu Odawara Line were suspended on both lines between Sagami-Ono Station and Sobudai-mae Station due to a personal injury accident, but resumed at 9:20 a.m.
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Nagasaki: Japan Coast Guard searches for operator of helicopter crash that killed three
2025-04-09 09:33:00
On the 6th of this month, a medical evacuation helicopter transporting a patient was found capsized off the coast of Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of three people. In the morning of the 9th, the Japan Coast Guard began searching the helicopter operating company in Saga City on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death or injury.
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Nagasaki: Japan Coast Guard searches for operator of helicopter crash that killed three
2025-04-09 09:14:00
On the 6th of this month, a medical evacuation helicopter carrying a patient was found capsized off the coast of Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of three people. The Japan Coast Guard began a search of the helicopter operator, SGC Saga Aviation, in Saga City, on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death or injury, just after 9:00 a.m. The Japan Coast Guard plans to analyze the documents it has seized and other materials to investigate the circumstances of the accident in detail.
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Odakyu Odawara Line service suspended between Sagami-Ono and Sobudai-mae
2025-04-09 08:09:00
According to Odakyu Electric Railway, the Odakyu Odawara Line has suspended operations on both lines between Sagami-Ono Station and Sobudai-Mae Station due to a fatal accident that occurred at 7:40 a.m. Operations are expected to resume around 9:10 a.m.
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JR Kyushu's then-president and others to be referred to prosecutors for concealing flooding of ferry
2025-04-09 05:55:00
In connection with the case of a subsidiary of JR Kyushu operating a high-speed ferry linking Fukuoka and South Korea while concealing the fact that the ferry was flooding, the Japan Coast Guard has decided to send papers to prosecutors on the 9th on suspicion of violating the Maritime Transportation Act and other charges, according to an interview with a person involved in the investigation. This is the first time that the plan is to request the application of stronger penalties following the sinking of a tourist boat off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula.
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Truck drivers: One year since overtime restrictions were put into effect, no progress in improving the situation
2025-04-09 05:25:00
About a year has passed since regulations on overtime work were applied to truck drivers and other workers, but a survey conducted by an industry group revealed that about 30% of businesses responded that they have drivers who are unable to comply with the regulations, revealing that no progress has been made in improving the situation.
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47-year-old suspect arrested for abandoning father's body in Asahi, Chiba
2025-04-09 04:44:00
On the 8th, a man was found dead in a house in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture, and a 47-year-old suspect who lived in the house was arrested on suspicion of abandoning a body. Police believe that the deceased was the father who lived with the man, and are currently investigating the details.
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Yamanashi Showa Town: Woman in her 20s killed; 49-year-old suspect arrested for abandoning body
2025-04-09 04:42:00
On the 8th, in the case where a woman in her 20s was found dead at a prefectural housing complex in Showa Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, police arrested a 49-year-old suspect, believed to be the woman's boyfriend, on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. He has reportedly denied the charges during questioning.
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Suspect Hirosue Ryoko appears to have become agitated during questioning and is unable to hold a conversation
2025-04-09 04:40:00
In the case where actress Ryoko Hirosue was arrested for injuring a nurse at a hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture where she was taken after being involved in a traffic accident, the suspect appeared to be agitated and unable to hold a conversation during questioning, so the police are investigating the circumstances at the time in detail.
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[Earthquake Alert] Earthquake magnitude 3 hits Okinawa Prefecture, no risk of tsunami
2025-04-09 00:33:00
At around 0:26 am on the 9th, an earthquake measuring 3 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale was observed in Okinawa Prefecture. There is no need to worry about a tsunami caused by this earthquake.
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