May 29, 2022 (Kyodo) - Four Japanese national universities plan to apply for a 10 trillion yen ($79 billion) fund established by the government to bring institutions up to par with the world's top universities, a recent Kyodo News survey showed.
Tohoku University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Nagoya University and Osaka University intend to apply for the funds, established as part of the government's efforts to promote science and technology in Japan. ...continue reading
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump held talks at United Nations headquarters in New York in the early hours of September 23 Japan time, demonstrating the strength of the Japan-US alliance and confirming close cooperation on China ahead of an upcoming US-China summit.
Rail services across Chiba Prefecture remained severely disrupted on the morning of September 23, three days after Typhoon No. 25 brought torrential rain to eastern Japan, with extensive suspensions on the Uchibo, Sotobo, Sobu Main and Narita lines expected to continue throughout the final day of the Silver Week holiday. Although some services have resumed and flights at Tokyo's major airports are recovering, damage to railway tracks and embankments is preventing a return to normal operations in several areas.
Typhoon No. 25 has left seven people dead and five missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, with rescue operations continuing on September 23 as the extent of devastating landslides and flooding across the Kanto region becomes clearer, while widespread power outages, disrupted rail services and submerged neighborhoods hamper recovery efforts.
The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.
Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Kyoto City on September 15 for Ronald McDonald House Kyoto, a residential facility where children undergoing medical treatment will be able to stay together with their families.
Elementary school students in Fukuoka got a hands-on lesson in the importance of taxes on September 11, lifting a 10-kilogram replica of 100 million yen as part of a class designed to show how public money supports society.
Raccoons are increasingly appearing in urban areas of Japan, including residential neighborhoods near Shin-Osaka Station, raising concerns over disease, attacks on people and agricultural damage that reached about 700 million yen nationwide last year.
Japanese 15-year-olds spend an average of 2.3 hours browsing social media during their weekday free time, the shortest amount among 24 countries surveyed, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Renovation work has begun at a hospital in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, as the city prepares to introduce a baby hatch for parents unable to raise their children and a confidential birth system that allows pregnant women to give birth without publicly disclosing their identities.
A disaster prevention experiment has shown how quickly a rain-soaked slope can collapse once visible cracks appear, highlighting the need for people in landslide-prone areas to evacuate before conditions become critical as the risk of disasters remains elevated through early next week.
Nearly 60% of Japanese high school students consider learning about different cultures "very important," the highest proportion among Japan, the United States, China and South Korea, according to a survey released by the National Institution for Youth Education.
The number of elderly people in Japan with no relatives to rely on is projected to rise to 4.48 million by 2050, or roughly one in nine seniors, prompting the government to create a new system under revised social welfare laws to support people with daily needs, hospitalization and arrangements after death.
