News On Japan

Minister hopes Japan students to join farewell events without masks

TOKYO - Japanese education minister Keiko Nagaoka on Thursday expressed the hope that students will be allowed to attend their graduation ceremonies in the spring without having to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Later in the day, however, the minister also told reporters that the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is "yet to decide" on the issue "at this point", but will swiftly start discussions.

The Kishida administration has been eager to ease rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus from May, with critics saying that face-to-face communication among students is crucial for school education. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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A newly formed tropical depression near Taiwan on June 9th is expected to intensify the seasonal rain front lingering over southwestern Japan, raising the risk of warning-level rainfall across Okinawa and the Amami Islands through around June 11th.

Japan, which records the shortest average sleep duration among OECD countries, is launching new efforts to tackle widespread sleep deprivation, including the opening of specialized sleep disorder departments and programs aimed at improving children's sleep habits through sports and physical activity.

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

A prolonged eruption at Sakurajima on June 7th blanketed parts of Kagoshima City in volcanic ash, turning roads gray and prompting long lines of vehicles seeking car washes after a plume of smoke rose 1,300 meters above the crater.

A powerful earthquake struck off Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines at 8:38 a.m. (Japan time) on June 8th, generating tsunami waves across parts of the Pacific, causing building collapses and casualties near the epicenter, and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami advisories along a wide stretch of Japan's Pacific coastline before lifting all of them at 4:50 p.m.

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Japan's parliament is expected to formally adopt a proposal on June 10th aimed at maintaining a stable number of Imperial Family members, endorsing measures that would allow female royals to retain their status after marriage and permit the adoption of male-line descendants from former imperial branches, while leaving the current line of succession unchanged.

Komeito has begun considering a plan under which all of its Upper House lawmakers would join the Centrist Reform Alliance, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

For several months, Japan has been moving in a more nationalist and conservative direction. The shift has been fuelled by economic challenges at home and growing regional tensions with China.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration is facing mounting scrutiny over allegations that members of her campaign were involved in distributing online videos that disparaged rival candidates during the February House of Representatives election, with opposition parties intensifying their questioning in the Diet and demanding further clarification.

The Japanese government approved its 2026 Environment White Paper at a Cabinet meeting on June 5th, warning that a record-high 50,000-plus bear sightings recorded nationwide during fiscal 2025 have become a serious threat to public safety while also highlighting growing concerns over Japan's aging hunting population and the need to train a new generation of hunters.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faced intense questioning in the House of Representatives Budget Committee on June 4th over allegations surrounding defamatory campaign videos, telling lawmakers she had not verified newly released audio published by Weekly Bunshun because she had no intention of becoming a paid subscriber to the magazine's online service.

The Japanese government has presented estimates showing how long it would take to implement a reduction in Japan's consumption tax on food products, indicating that cutting the rate to either zero percent or 1 percent would require significant preparation time.

The Japanese government approved a supplementary budget proposal exceeding 3 trillion yen on June 3rd, including the creation of a new contingency reserve aimed at responding to developments in the Middle East and addressing rising energy prices.