Society

Icebreaker Shirase leaves for another voyage to Antarctic continent

Nov 13 (Japan Times) - The icebreaker Shirase, operated by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, left Tokyoâ€™s Harumi pier for Antarctica on Sunday.

Most members of the 59th Antarctic expedition team will board the ship in Australia on Nov. 28. The Shirase will carry a total of about 180 crew members.

In 2007, a Japanese mission sampled 720,000-year-old ice at the nation's Dome Fuji Station in inland Antarctica by drilling through the ice sheet to a depth of 3,035 meters. The team heading there at the end of the month will select a new drilling point, with the aim of collecting even older ice.

A European expedition team in 2004 collected Antarctic ice dating back some 800,000 years. The coming Japanese mission will try to extract even older ice to set a new world record.

Scientists expect that an analysis of Antarctic ice will allow them to better understand climate change in the past and predict future global warming.

The 59th team will also carry on atmospheric and marine observation, and research on penguins and other creatures on Antarctica.

Osaka Expands Indoor Smoking Ban

From April 1st, a new regulation took effect across Osaka Prefecture requiring all restaurants with a customer seating area larger than 30 square meters to become entirely smoke-free indoors—unless they install a designated smoking room. Establishments violating the rule face fines of up to 50,000 yen, while customers may be fined up to 30,000 yen.

Japan's Imperial Household Launches YouTube Channel

The Imperial Household Agency launched an official YouTube channel on April 1st to introduce the activities of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

New Recruits Across Japan Mark First Day as Working Adults

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Death Toll Could Reach 298,000 in Nankai Trough Megaquake

The Japanese government has released an updated damage forecast for a potential Nankai Trough megaquake, estimating that up to 298,000 people could die in the worst-case scenario. This projection reflects a slight reduction from the previous estimate of 332,000 deaths made 13 years ago.

Tokyo's Cherry Blossoms Bloom Early This Year

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on March 30th that cherry blossoms (Somei-Yoshino) in central Tokyo have reached full bloom, one day earlier than the historical average and five days earlier than last year.

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