Society

Kansai airport reopens major terminal

Sep 14 (NHK) - The operator of typhoon-hit Kansai International Airport in Japan says it reopened on Friday part of its main passenger facility, Terminal 1.

Terminal 2 resumed service last Friday using Runway B. The building mainly hosts operations for budget airlines. Storm surges caused by Typhoon Jebi largely spared that terminal even though most of the airport was flooded on September 4th.

But Terminal 1, which is used by a greater number of airlines, remained closed. It was without power because the electrical substation in its basement went down when hit by water.

Progress in recovery work now allows the airport's operator to reopen the terminal's South Wing on Friday.

134 flights -- 36 domestic and 98 international -- are expected to use Terminal 1 on Friday. That's 34 percent of the level at the terminal before the disaster.

These flights will use either of the airport's 2 runways as Runway A opens up for service again on Friday.

The operator says it expects to get Terminal 1 fully up and running by reopening its North Wing on Friday of next week. The firm also hopes to resume operation of the railway linking the man-made island airport to the mainland the same day.

The road-rail access bridge to the airport was heavily damaged when the typhoon swept a tanker into it. Only some untouched road lanes are currently available for use.

And in a related development, the authorities and airport operators have agreed to redirect up to 70 flights per day to nearby Osaka International Airport in Itami and Kobe Airport.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.