Society

Tokyo 2020 volunteers top 80,000

Nov 22 (NHK) - Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics say applications for volunteers for the Games have surpassed the needed number of 80,000.

The organizing committee began accepting applications on September 26th. They are seeking 80,000 volunteers for event venues and the athletes' village, and another 30,000 "city volunteers" to serve as transportation and tour guides at airports and train stations.

The committee said on Wednesday that as of Tuesday morning it had received 81,035 applications for the first category. 40 percent of the applicants were men, and 60 percent women. 56 percent of the applicants were Japanese, and 44 percent were of other nationalities.

The committee decided to push back the application deadline to December 21st from early December, because there seems to be a shortage of applications to volunteer at the athletes' sub-village in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

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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

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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.

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