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Hikaru Utada previews new song as she hikes through the achingly beautiful Japan Alps

Apr 19 (soranews24.com) - J-pop megastar returns to the central Japan mountain range with “Dare ni mo Iwanai” (“I Won’t Tell Anybody”).

J-pop recording stars’ careers often burn bright and fast, as they pump out a high-content flow of new singles in the time until their fame runs dry. Hikaru Utada, though, has taken the opposite approach for most of her career. Despite being one of the most revered artists in the industry, Utada’s releases are few and far between, and when she does decide to grace listeners’ ears with a new song, it’s a major event, often with partners eager to help get her sound out there.

Utada’s latest song is titled “Dare ni mo Iwanai” (“I Won’t Tell Anybody”), and she’s giving fans a preview in a beautifully shot video that’s also an ad for beverage company Suntory’s Tennensui bottled water.

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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.

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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.

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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.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department held a review ceremony for its riot police units at Meiji Jingu Gaien in Tokyo on May 20th, with around 1,700 officers marching in formation as part of a large-scale demonstration of security preparedness.

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.

Two women were found dead with stab wounds at a house in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, on May 19th, with police suspecting they were victims of a violent crime.

Bear attacks continue to occur across Japan, while a new problem has emerged as false reports of bear sightings flood local alert systems, placing growing pressure on municipal authorities and emergency responders.

A man in his 30s was referred to prosecutors after allegedly feeding a chocolate snack to a marmot at an animal cafe in Osaka Prefecture, despite the risk that the treat could cause poisoning or even death in the squirrel-family animal.