News On Japan

Japan's imports of face masks surge

May 29 (NHK) - Japan's textile imports surged in April, fuelled by growing demand for face masks.

New finance ministry trade data shows that imports of textile goods, including face masks, hit 116 billion yen, or just over 1 billion dollars.

That's ten times higher than the same month last year.

As many as 95 percent of the imports come from China, followed by Vietnam.

The surge in textile goods took place despite an overall decline of 7 percent in Japan's total imports compared to last year.

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Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

A Japanese government information-gathering satellite has successfully been put into a planned orbit around Earth. (NHK)

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

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