Society

Tokyo-Osaka bullet train to resume near-full service in summer

Jun 19 (Nikkei) - Japan's most-traveled bullet train line, a travel artery connecting Tokyo and Osaka, will restore service to nearly year-earlier levels in July and August, its operator said Thursday.

The Tokaido Shinkansen cut service in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ridership has not recovered to pre-outbreak levels, but Central Japan Railway looks to provide enough social distancing space for passengers.

"From the standpoint of avoiding crowding, we would prefer customers take their seats with room to spare," President Shin Kaneko said.

JR Central now offers 310 or so Tokaido trips a day -- down a fifth from the fiscal 2019 average. This will increase to roughly 350 in July, off 5% from a year earlier, and to about 390 in August, down 3%.

Severe Rice Shortage Looms in Japan

Japan is facing an unprecedented rice shortage, with recent data highlighting alarming supply-demand imbalances in the domestic market. The Agricultural Newspaper reported on January 10 that the DI (Demand-Supply Index), a measure of rice market balance, reached a record high of 80. This figure indicates a critical shortfall in rice availability, surpassing even last year's levels when supermarket shelves were emptied.

Media Scandal Deepens as Fuji TV Faces New Allegations

The resignation of popular television personality Masahiro Nakai has sent shockwaves through the Japanese entertainment industry. Announced through his agency’s website, Nakai apologized, stating, “I’m truly sorry for this sudden farewell.” His decision to retire has sparked debates over whether this marks the conclusion of ongoing controversies surrounding him and the television networks involved.

Aquarium Director Caught in Endangered Turtle Scandal

Former executives of the Sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, including a former director and three others, have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of fraudulently receiving management fees by misreporting the number of endangered turtles in their care.

Man Stabs Three Near Nagano Station

Three people were attacked near JR Nagano Station at around 8 p.m., leaving a man in his 40s in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest and two others hospitalized.

Inoue Unfazed as Title Defense Draws Near

Naoya Inoue, the unified world super bantamweight champion across four major boxing organizations, will face Kim Ye-jun, the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) 11th-ranked contender, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on January 24th.

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Testing the Spirit in Freezing Waterfalls

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Man Stabs Three Near Nagano Station

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Osaka court awards family full lost wages of girl with disability killed in 2018

A Japanese high court has ruled that the calculation of earnings a girl with a hearing impairment who died in an accident would have made must be 100 percent based on the average income in Japan. (NHK)

Co-pilot Vomits on Plane Just Before Departure

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Chiba Celebrates 'Coming of Age' with Mickey

Chiba's Urayasu City hosted a '20-Year Celebration' event at Tokyo DisneySea on Monday, marking the transition to adulthood for local residents.

New Adults Gather in Kyoto to Showcase Archery Skills

At Kyoto’s Sanjusangendo, newly recognized 20-year-old adults gathered to demonstrate their archery skills during the annual "Toshiya" event.

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