News On Japan

Olympic rings in Tokyo removed for safety checks

Aug 07, 2020 (NHK) - A huge Olympic rings monument in Tokyo Bay has been temporarily removed for safety checks.

The floating monument is 33 meters wide and 15 meters high. It was installed in January on the water in Odaiba Marine Park, one of Tokyo's Olympic venues.

But safety checks have become necessary as the Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed for a year.

Divers went into the sea on Thursday morning to remove the anchoring wires connecting the monument on a barge to blocks of concrete on the seabed.

The barge was then towed to a shipyard in Yokohama, a port city near Tokyo.

Tokyo officials say they will spend about four months on inspections and maintenance. They aim to bring the rings back to the location this year.

A Tokyo official in charge of preparations for the games said he hopes many people come to see the Olympic symbol once it's back on the capital's waterfront.

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Prime Minister Sanae Takachi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced new agreements on supply chain resilience and space cooperation following a summit meeting in Italy on June 15th, as the two countries pledged closer coordination on economic security and international affairs ahead of the G7 Summit.

A parent bear and two cubs were spotted near an interchange in Kyoto Prefecture, just a few minutes' drive from a nursery school, in one of many bear sightings reported across Japan in recent days.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako watched Japan's opening FIFA World Cup match against the Netherlands together with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, highlighting the close ties between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Dutch Royal Family.

Police in Kyoto Prefecture are investigating a hit-and-run after a vehicle crashed into the Maizuru office of Liberal Democratic Party Lower House member Taro Honda late on June 13 before the driver fled the scene.

A fire broke out at a Buddhist temple in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on June 13th, sending flames soaring from the building and causing temporary alarm in a nearby residential neighborhood before being largely extinguished about two hours later.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

The Hokkaido Community Chest, which operates Japan's annual Red Feather Community Chest fundraising campaign, has revealed that approximately 180 million yen in donated funds are unaccounted for, with a senior official suspected of misappropriating the money over several years.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who are visiting the Netherlands, took a stroll around the grounds of the Dutch royal family's residence where they are staying, revisiting places connected to a previous visit two decades ago.

A 23-year-old Syrian man died after drowning in the Itadori River in Seki, Gifu Prefecture, on June 14th while enjoying a river outing with friends.

Police in Kyoto Prefecture are investigating a hit-and-run after a vehicle crashed into the Maizuru office of Liberal Democratic Party Lower House member Taro Honda late on June 13 before the driver fled the scene.

A fire broke out at a Buddhist temple in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on June 13th, sending flames soaring from the building and causing temporary alarm in a nearby residential neighborhood before being largely extinguished about two hours later.

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of defrauding a man in his 20s out of 870,000 yen by disguising a rental room in Osaka as a bar and luring customers through a matchmaking app.

A 25-year-old construction worker arrested for allegedly breaking into a high school in Mie Prefecture and stealing slippers and indoor shoes told investigators he wanted to become sexually aroused, police said.

A 62-year-old man riding a LUUP electric scooter died following a collision with a pedestrian at an intersection in Tokyo's Koto Ward on June 2nd, marking what is believed to be the first confirmed fatal accident involving a LUUP user on a Tokyo roadway.