Society

Winter Cup in danger of being called off early due to coronavirus

Dec 27 (Japan Times) - The Winter Cup is Japan’s biggest high school basketball tournament, but the 2020 edition is facing an unprecedented crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Saturday, the Kaishi Kokusai High School boys team became the seventh squad to withdraw from the tournament since it kicked off on Wednesday.

Unlike in the other cases, however, no one from the school, which is located in Niigata Prefecture, tested positive for the virus or recorded a fever. The school was told to pull out because its players were deemed as close contacts due to a Thursday game against Tokyo’s Senshu University High School, which reported a positive case within its team.

Hakamada Case Ends With Acquittal After 58 Years

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.

Japan launches information-gathering satellite on H2A rocket

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

New Red Lights for Japan's Police Cars

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.

Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

Yamagata University, which has been conducting research on the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, announced the discovery of over 300 new geoglyphs, depicting a variety of subjects, including humans and animals.

University of Tokyo Raises Tuition Fees for First Time in 20 Years

The University of Tokyo has officially decided to increase tuition by approximately 110,000 yen for incoming undergraduate students starting next academic year, bringing the total to 642,960 yen.

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