Society

Figure skating: Rika Kihira nails quad, seizes 2nd straight national title

Dec 28 (Kyodo) - Rika Kihira nailed a quad salchow in her free skate to overcome a powerful challenge from Kaori Sakamoto and capture her second straight women's crown at Japan's national figure skating championships on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Kihira opened with the salchow and cruised past her only real setback, an under-rotated triple axel that followed, to score 154.90 points for the free skate for a winning 234.24 total.

Sakamoto, who entered the free skate in second place, rocked the audience at Nagano's Big Hat arena with unmatched speed and soaring jumps, scoring 150.31 for a 222.17 total to throw down the gauntlet for Kihira to follow.

The defending champ, however, was up to the challenge, nailing that big jump for the first time in her career, and executing the first quad by a woman at the nationals since Miki Ando did it in 2003 at the same venue.

Afterward, Kihira thanked her coaches and fans for picking her up when she was down.

Student's Homemade Bomb Sparks School Lockdown in Sapporo

A suspicious object feared to be explosive was discovered at a high school in Sapporo on the afternoon of November 22nd, causing temporary chaos. The object was found to have been brought to the school by one of its students.

China to resume visa-exemptions for short-term Japanese travelers

China says it will resume allowing visa-free visits by Japanese nationals on short-term trips from the end of this month. (NHK)

Japan Grapples with Poverty and Rising 'Invisible Homeless'

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Ueno Toshogu Shrine Shines in Gold with Special Lighting

A special lighting ceremony was held on November 20th at Ueno Toshogu Shrine, located in Ueno Park, Taito Ward, Tokyo. The event featured a unique lighting design created by renowned lighting designer Motoko Ishii.

World's First Fiber Made From Bagworm Silk Revolutionizes Industry

A Japanese pharmaceutical company has announced the successful commercialization of fiber made from silk produced by bagworms.

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