Society

Mitsui Fudosan to acquire Tokyo Dome

Jan 20 (NHK) - One of Japan's top sporting venues is about to get a new owner. The Tokyo Dome, home ground of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, will be part of real estate company Mitsui Fudosan's portfolio.

Mitsui says it made a successful bid for more than 84 percent of the shares in Tokyo Dome Corporation. That clears the two-thirds threshold to make the stadium operator its subsidiary.

Tokyo Dome also runs an amusement park, hotel and spa facility adjacent to the stadium. The complex attracts about 40 million visitors a year.

But the business has slumped as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Baseball teams have been playing to reduced crowds or empty stands.

Many events have been canceled. And the hotel has been running at low occupancy.

Mitsui plans to use its know-how in developing and operating commercial facilities to redevelop the Dome and turn the business around.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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