Society

Olympics minister meets World Athletics head

May 08 (NHK) - Japan's minister for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has told World Athletics President Sebastian Coe she hopes to see a successful Games, working with his world governing body of track and field.

Minister Marukawa Tamayo met Coe in Tokyo on Friday.

Marukawa told Coe that the Japanese government hopes to work together with his organization to protect athletes, people in Japan, and make the Tokyo Games a success.

She also thanked him for the track and field body's efforts to prevent coronavirus infections.

Coe praised the operation of an Olympic marathon test event he watched in Sapporo on Wednesday.

He also said he got the impression that anti-virus measures tested at the event worked well.

Imperial Family Pays Tribute to War Victims

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.

First Snow Caps Mount Fuji, 15 Days Earlier Than Last Year

The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced on October 23rd that the season’s first snow had been observed on Mount Fuji, which stands 3,776 meters tall. Around 6 a.m., an official visually confirmed that snow had clearly accumulated near the summit.

Tokyo’s Aging Expressway Reborn After Major Overhaul

After nearly a decade of construction, the newly rebuilt Haneda Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, one of Tokyo’s key arteries linking the city center with Haneda Airport, has been unveiled to the media ahead of its official switch to a new road on October 29th.

New Cabinet Takes On 'Takaichi Color'

The newly launched Takaichi Cabinet moved into full operation on October 22nd, with early personnel decisions revealing a clear conservative tone. Satsuki Katayama was appointed as finance minister and Kimi Onoda as minister in charge of foreign resident policy, underscoring what observers are calling the emergence of a distinct “Takaichi color.”

Hokkaido Launches Mass Culling After Bird Flu Detected

Authorities in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, have begun culling approximately 460,000 laying hens after a poultry farm in the region’s Iburi area confirmed infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza, marking the first confirmed outbreak of the season in Japan.

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Mako Komuro Appears in Six-Page Town & Country Feature

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