News On Japan

Suga, Bach vow to make Olympics safe and secure

Jul 15, 2021 (NHK) - Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has expressed his determination to make the upcoming Tokyo Olympics safe and secure by taking all possible measures against the coronavirus.

Suga made the remarks during a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Wednesday.

Suga said he hopes the performance of the athletes at the long-awaited Games will bring dreams and sensations to children and youth. The prime minister added as the world faces difficult times caused by Covid-19, he wants to send a strong message from Japan that the world is coming together, and humanity is striving and pooling its wisdom to overcome the crisis.

Suga asked Bach to ensure that the Games will be held safely. He said that to make the Games successful and gain the understanding of the Japanese people, it is absolutely necessary that all participants take appropriate actions and measures, including countermeasures against the pandemic.

Bach said it has been a difficult journey, but he can say that the Tokyo Games will be a historic one.

He said he wants to reaffirm the commitment of the Olympic community to do everything so that they would not bring any risk to the Japanese people.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Tokyo's Fuchu Prison is adapting its meals and living arrangements to a growing foreign inmate population, with about one in four prisoners coming from overseas and staff balancing religious, cultural and dietary needs against tight budgets and the demands of running one of Japan's largest prisons.

Tesla unveiled its Cybercab in Japan for the first time on September 11, showcasing an AI-powered autonomous taxi designed without a steering wheel or pedals.

China will sharply raise visa fees for Japanese nationals entering the country from September 14, with the cost of a single-entry visa increasing to 16,750 yen, about 7.4 times the current level.

Tada Shrine in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, has filed for protection under Japan's Civil Rehabilitation Act, becoming the first shrine in the Kansai region and only the third nationwide to enter bankruptcy proceedings, according to Teikoku Databank.

Japan has asked for changes to an Equal Earth world map that depicts the Russian-controlled Northern Territories in the same color as Russia, prompting the map's creator to say the Japanese-language version will be revised while the English version will remain unchanged.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Newly recovered video from a passenger's digital camera has revealed conditions aboard the Kazu I sightseeing boat before it sank off Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula in April 2022, a disaster that left 20 passengers and crew members dead and six passengers still missing more than four years later.

Police have rearrested a 30-year-old senior member of an organization affiliated with the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi on suspicion of directing a loosely organized criminal group that stole smartphones and other goods worth about 4.15 million yen from stores in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures.

High-end bonsai are being stolen from gardens across Japan in a growing series of thefts, with some trees later appearing on social media overseas and industry officials saying more than 100 cases are now reported each year.

Three people have been arrested in Kyoto on suspicion of operating an unlicensed underground banking service for Chinese clients, with police believing the group handled transactions worth about 600 million yen in total.

Two 14-year-old junior high school students in Aichi Prefecture have been arrested on suspicion of obstructing traffic while performing dangerous bicycle stunts linked to group rides known on social media as Nagoya Ride.

Seven Myanmar nationals working at an agricultural corporation in Hokkaido under Japan's Specified Skilled Worker status have accused their employer of repeated violence, intimidation and financial penalties, with some workers saying they were also called by numbers instead of their names and threatened with having their residence status revoked.

Police are investigating whether a dispute between a 70-year-old man and the female owner of a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, was connected to a murder and arson case that left three people dead and two others injured during a middle school reunion.

Women now make up a growing share of customers at Akihabara maid cafes, reflecting a shift in Japan's "oshi-katsu" fan culture as visitors increasingly seek not only someone to support, but also a sense of two-way connection with the maids they admire.