Empress Emerita Michiko marks 87th birthday

Oct 20, 2021 | News On Japan

Oct 20, 2021 (NHK) - Japan's Empress Emerita Michiko turned 87 years old on Wednesday.

She and her husband, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, have been living at a temporary residence in Tokyo since March last year. They have refrained from going out or accepting guests amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Imperial Household Agency says the couple is thinking of people in areas affected by natural disasters, including the city of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, which was hit by fatal mudslides in July.

The couple is reportedly relieved to hear about progress in the recovery of the 2011 disaster in northeastern Japan.

One of the pleasant reports was from Futaba Town, which co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. They heard good news about its first rice planting on an experimental basis since the nuclear accident 10 years ago.

The agency says the Empress Emerita often talked with her husband about this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. They reportedly appeared to be pleased with the remarkable development of sports for people with disabilities, for which they had provided continuous support.

Since May last year, the Empress Emerita has had a number of health problems, but in spite of the difficulties she has recently become able to play the piano little by little.

The couple adores Princess Mako, one of their granddaughters who is expected to leave the Imperial family when she gets married on October 26. The Empress Emerita reportedly appears to be sad to part from the Princess.

All ceremonial events for the Empress Emerita's birthday have been cancelled amid the pandemic.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.