News On Japan

PGA golf tournament restarts in Japan

Oct 22 (NHK) - A men's PGA golf tournament restarts in Japan, after a year's absence, featuring some of the world's best players, such as Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele of the United States and this year's Masters winner Matsuyama Hideki.

ZOZO Championship 2021 started on Thursday in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, for a four-day tournament.

The Championship was inaugurated in 2019 as the first PGA tournament ever to be held in Japan. Last year, it had to be held in the United States because of travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan's Matsuyama has got off to a good start, finishing Day One in second place, at six under par.

Iwata Hiroshi, who has qualified from a Japanese tour, came on top, at seven under par.

After Day One, the Olympic gold medalist Schauffele was in 29th place. Collin Morikawa, a 24-year-old American rising star, was in 42nd place.

The tournament is allowing a maximum of 5,000 people each day on the gallery.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

As of early on October 7th, Typhoon No. 22 (Halong) was moving northwest along the southern edge of the Pacific high-pressure system. It is expected to continue following the periphery of the high, gradually shifting its path northward before turning eastward around October 9th. Meteorological agencies forecast that by October 8th it will shift more northward before curving eastward, likely reaching its peak intensity around October 9th. As the system moves over warm waters favorable for development, it is projected to become a “strong” typhoon by October 7th and further intensify into a “very strong” system by October 9th.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to congratulate Japan following the selection of its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, writing that "Japan has just elected its first female Prime Minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.” While Trump did not name Takaichi directly, his post came as she assumed leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was set to be formally elected as prime minister.

Train services on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line remained suspended throughout the day on October 6th following a derailment the previous night, leaving commuters and students stranded and forcing many to queue for hours for replacement buses. In areas along the line, long lines formed at bus stops, and rental electric kick scooters quickly ran out as residents searched for alternative transport options.

Osaka University’s Shimon Sakaguchi, a specially appointed professor, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking work in immunology. Sakaguchi is best known for discovering “regulatory T cells,” a type of immune cell that suppresses excessive immune responses, a finding that has had far-reaching implications in medical science.

A collision occurred on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line on the night of October 5th when a local train attempting to arrive at Kajigaya Station in Kawasaki City struck a stationary out-of-service train, causing several cars of the latter to derail. Investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board arrived at the scene on the morning of October 6th to begin examining the cause of the accident.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A hotel construction plan in the rural wasabi-growing area of Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, has sparked strong opposition from local residents who fear it will damage the landscape and threaten the region’s iconic wasabi fields.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Kyoto for the first time in six years to attend an international forum that began on October 5th, where discussions focused on the role and implications of artificial intelligence in society.

A mobile battery caught fire inside a train on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line on October 4th, injuring two women and disrupting operations on both northbound and southbound tracks.

A man in his twenties who was abducted in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, in June and later killed has been confirmed dead after his remains were found as bones in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture.

A string of so-called “honey trap” cases is drawing attention across Japan as schemes once limited to extortion have become increasingly violent, involving physical assaults and life-threatening intimidation.

Police have revealed that a woman killed by her former partner in Higashi-Osaka had sustained dozens of stab wounds across her body, including injuries that pierced internal organs.

Right now in big cities in Japan, there are more and more protests by Japanese people against the government's immigration policies. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, has tested positive for Covid-19, the Imperial Household Agency announced on October 2nd, cancelling her scheduled trip to Shiga Prefecture on October 5th and 6th to observe the National Sports Festival.