Society

Number of new cancer patients in Japan decreased for first time in 2020

Nov 26 (Japan Times) - The National Cancer Center said Friday that the number of people in Japan newly diagnosed with cancer in 2020 fell for the first time since it started collecting such data in 2007.

The number dropped 5.9% from the previous year, with a significant drop marked in May 2020, when Japan was under its first coronavirus state of emergency.

Believing that the 2020 result was due to a decrease in cancer screenings, the center is asking citizens to get checked for cancer regularly.

Every year, the center gathers data on the number of patients newly diagnosed with or treated for cancer at designated cancer hospitals and other institutions throughout Japan.

The total number of such patients last year came to 1.04 million at 863 facilities. The figure is believed to cover around 70% of all new cancer cases for the year.

Compared with 2019, when 849 institutions reported 1.10 million patients, the number of new cancer patients fell at 594 facilities last year. The average size of the decrease was 4.6%.

Tokyo Court Rules Workplace Use of '-chan' as Sexual Harassment

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Inside Japanese Fonts: How Designers Shape the Way We Read

Fonts are an invisible part of daily life, yet they profoundly shape how we perceive information and emotion. From the elegant Mincho to the bold Gothic, these designs are chosen according to purpose—whether to convey clarity, trust, or impact—and their influence extends beyond readability into branding and communication.

Knife-Wielding Man Arrested Near U.S. Embassy in Tokyo

A man wielding knives in both hands was arrested near the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on the afternoon of October 25th after injuring a riot police officer on duty.

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.

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