Society

Japan names Miho Takagi as team captain for Beijing Games

Jan 22 (Japan Times) - The Japanese Olympic Committee on Thursday named speed skater Miho Takagi as team captain for the upcoming Beijing Winter Games, where the three-time Olympian is expected to contend for multiple gold medals.

The JOC also named speedskater Arisa Go and Nordic combined skier Akito Watabe as flagbearers for the opening ceremony of the Games, which will run from Feb. 4 to 20.

“I’m really honored,” Takagi said. “We’ll strive to be our strongest, no matter what challenges we meet.”

The 27-year-old is set to contest five events and will be a favorite to win the women’s 1,500 meters and team pursuit.

She is the second consecutive female speedskater to captain Japan at the Winter Olympics, with Nao Kodaira taking on the role at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

The 33-year-old Watabe, a two-time silver medalist in the men’s individual normal hill 10-kilometer event, and the 34-year-old Go, competing at her second Olympics, will lead the Japanese team into Beijing National Stadium for the Feb. 4 opening ceremony.

The JOC has named a 122-member team, with men’s figure skating superstar Yuzuru Hanyu and snowboard halfpipe competitor Ayumu Hirano among the other athletes expected to bring home medals.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.