News On Japan

FamilyMart to stop providing free plastic forks

Mar 10 (NHK) - Major Japanese convenience-store chain FamilyMart is going to stop providing plastic forks to customers who purchase food items. It's part of a nationwide effort to cut down on waste.

FamilyMart said on Wednesday it will no longer hand out plastic forks or so-called sporks... spoons with fork-like tines at the tip. Instead, its outlets will offer bamboo chopsticks.

The convenience-store operator will try out the measure at 10 stores in Tokyo starting Thursday. It will check customer reaction and analyze the impact on sales, before introducing the measure across the country.

The decision comes ahead of a new law taking effect next month that will require businesses in Japan to cut the amount of plastic they use.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department held a review ceremony for its riot police units at Meiji Jingu Gaien in Tokyo on May 20th, with around 1,700 officers marching in formation as part of a large-scale demonstration of security preparedness.

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.

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