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Scandal-hit Nihon Univ. to appoint author Hayashi as chairwoman

Jun 03, 2022 (Kyodo) - Tokyo's Nihon University plans to appoint award-winning author Mariko Hayashi to head its board in an effort to revamp its leadership after a series of scandals involving a former board chairman, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

If approval is granted at a board meeting Friday, Hayashi, 68, a graduate of the school who is scheduled to take up the post July 1, would be the first female chair of the board at the university, one of Japan's largest.

Hayashi, a popular author, won Japan's prestigious Naoki Prize for fiction in 1986, and in 2018 was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon given by the government to individuals who have made significant contributions in the academic and artistic fields. She is currently head of the Japan Writers' Association. ...continue reading

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Typhoon No. 25 was making its closest approach to the Kanto region on September 21, bringing central Tokyo into the storm-force wind zone while torrential rain caused widespread flooding, landslides and road damage across Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama.

Typhoon No. 25 was moving away from the Kanto coast on the night of September 21 after bringing widespread disruption to flights, railways and highways, but serious transport problems were set to continue into September 22, particularly across Chiba Prefecture.

People aged 65 and older accounted for a record 29.6% of Japan's population in 2026, the highest proportion among major countries worldwide, while the number of elderly people in employment also reached an all-time high as Japan marked Respect for the Aged Day on September 21.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako watched Japan defeat Kazakhstan in a women’s basketball preliminary-round game at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya.

A drone filming the illuminated Nagoya City Hall headquarters crashed into a building across the road shortly before 9 p.m. on September 17, with police investigating whether the flight may have violated Japan's Civil Aeronautics Act.

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A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Kyoto City on September 15 for Ronald McDonald House Kyoto, a residential facility where children undergoing medical treatment will be able to stay together with their families.

Elementary school students in Fukuoka got a hands-on lesson in the importance of taxes on September 11, lifting a 10-kilogram replica of 100 million yen as part of a class designed to show how public money supports society.

Raccoons are increasingly appearing in urban areas of Japan, including residential neighborhoods near Shin-Osaka Station, raising concerns over disease, attacks on people and agricultural damage that reached about 700 million yen nationwide last year.

Japanese 15-year-olds spend an average of 2.3 hours browsing social media during their weekday free time, the shortest amount among 24 countries surveyed, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Renovation work has begun at a hospital in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, as the city prepares to introduce a baby hatch for parents unable to raise their children and a confidential birth system that allows pregnant women to give birth without publicly disclosing their identities.

A disaster prevention experiment has shown how quickly a rain-soaked slope can collapse once visible cracks appear, highlighting the need for people in landslide-prone areas to evacuate before conditions become critical as the risk of disasters remains elevated through early next week.

Nearly 60% of Japanese high school students consider learning about different cultures "very important," the highest proportion among Japan, the United States, China and South Korea, according to a survey released by the National Institution for Youth Education.

The number of elderly people in Japan with no relatives to rely on is projected to rise to 4.48 million by 2050, or roughly one in nine seniors, prompting the government to create a new system under revised social welfare laws to support people with daily needs, hospitalization and arrangements after death.