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Trying to get Japanese consumers hooked on whale meat

Sep 01, 2022 (NHK) - Japan's annual whaling season has now reached its peak. It is three years since the country withdrew from the International Whaling Commission and resumed commercial hunting.

But whaling companies have found that making their products popular with consumers is a major challenge.

The landing of a large Bryde's whale caught off northern Japan was shown to the media at Tokyo's wholesale fish market on Wednesday.

Whaling companies are trying to create added value for whale meat in a bid to make it more appealing to consumers.

They have started distributing fresh meat from whales caught in Japanese coastal waters instead of frozen. ...continue reading

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Record rainfall caused 19 rivers to overflow across Fukui Prefecture, flooding roads and homes, triggering landslides and temporarily forcing authorities to issue the highest-level heavy rain emergency warning from early Sunday morning.

Drones were used to deliver food and daily necessities to an isolated mountain community in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, on August 30 after torrential rain triggered a landslide that cut off road access, while volunteers continued flood recovery work in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture.

Two typhoons east of Japan were moving northward on August 30, with Typhoon No. 23 (Banlan) overtaking Typhoon No. 22 (Artau), although neither storm is expected to have a direct impact on Japan.

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

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Toyota Motor plans to introduce passenger vehicles equipped with advanced automated driving technology from 2028, allowing drivers to travel with almost no manual operation, including taking their hands off the steering wheel on ordinary roads.

Consumer prices in central Tokyo rose 1.8% in August from a year earlier, with the pace of inflation accelerating for a third consecutive month as higher food prices continued to put upward pressure on household costs.

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Seven-Eleven Japan and Yamato Transport announced on August 26 that they will introduce self-service shipping machines allowing customers to send parcels without lining up at a staffed checkout counter.

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