Kishida's verbal slip sees Japan target new hay fever countermeasures

Apr 14 (Japan Times) - Japan has begun ministerial-level meetings on fighting hay fever, though a slip of the tongue by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may have led to their launch.

On Friday, Kishida kicked off a series of high-level meetings to discuss measures against pollen allergies, giving related ministers until June to come up with an outline of countermeasures for the next 10 years.

Measures likely to be included are the periodic thinning of cedar trees, the utilization of the trees as timber and replanting forests with trees that produce less pollen.

The ministers are also expected to discuss the use of supercomputers and artificial intelligence-based technologies to improve the accuracy of pollen forecasts, the commercialization of chemicals to stop the dispersal of pollen from trees, as well as steps to make treatments available more widely. ...continue reading

Weather authorities urge caution against floods, landslides in Ishikawa

Japan's Meteorological Agency has changed its heavy rain emergency warning for parts of Ishikawa to a warning. But it is still urging people to stay alert for possible floods and landslides in the central prefecture. (NHK)

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