Japan Women's Basketball Team Secures Spot in Paris Olympics

As of 7:30 a.m. on October 7th, satellite images showed Typhoon No. 22 (Halong) rapidly developing as it moved northward, with its eye becoming increasingly distinct. Earlier in the morning, dry air had surrounded the center, but by this time the area was fully covered by thick cloud bands, indicating significant strengthening. By 9 a.m., the typhoon had reached “strong” intensity, with maximum sustained winds near the center reaching 35 meters per second and a central pressure of 975 hectopascals. The system was moving due north at around 15 kilometers per hour.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture around 9:30 a.m. on October 7th, registering a maximum intensity of 4 on the Japanese seismic scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there is no risk of a tsunami caused by this tremor.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to congratulate Japan following the selection of its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, writing that "Japan has just elected its first female Prime Minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.” While Trump did not name Takaichi directly, his post came as she assumed leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was set to be formally elected as prime minister.

Osaka University’s Shimon Sakaguchi, a specially appointed professor, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking work in immunology. Sakaguchi is best known for discovering “regulatory T cells,” a type of immune cell that suppresses excessive immune responses, a finding that has had far-reaching implications in medical science.