Travel

Kansai Airport to Increase Number of Flights

OSAKA, May 29 (News On Japan) - Local municipalities have agreed to accept the new flight path proposal presented by the national government to increase the number of flights to and from Kansai Airport to 300,000.

Osaka Prefecture and other stakeholders aim to raise Kansai Airport's annual flight count from the current 230,000 to 300,000 by the early 2030s. Last year, the government proposed new flight paths to achieve this goal. In response, local municipalities expressed their concerns about noise pollution to the government in February. In March, the government promised to consider the residents' living environment.

At a meeting on May 27, local municipalities agreed to accept the new flight path proposal, stating that the government had provided satisfactory answers to their concerns. Osaka Prefecture plans to formally announce the acceptance of the flight path proposal at a future meeting involving the business community and other prefectures.

Source: MBS

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

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From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

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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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