News On Japan

Japan’s 'Most Dangerous' Zoo to Close in September Over Legal Issues

SAPPORO, Mar 11 (News On Japan) - North Safari Sapporo, which brands itself as 'Japan's most dangerous zoo,' has announced it will close at the end of September, after operating for two decades despite being in an urban planning control zone where development is restricted.

The zoo has built 156 structures, including animal enclosures, without official permits.

Success Tourism, the company managing the facility, submitted a removal plan to the Sapporo city government in February. However, the plan did not specify what would happen to the more than 500 animals from 150 species housed at the zoo.

On March 10, the zoo announced on its website that it had "decided to close in light of legal issues." The closure will take effect at the end of September, allowing time to secure new homes for the animals.

Source: FNN

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

In a striking finding from one of the world's longest-living nations, dementia has overtaken all other causes of death in Japan.

Weather officials say cherry blossoms have started blooming in Tokyo. The event occurred on the same date as the seasonal average and five days earlier than last year. (NHK)

Weather officials in Japan say yellow sand from China's desert regions has reached the Japanese archipelago. (NHK)

With just three weeks remaining until the start of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, several pavilions held preview events on Sunday.

A civic group in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, that collects and analyzes materials from the Pacific War has released twelve pieces of footage showing U.S. air raids and kamikaze attacks.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Gaza authorities announced on March 24th that two journalists were killed in an Israeli military strike.

The Osaka High Court, presided over by Judge Kumiko Honda, ruled on March 25th that provisions in Japan’s Civil Code and Family Register Act that do not recognize same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, marking the fifth such ruling by a high court in the country.

A civic group in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, that collects and analyzes materials from the Pacific War has released twelve pieces of footage showing U.S. air raids and kamikaze attacks.

Police uniforms in Japan will undergo their first major redesign in 31 years, with changes including the abolition of skirts for female officers and the introduction of polo shirts to help cope with rising temperatures.

Japan ranked 55th in the latest World Happiness Report, released on March 20th to coincide with the International Day of Happiness. Finland secured the top position for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Denmark and Iceland, with Nordic countries dominating the upper ranks due to strong welfare and education systems.

Today marks 30 years since the Tokyo subway sarin attack carried out by Aum Shinrikyo. Newly discovered photographs believed to be among the earliest taken after Chizuo Matsumoto, also known as Shoko Asahara, was found in a concealed space have come to light.

The risk of having personal information exposed online is something nearly everyone now faces. An investigation revealed that even a seemingly harmless photo can contain hidden risks, and that there are people who specialize in "identification" as a profession.

A foreign man was caught trespassing on the Imperial Palace grounds early on March 16th and was arrested on the spot.