News On Japan

Rising Stars Debut in Top Division Ahead of Summer Basho

TOKYO - The Japan Sumo Association announced the rankings for the Summer Tournament, which will open at Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 11th. Ozeki Oonosato, who secured his third championship during the Spring Tournament, will aim for his first promotion to yokozuna, starting from the top position on the East side.

Two 25-year-olds have entered the top division for the first time. Kayou, a graduate of Nippon Sport Science University, becomes the first makuuchi-division wrestler to emerge from Nakamura stable since it was founded by Nakamura-oyakata (former sekiwake Yoshikaze) in June last year. Meanwhile, Tochiohmi, a graduate of Saitama Sakae High School, achieved promotion from Kasugano stable, marking the first top-division advancement for the stable since Tochinoiwa, who rose during the skill evaluation tournament in 2011.

Source: Kyodo

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Heavy rain is expected across a wide area of Japan this weekend, with western Japan facing cloudy and rainy conditions on June 19 and Kyushu likely to see torrential rain and thunderstorms before rain clouds move eastward toward eastern Japan and Tohoku through June 21.

The eruption alert level for Mount Tokachidake in Hokkaido was raised to Level 2 on June 18 for the first time in 12 years, prompting authorities to restrict entry within 1.5 kilometers of the crater and close parts of hiking trails just days before the mountain’s official opening for the summer climbing season.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

JR Central and JR West on June 17 announced pricing and service details for the new private-room seating that will be introduced on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from October, creating a new top-tier class above the existing Green Car service.

A draft of the joint statement from the G7 summit in France has revealed that all proposals put forward by Prime Minister Takaichi on energy security and critical minerals have been incorporated into the agreement.

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