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Fukushima Decontaminated Soil Placed in Japan Prime Minister's Garden

TOKYO, Jul 19 (News On Japan) - Japan's Environment Ministry on July 19th transported soil generated during decontamination efforts in Fukushima Prefecture—following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster—to the front garden of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo's Nagatacho district.

The soil, which had been stored at an interim storage facility in the towns of Okuma and Futaba, is being reused as part of an effort to foster public understanding about the safety of decontaminated material.

Source: Kyodo

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As of 3 p.m. on October 7th, Typhoon No. 22 (Halong) was located over the ocean south of Japan, maintaining strong intensity while moving north-northwest at about 15 kilometers per hour. The system is forecast to continue moving northward through October 8th before curving east around October 9th, passing near the Izu Islands at peak strength before heading out over the Pacific later in the week.

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.

A collision occurred on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line on the night of October 5th when a local train attempting to arrive at Kajigaya Station in Kawasaki City struck a stationary out-of-service train, causing several cars of the latter to derail. Investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board arrived at the scene on the morning of October 6th to begin examining the cause of the accident.

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The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under President Takaichi has finalized its executive appointments, marking the start of a new leadership structure. In the afternoon, the party is scheduled to begin coalition talks with its junior partner, Komeito.

Sanae Takaichi won the leadership race of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on October 4th, defeating former environment minister Shinjirō Koizumi in a runoff election that sets her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister. With the LDP holding a majority in the lower house, her confirmation in parliament is considered almost certain, opening a new chapter in Japanese politics.

Sanae Takaichi, elected as the Liberal Democratic Party’s new president on October 4th, declared on stage, “I ask everybody to work like a horse,” after defeating agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff to become the party’s first female leader.

Former US President Donald Trump is arranging a three-day visit to Japan starting on October 27th, marking his first trip to the country in six years.

Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa held a closed-door meeting with all city council members on October 2nd to explain her repeated hotel meetings with a married senior city official, but afterward she avoided stating whether she would resign.

Japan is about to hold the leadership election of the ruling party, and the winner will become the next prime minister. Five candidates are in the running this time. Some people say Japan is doomed no matter who wins. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

The upcoming Liberal Democratic Party leadership election will determine not only who leads Japan’s ruling party but also who is likely to become the country’s next prime minister, and the voting system itself plays a decisive role in shaping the outcome. The election is decided by a combination of votes from LDP lawmakers in the National Diet and ballots cast by the party’s grassroots members across Japan, creating a two-stage process that balances national and local influence.

With the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election just days away, questions have emerged over the handling of a clerical error in Kanagawa Prefecture’s membership rolls, an organization chaired by Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.