Society

'The True Story of Empress Kojun' Released

TOKYO, Oct 10 (News On Japan) - Japan's Imperial Household Agency has released The Official Record of Empress Kojun, chronicling the life of Empress Kojun, wife of Emperor Showa and grandmother of the current Emperor.

The record, which took 17 years to complete, sheds light on the wartime activities of the Imperial Family, revealing that the Empress herself helped manufacture components for military equipment.

Empress Kojun, who lived through Japan’s turbulent modern era, passed away in 2000 at the age of 97. The chronicle provides new insight into the intersection between the Imperial Household and the war.

According to the record, Empress Kojun presented artificial eyes and limbs to wounded soldiers and, when school evacuations were implemented, sent about 410,000 biscuits to children across Japan. At that time, her son, now Emperor Emeritus, had been evacuated to Tochigi Prefecture — the biscuits were distributed on December 23, his birthday.

Between 1944 and 1945, as the war intensified, the Empress spent time making “grids,” components used in vacuum tubes for radio detection devices that could locate enemy submarines. Such parts were typically produced by female students mobilized nationwide to compensate for labor shortages. The record reveals that Empress Kojun also participated in this work within an air-raid shelter at the Imperial Palace known as Gobunko.

For the first time, the record also describes her actions on the day Japan announced its surrender.

“At 11:55 a.m., Her Majesty turned on the radio in the Gobunko and listened quietly until the end of the Imperial broadcast announcing the end of the Greater East Asia War. Afterward, she greeted His Majesty and inquired after his well-being,” it notes.

The newly released chronicle offers a valuable primary source for understanding Japan’s modern and wartime history through the life of the Showa Empress.

Source: TBS

Why Bear Attacks Increasing Across Japan?

Bear attacks are intensifying across Japan, with fatalities in fiscal 2025 already matching the record high set in 2023. Experts warn that the rise reflects not only an increase in bear numbers but also changes in human society that have blurred the line between mountain habitats and residential areas.

Typhoon No. 23 (Nakri) to Near Okinawa Before Tracking East Over Long Weekend

As of the night of October 9, Typhoon No. 23 (Nakri) was moving northwest over waters south of Japan. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, at 9 p.m. the typhoon was located about 300 kilometers east-southeast of Minami-Daito Island, traveling northwest at a speed of around 20 kilometers per hour.

Typhoon No. 22 Leaves Hachijo Island Devastated with Roofs Torn Off and Roads Blocked

Typhoon No. 22, classified as a very strong system, made a direct hit on the Izu Islands, leaving widespread damage across the region. On Hachijo Island, located about 300 kilometers south of Tokyo, the storm brought record-breaking rainfall and violent winds, leaving residents stunned by the destruction.

Japanese Teachers Still Work World’s Longest Hours

Elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan still work the longest hours among their peers worldwide, according to an OECD report released on Tuesday. While the 2024 results by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed working hours had fallen by around four hours per week compared with the previous survey in 2018, Japan’s teachers still far exceeded their global counterparts.

Beer Shortages Hit Japan's Izakayas

Beer deliveries from Asahi Group Holdings have been disrupted following a ransomware cyberattack, causing shortages that have already begun to affect izakaya and other establishments across Japan. Some bars have reported their beer stock falling to “only one left” as supply chain delays ripple through the industry.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

'The True Story of Empress Kojun' Released

Japan's Imperial Household Agency has released The Official Record of Empress Kojun, chronicling the life of Empress Kojun, wife of Emperor Showa and grandmother of the current Emperor.

Kyoto’s Pine Trees Wrapped in Straw to Guard Against Winter Pests

In Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture, workers carried out the traditional practice of “komo-maki,” wrapping straw mats around pine trees to protect them from harmful insects as the autumn season deepens. The activity takes place each year around “Kanro” (Cold Dew), one of the 24 solar terms marking the seasonal transition toward winter.

Two Hyogo Police Officers Arrested for Possessing Marijuana

Two police officers from the Hyogo Prefectural Police have been arrested for possessing marijuana, admitting they kept it for personal use.

Bear Breaks Into Gunma Supermarket

A bear entered a supermarket in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture on Tuesday night, attacking two male customers before escaping to the south.

Bosozuku Rattle Tokyo's Harumi Flag Apartments

Footage filmed near the Harumi Flag Apartments in Tokyo shows groups of motorcycles revving their engines loudly into the night at a nearby intersection, disrupting the peace of families living in the new residential complex built on the former site of the Tokyo Olympic Athletes’ Village.

University Ex-Employee Arrested for Spraying Bodily Fluid on Female Student’s Shorts

Police have arrested a 43-year-old former employee of Tsuda College in Kodaira, western Tokyo, on suspicion of property damage after he allegedly took a female student’s shorts from a locker and defiled them with bodily fluid.

Okinawa Court Orders Families To Pay For Police Station Damaged In Riot

The Naha District Court’s Okinawa branch has ordered a group of former youths and their parents to pay more than 4 million yen in damages to Okinawa Prefecture over a riot that took place three years ago when a crowd surrounded the Okinawa Police Station and destroyed vehicles and other property.

Over 40,000 Sign Petition Against Hotel in Wasabi Fields

A hotel construction plan in the rural wasabi-growing area of Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, has sparked strong opposition from local residents who fear it will damage the landscape and threaten the region’s iconic wasabi fields.

< 2 3 4 5 >