News On Japan

Maiko launch New Year's cards; 1.44 billion to be issued nationwide

KYOTO - With only two months remaining this year, a ceremony marking the launch of New Year's greeting cards was held in Kyoto with the participation of Maiko (apprentice geisha).

New Year's cards went on sale across Japan from Nov 1.

The number of New Year's greeting postcards planned to be issued nationwide this year is about 1.44 billion, which is 200 million less than last year.

Acceptance of the New Year's cards starts from December 15th, and if posted by the 25th, they are expected to arrive on New Year's Day.

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Typhoon No. 7 continued to disrupt travel across Japan on June 27, with Japan Airlines warning of possible delays and cancellations at Haneda, Narita and Nanki-Shirahama, while Shinkansen services were scheduled to operate normally but remained at risk of delays or sudden suspensions depending on rain and wind conditions.

As of 4 p.m. on June 26, Typhoon No. 7 was near Amami Oshima and moving northeast while Typhoon No. 8 was over waters south of Japan, with the two storms forecast to approach Tokai and Kanto in succession on June 27 and bring two waves of heavy rain, raising the risk of flooding, landslides and river overflows from western Japan to the Tokyo region.

Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

A powerful earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 struck off Iwate Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. on June 25, shaking parts of Aomori Prefecture and leaving Hachinohe, which was hit by a similarly strong quake last December, facing fresh damage.

A powerful earthquake registering a maximum intensity of 6 upper on Japan’s seismic scale struck Aomori Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. today. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter was off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, with a depth of about 50 kilometers. The earthquake’s magnitude was estimated at 6.9.

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