This week, I will try not to get so behind and hopefully get the entire week.
May 22, 2022:
Large scale leak at water intake facility forces use of another river to begin (Asahi)
Due to a problem at a water intake facility in Toyoda City on May 21, Aichi Prefecture, access to its agricultural use water has been lost, causing a problem that has in turn caused the use of another river to begin.
On May 17, a large scale leak at a water intake facility that had been taking it in from the Yahagi River left the region without its supply of agricultural water.
The Tokai Regional Agricultural Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries installed a temporary pump from the Daiya River in Toyoda City that was turned on May 17.
In addition, a crane has been used on the Yahagi River water intake facility in order to expedite the flow of water through the temporary pump.
Shinkansen trials allowing pets to travel without cages (Asahi)
In a first for Japan, Shinkansen is launching train service just for pets.
On May 21, the JR East trialed giving passengers with pets special service.
Normally, animals are required to be in a cage for this, after up to 40 minutes after boarding, the animal can be let out of its cage.
After being used, the car will be cleaned under the guidance of a veterinarian.
Animals have ridden on planes, trains, etc., cage-free before, but this is a first for the Shinkansen.
Pre-typhoon season large scale emergency training held in anticipation of flooding of Tama River (Asahi)
In anticipation of flooding at Tama River near Tokyo, large scale emergency training was held ahead of typhoon season.
The training was held on the assumption that typhoons would cause the Tama River at Kunitachi City, Tokyo to flood and that that would inundate roads, etc.
The participants were 500 Tokyo Fire and Disaster Management Agency firefighters and city employees on 28 fire engines.
In 2020, in anticipation of large scale natural disasters, the newly-minted immediate response unit also participated and they practiced rescuing people trapped in buildings by flooding.
In anticipation of landslides, the team practiced rescue activities.
Big box electronic store Yamada completes used electronics refurbishment factory (Asahi)
A factory that refurbishes consumer electronics has been completed.
Consumer electronics retail giant Yamada Holdings built a new factory in Gunma Prefecture that washes, repairs, etc., appliances like refrigerators and washing machines.
The factory has a maximum capacity of 7,000 machines and there they take components such as doors off of appliances such a washing machine tubs and refrigerators and cleaning all the way to the interior.
The refurbished goods are under warranty and are available at about 90 Yamada Group stores.
Yamada HD Sustainability Promotion Office Director Koichi Kiyomura said, "We want to try this for a short time, and then market them to new customers who needs the best bargains possible."
It is estimated that by 2025 the market for used consumer goods will be worth ¥3.5 trillion and Yamada Holdings intends to increase production to up to 300,000 units a year by fiscal year 2025.
Price increase for 8385 food items and a summer rush (Asahi)
It has been determined that by the middle of this year, 105 major food makers will have raised the price of over 8,000 gogiants
Teikoku Databank recently surveyed 105 publicly traded food giants and found that they raised the prices of 4,770 food items between January and May.
Furthermore, an additional set of price hikes is planned for another 3,615 items from June onward.
Within this second group are over 1,500 items slated to have their prices raised in July, the most this year.
The average price hike for these 8,385 goods is 12%.
Due to things like the soaring prices of goods like imported wheat and cooking oil and the depreciation of the yen, Teikoku Databank issued an analysis saing, "After autumn, the price hike rush could continue."
Once again, the news from Japan is prices hikes sans inflation.
Maintenance work on JR Hamamatsuchou Station to shut down train travel through Tokyo, Shinagawa, etc., on the May 21 (Asahi)
On the night of May 21, the Tokaido Line from Tokyo to Shinagawa will be shut down due to maintenance on the Hamamatsuchou Station.
There will also be fewer trains running up and down the Keihin Tohoku Line and around the outside of the Yamate Line.
As part of the redevelopment of the Hamamatsuchou Station, the East Japan Railway Company is replacing the railway track along the Keihin Tohoku Line in order to widen the station's platform.
Due to this, on May 21, the Tokaido Line from Tokyo to Shinagawa and Joban Line from Ueno to Shinagawa will be shut down from about 10:00 PM to the last train.
Additionally, because the Keihin Tohoku Line will use the part of the tracks for the Yamate Line that run from Tabata to Tamachi, there will be fewer trains running up and down the Keihin Tohoku Line or the area around the Yamate Line.
East Japan Railway Company will affect about 63,000 people doing this.
May 23, 2022:
As Tokyo's Sky Tree approaches its 10 year anniversary, Ebizo gazes at the top of the sky (Asahi)
On the 10th anniversary of the opening of Sky Tree, which is the tallest of its kind in the world at 634 m, kabuki actor Ebizo Ichikawa performed the prologue of a kabuki play at the top.
Sky Tree was completed in 2012, and May 22 will be its 10th anniversary.
Up to now, it has had 40,440,000 visitors. With a height of 634 m, it is the tallest tower in the world.
On May 22, he will give a speech to, and shoot a glare at the audience to give them a year of good health.
Additionally, the first 634 people to arrive will be free coasters made by local craftsmen from Sumida Ward, a takeoff of the height of the tower.
634 little souvenirs on offer to first 634 arrivals to the 10th anniversary party at Sky Tree (Asahi)
On the 10th anniversary of the opening of Tokyo Sky Tree, some very distinctive, locally-made items were distributed.
Tokyo Sky Tree was completed in 2012 and May 22 marks the 10th anniversary of its opening.
This standalone tower is the world's tallest at 634 m, and in reference to this, 634 coasters just for this occasion were made and distributed to the first 634 guests to arrive.
The coasters were made at a small factory in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo dedicated to this purpose.
Akihiro Yamaguchi, president of Yamaguchi Sangyo, said, "It took more than just our company alone, 5, 6, buildings, everyone concentrated in Sumida to make these leather goods. It is fortunate that this will revitalize our industrial sector and could make great use of our locational advantage."
"It feels like we finally made it. This is our work. We are grateful to have Sky Tree here. It is an honor," said Shin'ichi Ninomiya, president of Ninomiya Goro Sangyo.
I am not sure I got this translation right. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's nearly impossible.
One month after a tourist boat sank off the coast of Shiretoko, boat to be raised today (Asahi)
May 23 is the 1-month anniversary of the sinking of a tourist boat off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula. On that day, a working vessel is to resume its salvage work and pull it to the surface of the ocean. For the purpose of lifting it off the seabed, it departed Abashiri Port on the evening of May 22.
The plan is to attach a belt and pull it to the surface.
On May 24, a plan to place the boat on the coastline transgression, leave it there for 2-3 days, and drain the water out.
It has been 1 month since the tourist boat KAZU1 sunk on April 23.
People visited a shrine in Shari Town to bring flowers and mourn the dead.
Out of the combined 26 passengers and crew, 14 are dead, and 12 are still missing.
This one was also hard to translate. I do these by hand instead of machine translating them.
Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden confirm cooperation between their countries (NHK)
On May 23, Prime Minister Kishida met with President Biden. After their talk, they spoke with reporters together.
Prime Minister Kishida said that they have confirmed an agreement means that the 2 countries will cooperate, have the power to prevent each other from being attacked, to respond swiftly in the case of either one having a problem, and to get stronger.* And then he said Japan will strengthen the JSDF.
Next year, Japan will host the G7 conference. Prime Minister Kishida said that when he said it should be in his hometown of Hiroshima, President Biden agreed to it.
President Biden said, "America has promised to protect Japan and that will not change." And he said that because it has gotten difficult to safeguard the countries of the world, he was thinking of strengthening the alliance with Japan.
I am not sure I got that part right.
Also, isn't it wild that my Twitter diet has nothing about this? What about yours?
"If you have a brief conversation outside, you don't need to wear a mask." (NHK)
Regarding the novel coronavirus, the experts at the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has settled on new masking recommendations.
According to them, whether one is, say, outside around other people and socially distanced or having a brief conversation while not, they do not need a mask. They said a mask is a good idea is when one is on a train car full of people, a bus, or when one is talking to someone.
The Japanese government, since February, has said that when children aged two through almost old enough to attend elementary school can wear masks, they should.
Regarding this, the experts think that wearing a mask for a long time stunts growth and puts one in danger of heatstroke.
When there are no virus-infected people, it is OK not to wear a mask.
I think this advice is crazy. The pandemic isn't over and I've never heard the objections they gave before.
World Cup Soccer: Ms. Yamashita to be first female referee. (NHK)
This November, soccer's World Cup begins in Qatar. FIFA has announced 129 referees for this tournament. Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan was chosen. She was chosen to be a referee. This is the first time a woman was chosen for this.
Ms. Yamashita was previously a judge at the Tokyo Olympics women's games last year. Last month, she was also the first female judge at the men's games at the Asia Champions League. After finishing those jobs, she took up running and muscle training.
Ms. Yamashita said, "To be at the World Cup was my dream, so I was surprised. At this most famous of games, I want to prepare myself to be the best judge possible."
I can't tell whether 候補 (kouho) is best translated as judge or referee for the World Cup.
Foreigners meeting requirements for special skills designation increase by 40,000 (NHK)
3 years ago, the Japanese government, in the interest of increasing the number of foreigners working in Japan, created the special skills requirements. Skilled foreigners can get these qualifications.
This March, there were a total of 64,730 foreigners with this qualification. This is over 40,000 more than last year. Roughly 90% were already living in Japan and had previously had the qualifications of "technical intern training" and "studying abroad." Those who passed the exam required for the special skills qualification and are newly arrived in Japan account for about 10%.
The most common nationality is Vietnamese at 40,696. The second most common is Filipino at 6,251 and the third most common is Indonesian at 5,855.
They most commonly work in food and beverage plants, and a total of 22,992 do this. The next most common place of employment is farms, which a total of 8,153 do, and the third most common field is nursing* at 7,019.
*介護 (kaigo) can also be translated as "care".
I never would have thought that one would study abroad to be an agricultural worker, and it's fascinating that they are regarded as having special skills.
May 24, 2022:
Friends can send presents to those who addresses they do not know. (NHK)
"Social gift" is a service that can send goods to those whose addresses are unknown.
When the sender buys a present over the internet, they can send something such as an email containing the URL of the site to the intended recipient. When they enter their address into the website, the package will arrive. It can be picked up at the store.
Thanks to this service, Mitsukoshi Isetan was able to sell about twice as much makeup, sweets, etc., fiscal year 2021 compared to the previous one. And there was an increase in goods of about 4000. Takashimaya has also began using this service.
The number of people who do not know the addresses of all their friends has increased due to the novel coronavirus and fewer people are meeting their friends less. The 2 department stores think that the number of people using this service will increase.
"A spring mystery." "Is it because of an earthquake?" Large school of fish buried at Ichihara canal, puzzling neighborhood. (Goo)
At the Ichihara city canal, a large quantity of fish that were completely buried up to the surface appeared and was much talked about. One local resident said, "It looks like the fish are striped mullet, but why did they swim here? It might be because of the earthquake." regarding the "spring mystery" with a bewildered expression.
A 66-year-old woman who lived in the neighborhood said, "No more than a week ago I noticed a large school of fish. I have lived here 15 years but this is the first time I have seen an entire school of fish swim upstream. (It was discovered 16 days earlier) This might be a sign of an upcoming earthquake."
I'm not sure about this translation.
Rising raw materials cost causes Starbucks to raise prices by all-time high of ¥55. (Goo)
Starbucks Coffee Japan announced on May 22 that against the backdrop of such things as rising raw material costs and supply chain issues, the prices of beverages such as coffee, lattes, frappuccinos were raised at all of its roughly 1,700 stores in Japan starting April 13 by ¥10-¥55, excluding tax. This is the first set of price increases since February 2019.
All sizes of drip coffee are to have their prices raised by ¥25-¥29 excluding tax. A standard tall size is ¥383 for takeout and ¥390 for in-store consumption. A Starbucks latte will also, excluding tax, have its price raised by ¥34-¥38.
The prices of the soy and almond will fall.
That is my sole contribution to the conversation on Starbucks for now.
Yamanashi: 1 killed, 10 buildings destroyed by house fire's spreading flames (Asahi)
In Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, 10 residential, etc., buildings were completely destroyed and 1 person is believed to have been killed and the police and fire department have been investigating the scene since May 13.
According to the police, at about noon, a fire started in a wooden house in Hokuto City and spread to surrounding residences, warehouses, etc.
About 6 and a half hours later, the fire was almost under control, but upwards of 10 residential, etc., buildings are believed to have been completely burned.
In one of the buildings, a body believed to be that of an 80-year-old man living alone was found.
The police and fire department have been investigating the scene since the morning of May 13.
Due to up to 30 minutes passing after the fire broke out, the fire department didn't get there until about an hour after it started.
The police are investigating both the identity of the body and the origin of the fire.
"3D laminated style AI chip" Wonderful! Upwards of 100 layers, neuro calculations are possible (Goo)
Tohoku-MicroTec (Sendai City, Aoba Ward, President Makoto Motoyoshi) has developed a 3D stacked AI chip with that can learn with a collaboration between academia and industry. It has a 3D structure and new operation principles. Within the 4 layers of the chip, neuro calculations can be repeated, making it possible for it to be effectively upwards of 100 layers. President Motoyoshi said, "I want to increase the production of semiconductors in Japan," aiming towards mass production.
The 3D laminated AI chip "Edge AI" adds to the chip field. The time needed to download necessary data from the cloud can be eliminated and it helps make instantaneous data processing, etc., possible. It is assumed that such things as the sensor module system, which is a combination this chip and a sensor, will be put to practical use.
I am really unsure of this translation.
2 highschool boys arrested on suspicion of shoplifting. Were 80 books stolen? (Asahi)
2 18-year-old highschool boys were arrested at a big shopping mall in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture on suspicion of shoplifting. They had more than 80 books in their backpacks.
It was suspected that the boys, 2nd year highschool students living in Ebina City, had stolen 5 books worth ¥10,000 at a large Yamato City shopping mall.
As the boy students came out of the bathroom, the cops ran toward them shouting at them.
Inside the bathroom, things like the bag containing the books and their paper wrappings had been discarded.
The boys entered a blind spot after putting the books in the bag and swapped it out for a different bag.
The bag contained 80 books.
Regarding the investigation, "Several items had already been stolen. They were intended for resale," confirming their suspicion.
The police are investigating how the 80 books in the bag were stolen.
Another translation I am unsure of.
JERA announces shutdown of 9 thermal power generating units (TBS)
JERA, a power company that finances TEPCO and Chubu Electric Power, announced that it was shutting down 9 aging thermal power plant units.
The units to be shutdown are 1-3 at Oi Thermal Power Station in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo; 5 and 6 at Yokohama Thermal Power Station in Yokohama, and 1-4 at Chita Thermal Power Station in Chita City, Aichi Prefecture. The reason they have to be shut down is that all of them had been in operation since before 1974 and were aging.
The work of rebuilding Anegasaki Thermal Power Station and others like it continues. "We're trying for a continuous stable, supply of energy," they said.
Apparently, whoever is in charge of grabbing stories from other countries' news sources at other publications isn't looking at Japan hard enough.
Nissan to end production of babaru era symbol Cima (TBS)
It has been discovered that Nissan Motor is discontinuing the Cima luxury sedan this summer.
Nissan is discontinuing the Cima this summer due to the failure of its engine to clear the noise standards effective this fall.
Because the Cima was a favorite luxury car of the babaru era, it became a symbol of the conspicuous consumption of the era called the "Cima phenomenon." However, SUVs have recently starting becoming more popular, which is suppressing its sales. Nowadays, automakers around the world are working faster and faster to outdo their competitors at developing and manufacturing electric cars.
Also, Nissan is ending production of the Fuga, which has the same engine, in August.
4 countries including Japan does the safety of the region (NHK)
On May 24, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, President of the United States Biden, Australian Prime Minister Albanese, and Indian Prime Minister Modi had a conference in Japan.
At the beginning, Prime Minister Kishida said regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, "This is a violation of international law." And he said that this must not happen in the Indo-Pacific region.
At the conference, the increased activity of the Chinese Navy was discussed. The 4 countries affirmed that they very much cooperate to preserving security and freedom in the region. And they said it was important to defend* international law.
Regarding North Korea, they spoke out in opposition to such activities as manufacturing nuclear weapons and missiles which worry the other inhabitants of the region. They also said that it needed to return the people they'd kidnapped.
May 25, 2022:
The tallest buliding in Japan made of wood was built (NHK)
The tallest building in Japan to have such things as the pillars and posts made of wood was built in Yokohama. It is 11 storeys and 44 m tall.
The pillars are made of 3 layers of wooden boards firmly joined together. Due to the special technique used, the wood is rain-resistant. The construction company claims that it can withstand an earthquake up to 7 on the Richter scale.
Wooden buildings are said to be able to sequester carbon when constructed. According to the company, this about emits 25% less carbon than materials like steel and concrete.
The company said, "We want apartments and hotels to be built out of wood."
It looks like this building is cross-laminated timber, Brettstapel, or glulam. The news article was really dumbed down, but you wouldn't know it from the kind of English I translate these articles into.
Mizuho: ATMs in all of Japan to be equipped with speakers and cameras (Asahi)
Mizuho Financial Group, which has been experiencing difficulties with its system, announced that they are implementing a business development plan and its main pillar is installing cameras in the speakers of the greater than 1,800 ATMs it has all over Japan.
Mizuho had the same ATMs inspected for malfunctions and repaired through the end of last month.
Additionally, because it is difficult to eliminate the malfunctions, in order to do so, 1,820 ATMs will have speakers equipped with cameras installed in them so that users can inform them of problems.
Mizuho said, "To bring relief to users, all employees and officers will band together."
Mizuho Financial Group has been under a business improvement order issued by the Financial Services Agency since February of last year.
That's all for this week.