Gyouza King and Nippun unleash wave of price hikes with no sign of stopping (Asahi)
The price of food continues to rise.
Gyouza Osho Food Service and milling giant Nippn have announced price hikes.
Osho Food Service, which was formed by Gyouza Osho, a chain restaurant, is going to raise the price of about 14 menu items, which is about 20% of the menu, which includes gyouza, chahan, and mapo tofu, from ¥20 to ¥30 on June 14.
Additionally, starting on July 1, Nippn will raise the prices of the flour it sells for household use, pasta, and dried noodles between about 3% and 11%.
The primary cause is an increase in the cost of having the government import wheat starting this month.
An increase in the prices of various foodstuffs is planned for after next month.
Once again, there is no mention of profiteering, but no mention of inflation, either.
Even after Russia invaded Ukraine, it received ¥8.5 trillion for fuel imports (Asahi)
A team of researchers has determined that ¥8.5 trillion have been spent to import Russian fossil fuels since the invasion of Ukraine.
A group doing research into environmental issues from Finland announced a report on the importation of fossil fuels from Russia in the two months following their invasion of Ukraine.
Based on their analysis of the movement of tankers, etc., they concluded that the value of Russian fossil fuel exports such as coal and natural gas was €63 billion, which is equivalent to ¥8.5 trillion.
The biggest importer was Germany, and Japanese power and trading companies also continued to import.
Lauri Myllyvirta of CREA, the research group in question, stated, "Because many countries depend on Russian natural gas, it is difficulty to effectively economically sanction it."
Additionally, this month, Russia exported 20% more coal and 50% more natural gas compared to before the invasion.
India and Egypt have recently increased their import volume of Russian petroleum.
5 power companies and 4 natural gas companies will also increase their prices in June due to soaring fuel costs (Asahi)
Struck by rising prices for fuels such as natural gas and crude oil, 5 electric power giants and 4 municipal gas giants have announced price increases for June.
Out of 10 electric power giants, 5 are increasing their fees.
TEPCO will raise the rate for households using an average amount of electricity by ¥60 for a total of ¥8565 compared to May and for Chubu Electric Power it will be a ¥42 increase for a total of ¥8256.
Power companies, including Kansai Electric Power and Chugoku Electric Power, have already reached an agreed upon upper limit for pricing.
4 large municipal natural gas giants including Tokyo Gas have also increased their rates around ¥20.
May 2, 2022
'I want to help Tonga': June rugby match to be held in support of Tonga after its volcanic eruption (NHK)
In January of this year, Tonga suffered an undersea volcanic eruption. The Japan Rugby Union has decided to hold a rugby match in Tokyo to benefit Tonga, which suffered great damage. Tickets sales and other proceeds will be used for Tonga.
Those playing include those likely to represent Japan in the future and those representing Tonga in Japan's League One.
Tonga's team will practice in Kochi Prefecture. It was also used as a practice site for the Rugby World Cup in Japan 3 years earlier by those representing Tonga.
Japan Rugby Union said, "We want to strengthen ties between Japan and Tonga and express our support."
Historic documents from the return of Okinawa to Japan 50 years earlier to be exhibited (NHK)
The US returned Okinawa to Japan in 1972, 50 years ago this May.
The National Archives of Japan in Tokyo are exhibiting about 40 documents related to Okinawa. Among them are American and Japanese documents dated June 1971.
Former Prime Minister Eisaku Satou's diary is also there. According to an entry from November 1969, prior to going to discuss Okinawa with the US, students and others opposed to this were arrested. And it was written that as he headed from the building where he worked to the airport by helicopter, he was aware of the tension.
The National Archives of Japan says, "We want people to try to ponder the history of Okinawa and the emotions of people." The exhibit will be open until June 19, 2022.
Lightweight, plastic-free, paper mannequin is eco-friendly and can be recycled 3 times (Asahi)
There is an experimental paper mannequin made in Hitachioomiya City, Ibaraki Prefecture at a department store.
At about 1.5 kg, it is light, cheap to transport, and easy to dress and undress.
According to Tomane, the company that made it, after it has ended its useful life as a mannequin, it can be chopped up and converted back into paper.
The manufacturing procedure uses no organic solvents. Seibu Ikebukuro headquarters considers using this mannequin widely to be part of meeting its sustainable development goals.
Shirotoko boat sinking case: Japan Coast Guard to investigate (NHK)
On April 23, 2022, a boat full of sightseers sank off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko peninsula. 14 people died, and 12 have yet to be found. On May 2, the Japan Coast Guard initiated an investigation into such entitles as the boating company to determine whether it took sufficient care to avoid killing the passengers.
Up to now, it was known that the company president and captain decided to depart in spite of the worsening weather. They both promised to return if the weather worsened. The Japan Coast Guard is investigating whether or not that was the cause.
The location the boat passed through is a cellphone dead zone. However, the company decided to communicate by cellphone. Because of this, whether the company did anything for the safety of the passengers is also under investigation.
Many people come to Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture, wait up to 6 hours to enter (NHK)
Last year and the year before that, the novel coronavirus was spreading during the long break starting after April.
When a state of emergency was declared, many people became unable to come from a great distance.
This year, the number of travelers. A large number are coming to Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. In a whopping street lined with stores, family groups and groups of friends take photographs, buy, and have fun. On May 1, there were people waiting up to 6 hours to enter the main building of the famous Dogo Onsen.
According to the Dogo Onsen group, during this break, almost all the rooms are booked. A gift shop owner said, "The same number of goods have been sold as before the coronavirus. I'm so happy."
Downhill highway traffic to peak tomorrow (Asahi)
A mid-morning traffic jam is predicted for the second half of Golden Week, which starts May 3rd.
In total, 40 km of Tohoku Road's Hanyu Parking Area, 40 km of Chuo Expressway-Lake Sagami Interchange, 30 km of Kanetsu Road-Kosaka Service Area, 25 km of Tomei Highway-Yamato Tunnel, and 25 km of Keiyo Road-Kaizuga Interchange.