TheNewsGuru

Tag: Japan

  • 9-year-old passes university-level maths exam

    The Mathematics Certification Institute of Japan on Tuesday said a 9-year-old boy from the Western Japanese province of Hyogo has passed a university-level maths exam.

    According to the Kyodo news agency, the institute said Shogo Ando had been studying for the exam for two years and intended to use his mathematical skills for the betterment of society.

    The report said the boy was cited as saying that he would like to use his skills to combat climate change.

    Testing and achievement is central to Japan’s highly competitive school system.

    However, according to the latest data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Japan has fallen from fifth to sixth place in the ranking of countries by their school pupils’ maths abilities.

  • Japan sets aside 710 million yen to respond to typhoon damage

    Japan sets aside 710 million yen to respond to typhoon damage

    Japan is ready to spend 710 million yen (6.5 million dollars) to deal with the devastating effects of Typhoon Hagibis, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.

    He said that the money would be spent on water, food, temporary toilets, and beds, among other things, for disaster-stricken areas following Hagibis, considered one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Japan in decades.

    The death toll from the storm, which ripped through central and north-eastern Japan at the weekend, has risen to 74, with 12 people still missing and 224 injured, according to broadcaster NHK.

    The typhoon dumped record-breaking rainfall across wide areas of the country on Saturday, causing flooding and landslides.

    The government said that 52 river banks collapsed and the typhoon triggered a total of 170 landslides and mudslides in 19 prefectures, many of which cut off road links.

    Hagibis inundated more than 13,000 houses, 1,100 of which were heavily damaged, NHK estimated.

    Some 5,000 people remain in temporary shelters following the storm, according to the Kyodo News agency.

  • Typhoon Hagibis kills 35 in Japan

    At least 35 people have been killed by the powerful typhoon Hagibis that hit Japan at the weekend, officials said.

    The government put the death toll at 14, with 11 people missing, but local media said at least 35 people had been killed, and at least 11 were still unaccounted for.

    Tens of thousands of rescuers worked through the pre-dawn hours Monday to reach people trapped by landslides and floods.

    Typhoon Hagibis moved away from land on Sunday morning, but while it largely spared the capital, it left a trail of destruction in surrounding regions.

    More than 100,000 rescuers — including 31,000 troops — clawed through debris overnight Sunday to Monday to reach people trapped after torrential rain caused landslides and filled rivers until they burst their banks.

    The destruction forced the Rugby World Cup being hosted by Japan to cancel several games, but the “Brave Blossoms”, as the national team is known, lifted spirits with a stunning 28-21 victory over Scotland Sunday that puts them into the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time.

    Rivers overflowed their banks at close to dozen locations — including in central Japan’s Nagano, where a levee breach sent water from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods, flooding homes up to the second floor.

    Military and fire department helicopters winched survivors from roofs and balconies in several locations, but in Fukushima one rescue went tragically awry when a woman died after falling from a chopper cradle.

    Elsewhere, rescue workers carried out an hours-long boat operation to evacuate hundreds of people from a retirement home in Kawagoe, northwest of Tokyo, which was flooded up to its top floor.

    One elderly woman wearing an orange life vest was brought out from a boat on the back of a hard-hat wearing rescuer. Others were hoisted onto wheelchairs and pushed along a muddy shore on arrival by boat.

    Hagibis smashed into the main Japanese island of Honshu on Saturday night as one of the most violent typhoons in recent years, with wind gusts of up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour.

    The storm claimed its first victim even before making landfall, when high winds flipped a vehicle, killing its driver.

     

  • Japanese monarch, Emperor Akihito declares historic abdication

    Japanese monarch, Emperor Akihito declares historic abdication

    Japan’s Emperor Akihito has declared his abdication in a historic ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

    In his last public address as emperor, Akihito handed over the symbols of power and thanked the public for their support during his 30-year reign.

    The 85-year-old was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health.

    He is the first Japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years.

    Akihito technically remained emperor until midnight (15:00 GMT on Tuesday).

    His eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, formally ascends the throne later on Wednesday. A new era – called Reiwa, meaning order and harmony – will begin in Japan’s unique calendar.

    While the emperor holds no political power, he serves as a national figurehead.

    Akihito has endeared himself to many Japanese people during his reign as he has interacted with those suffering from disease and disaster.

    In the morning, the emperor took part in a Shinto ceremony to report his plans to the mythological ancestors of Japan’s imperial family.

    The main “Ceremony of the Abdication” took place in a state room of the Imperial Palace in front of about 300 people including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Crown Prince Naruhito, and Crown Princess Masako.

    Imperial chamberlains carried the state and privy seals into the hall, along with a sacred sword and a jewel which are considered symbols of the imperial family.

    In a short ceremony, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the emperor, saying: “While keeping in our hearts the path that the emperor has walked, we will make utmost efforts to create a bright future for a proud Japan that is full of peace and hope.”

    Then, in his final speech as emperor, Akihito, wearing a Western-style morning coat, said he “wished Japan and the world peace and happiness”.

    “I am deeply grateful for the people that accepted me as a symbol and supported me,” he said.

    “I sincerely wish, together with the empress, that the Reiwa era which begins tomorrow will be a stable and fruitful one,” he added. “I pray, with all my heart, for peace and happiness for all the people in Japan and around the world.”

    After helping his wife, Empress Michiko, down the steps of the ceremonial platform, the emperor bowed towards the gathered officials, then left the room.

    The 85-year-old had surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and a heart bypass operation in 2012.

    In a rare speech in 2016, he said that he feared his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties and strongly hinted that he wanted to stand down.

  • Japan Govt to tighten regulations against tech firms

    Japan Govt to tighten regulations against tech firms

    Amid concerns about monopoly and users personal data, Japan’s government is planning to set up a new regulatory system to watch over big tech firms such as Facebook and Google.

    According to a presentation made at a government advisory panel on Wednesday, the new regulator will examine competitive practices, the protection of personal data, and make anti-trust recommendations.

    The new body will also draw up new guidelines to evaluate whether mergers and acquisitions will lead to a monopoly on messaging data or personal data.

    The government hopes to finalize the plans for the new regulator by the soon, but it is still uncertain when it will become fully operational.

    At the meeting on Wednesday, bureaucrats gave a presentation to cabinet ministers showing how Facebook, Google, Amazon.com, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings and China’s top search engine Baidu have increased influence by expanding into payment systems, retail shops, self-driving cars, drones, and interconnected devices.

    The growth of the digital economy does have some merits, such as making it easier to reach new customers and generate profits at lower costs, according to the presentation.

    But, it said some big technology companies could abuse their influence with arbitrary search results, high fees, sudden changes to terms of usage, and unfair contracts with suppliers.

     

  • Japan’s Honda Motor third-quarter profit drops 40% on discounting, quality costs

    Honda Motor Co Ltd on Friday reported a 40.2 per cent drop in third-quarter operating profit, missing market expectations due to higher discounting and quality-related costs.

    Japan’s third-biggest automaker posted profit of 170.1 billion yen ($1.56 billion) for October-December, from 284.5 billion yen in the same period a year earlier.

    The result compared with the 208.8 billion yen median of 10 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv.

    Honda kept its full-year profit forecast at 790 billion yen, though it now assumes the domestic currency will trade around 111 yen to the U.S. dollar through March 31, from a previous forecast for 110 yen.

    The weaker profit comes as Honda faces easing global demand for cars and the possibility of a new trade deal between Japan and the United States, while investing heavily in self-driving and low-emission vehicle technology to keep pace with rivals.

    Honda’s global automobile sales came in at 1.41 million vehicles in October-December, versus 1.34 million a year earlier, boosted by rising sales at home and in Asia.

    Honda sold 498,000 units in North America during the period, up from 491,000 a year earlier, bucking the trend of slowing demand in the United States.

    But profitability took a hit from an increase in selling incentives, the company said.

    In China, another key market where sales have also cooled after years of growth, Honda sold around 1.43 million vehicles in 2018, down slightly on the previous year.

    While sales in the past few months have held up against an overall market slowdown, Honda was stung earlier in the year by a quality issue with its Civic sedan, the CR-V SUV crossover and other popular models.

    Honda and other automakers in China, the world’s largest auto market, are bracing for a tough 2019 after weakness in sales emerged last year following years of strong growth as the country’s growing middle class snapped up new cars.

    China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers has said it expects to see flat sales of around 28.1 million units in 2019, after the market contracted for the first time in more than two decades last year.

    Motorcycle sales have been on the rise in the past year or so due to a boost in demand in Southeast Asia.

    Third-quarter global sales totaled 5.01 million motorcycles versus 4.87 million a year earlier.

  • Floyd Mayweather cancels Japan kickboxing fight

    Floyd Mayweather cancels Japan kickboxing fight

    Floyd Mayweather’s comeback fight against a Japanese kickboxer has been cancelled.

    The retired, 50-0, pound-for-pound boxing great posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram page on Wednesday in which he announced the bout was not happening and claimed he was misled by its organisers.

    ”Now that I am back on US soil after a long and disappointing trip to Tokyo, I now have the time to address you, my fans and the media in regards to the upcoming event on December 31st that was recently announced,” Mayweather began.

    ”First and foremost, I want it to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never agreed to an official bout with Tenshin Nasukawa.

    ”In fact (with all due respect) I have never heard of him until this recent trip to Japan. Ultimately, I was asked to participate in a nine-minute exhibition of three rounds with an opponent selected by the “Rizen Fighting Federation”.

    ”What I was originally informed of by Brent Johnson of “One Entertainment” was that this was to be an exhibition put on for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee.

    ”This exhibition was previously arranged as a “Special Bout” purely for entertainment purposes with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide.

    ”Once I arrived to the press conference, my team and I were completely derailed by the new direction this event was going and we should have put a stop to it immediately.

    ”I want to sincerely apologise to my fans for the very misleading information that was announced during this press conference and I can assure you that I too was completely blindsided by the arrangements that were being made without my consent nor approval.

    ”For the sake of the several fans and attendees that flew in from all parts of the world to attend this past press conference, I was hesitant to create a huge disturbance by combating what was being said and for that I am truly sorry.

    “I am a retired boxer that earns an unprecedented amount of money, globally, for appearances, speaking engagements and occasional small exhibitions.”

    Mayweather first retired in 2015 before being tempted back into the ring to take on UFC superstar Conor McGregor in August 2017.

    Despite recently declaring he was planning another return, it is unclear whether the American will now still pursue a comeback.

  • Mayweather to fight kickboxer Nasukawa in Japan

    Mayweather to fight kickboxer Nasukawa in Japan

    Boxer Floyd Mayweather will fight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan on 31 December, after signing a deal with a mixed martial arts company.

    Former five-weight world champion Mayweather beat UFC’s Conor McGregor in a boxing match in August 2017 to extend his perfect record to 50 wins.

    He has talked recently about potential fights with the UFC’s Khabib Nurmagomedov and boxer Manny Pacquiao.

    The format and rules for his fight with Nasukawa are yet to be decided.

    “I wanted to do something different,” said the 41-year-old American, who has not fought since coming out of retirement to face McGregor.

    “I wanted to display my skills outside the US and be in a special fight. I want to give the people what they want – blood, sweat and tears.”

    Mayweather said the weight class and rules for the fight would be discussed “within the next couple of weeks”.

    Japan’s Nasukawa, 20, competes in the RIZIN Fighting Federation, the company Mayweather has signed with, in both kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

    “It was a surprise offer but I accepted without hesitation,” said Nasukawa, who has a 27-0 record in kickboxing and a 4-0 record in MMA.

    “It’s the biggest moment in my life and I want to be the man who changes history. I’ll do that with these fists, with one punch – just watch.”

  • Breaking: Saudi Arabia crowned AFC U-19 champions

    Breaking: Saudi Arabia crowned AFC U-19 champions

    Asia’s qualifying competition for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019 came to a close on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia edging past Korea Republic 2-1 in Cibinong, Indonesia to claim their third continental title.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the Saudis maintained an unblemished record heading in to the final, including a 3-1 win over Australia in the quarter-final clash which sealed their passage to Poland.

    Korea Republic also went unbeaten en route to the final. They got past a resilient Tajikistan side in the last-eight to book their place at next year’s global showpiece.

    Elsewhere, AFC U-19 Championship holders Japan started the tournament with three wins in a row before downing hosts Indonesia 2-0 to complete their qualifying mission.

    Despite losing narrowly to the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in the opener, Qatar bounced back to win their next three outings as they sealed their return to the U-20 World Cup.

    Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will now represent the Asian continent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.

     

  • Authorities order evacuation of 8,000 residents as heavy rain hits Japan

    Authorities on Friday ordered the evacuation of 8,000 residents as torrential rains triggered floods and landslides in Northern and Central Japan.

    The city of Nanao issued evacuation orders to about 8,000 residents as the region’s Kumaki River flooded in the morning.

    More than 1,000 people were ordered to leave in the prefecture of Yamagata.

    A seasonal rain front dumped heavy rain in the prefectures of Yamagata and Ishikawa, with rainfall of 71m in the hour until 11 a.m. in Shika and 53m Nanao, both in Ishikawa, broadcaster NHK reported.

    The Meteorological Agency warned of mudslides, flooding and swollen rivers.

    Rainfall of up to 180m is forecast for the north-east and the Hokuriku region and up to 120m for the Chugoku region in western Japan by morning on Saturday, the agency said.

    In July, heavy rains battered western Japan, causing massive floods and landslides that killed more than 220 people, destroyed homes and roads.