Tokyo, 27 December, /AJMEDIA/
Nearly all Japan’s school boards scrap gender field on applications
TOKYO – Students applying to enter public high schools from next spring will no longer be required to specify their gender on the application form in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures except Tokyo, local education boards said as of Sunday.
The decision comes amid growing awareness of transgender and nonbinary individuals in Japan, many of whom may face psychological distress having to specify a gender they do not identify with.
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Nuclear declaratory policy examined as Biden eyes curbing nukes
WASHINGTON – The United States is examining its “declaratory policy” on the use of nuclear arms under President Joe Biden’s commitment to seeking to reduce the role of such weaponry, the State Department’s top arms control official Bonnie Jenkins said recently.
Her remarks came as focus is increasing on whether the Biden administration will declare the “sole purpose” of U.S. nuclear forces is to deter or respond to nuclear attacks in its upcoming nuclear posture review, a guideline for American nuclear policy for the coming years.
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Japan PM Kishida eyes making video address for U.N. nonproliferation talks
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering addressing by video a U.N. nuclear nonproliferation meeting in January, giving up on an earlier plan to attend the event in person, government sources said Sunday.
In the video address to the conference starting Jan. 4 to review the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Kishida is expected to express his determination to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, the sources said.
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2 NGO staff missing in Myanmar after incident that left 38 dead
YANGON – Two aid workers are missing following an attack in eastern Myanmar in which at least 38 people, including women and children, were killed by the military, according to nongovernmental organization Save the Children.
The organization condemned Friday’s incident in restive Kayah State involving “innocent civilians and our staff” as a breach of international humanitarian law and said attacks against aid workers “cannot be tolerated.”
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Figure skating: Yuzuru Hanyu clinches national championship, Olympic berth
TOKYO – Two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu slightly under-rotated his coveted quadruple axel but was otherwise flawless in Sunday’s free skate as he successfully defended his men’s singles crown at the Japanese national championships.
Hanyu, aiming to be the first skater to land the jump in competition, nailed three other quad jumps in a spellbinding performance that secured his place at February’s Beijing Winter Olympics, where he will again be a gold-medal favorite.
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Japan gov’t must turn to Abenomics to satisfy financial markets: ex-PM Abe
TOKYO – Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday called on Japan’s current leader to commit to the so-called “Abenomics” policy mix pursued during his time in office to satisfy wishes of financial markets.
Abe said on a TV program that financial markets are not looking for a fundamental change in economic strategy from the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, rather they want a continuation of the big-spending, growth-seeking program maintained throughout the term of Abe’s successor Yoshihide Suga.
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Civic group denounces arson attack on Korean settlement in Japan
KYOTO – More than 400 people called for the eradication of hate crimes Sunday as they denounced an arson attack in August on a settlement of Korean residents in Kyoto Prefecture.
A civic group organized a gathering in the city of Kyoto and online to discuss the attack in the so-called Utoro district, urging judicial authorities to deal with the case firmly to prevent a repeat of similar incidents. A 22-year-old unemployed man has been under arrest in connection with the matter.
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Horse racing: Fan favorite Efforia wins Arima Kinen
FUNABASHI, Japan – Takeshi Yokoyama rode No. 1 fan pick Efforia to victory in the 66th running of the Arima Kinen on Sunday, claiming the penultimate Grade 1 race on the 2021 Japanese racing calendar with a winner’s prize of 300 million yen ($2.6 million).
The three-year-old colt, this year’s Satsuki-sho and Tenno-sho winner, completed the 2,500-meter turf race at Nakayama Racecourse in 2 minutes, 32 seconds, crossing the line 3/4 of a length ahead of Deep Bond. Chrono Genesis finished third, 1/2 length farther back.