AJMEDIA News Digest: Jan. 3, 2023

Tokyo, 3 January, /AJMEDIA/

Bird flu cases rise to record high in Japan

TOKYO – Bird flu cases in Japan hit a record high after new infections were confirmed in Chiba and Fukuoka prefectures, the farm ministry said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, a total of 54 cases of avian flu were confirmed across 23 prefectures in Japan this season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

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Dollar hits 7-month low in upper 129 yen zone

TOKYO – The U.S. dollar briefly fell to the upper 129 yen level Tuesday morning, its lowest since June last year, amid speculation that the Bank of Japan will further shift away from its ultraloose monetary policy.

The dollar slid to around 129.80 yen from the lower 131 yen range, led by yen buying as market participants expect the Japanese central bank will revise upward its inflation outlook in its policy meeting later this month, brokers said.

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Only around half of firms in Japan expect economic growth in 2023

TOKYO – Only around half of major companies in Japan expect the country’s economy to grow in 2023 given soaring prices of natural resources and raw materials triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine and the weak yen, a Kyodo News survey showed Monday.

In the survey of 117 companies, including Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp., 65 firms, or 56 percent, expect solid expansion or moderate growth in the world’s third-largest economy in the year ahead, sharply down from 84 percent a year ago.

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Athletics: Komazawa completes ekiden title sweep with Hakone win

TOKYO – Komazawa University held on to its overnight lead to win the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay Tuesday for the second time in three years and eighth time overall.

Komazawa became the fifth school to sweep collegiate ekiden’s three major titles in a season, having won the Izumo Ekiden in October and the national championship in November.

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FEATURE: Baseball: MLB stars put Japan on track to reclaim WBC crown

TOKYO – After back-to-back World Baseball Classic semifinal exits, a strong cadre of MLB regulars have put Samurai Japan in a strong position to claim its third tournament title in March and first since 2009.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 American League MVP, veteran starting pitcher Yu Darvish and outfielder Seiya Suzuki have all signed on after two tournaments, of which Japan’s MLB players mostly declined to take part.

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4 killed in vehicle collision in Japan, man arrested

FUKUSHIMA, Japan – Four people were killed after a passenger car and a minivehicle collided Monday at an intersection in Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, police said.

Police arrested 25-year-old male Shun Takahashi, who was driving the passenger car, on suspicion of causing injury by negligence. The bodies of the four people were found in the minivehicle that overturned and caught fire at around 8:10 p.m.

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Japan Duolingo app users spend longest time on language study: report

TOKYO – Japan-based users of popular language-learning app Duolingo spend the longest time studying a language on the platform, with English being studied the most followed by Korean and Chinese, a recent report by the U.S.-based developer showed.

Learners in Belarus, Hungary, and Russia followed Japan in spending the most time using the app, according to the 2022 Duolingo Language Report, which was compiled based on data from over 500 million users worldwide.

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Former Olympic figure skater Fumie Suguri dreaming big as choreographer

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Often called an actress on ice for her expressive performances, former Olympic figure skater Fumie Suguri is fulfilling her second dream of working as a choreographer.

The 42-year-old, who now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, hopes to see her students compete at the Olympics someday, saying “I believe my work will be recognized when I develop skaters whose abilities surpass my own.”

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