Tokyo, 11 March, /AJMEDIA/
TOKYO – Japan on Saturday marked 12 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the country’s northeastern areas, claiming the lives of over 15,000 people and triggering a nuclear disaster that will take decades to clean up.
Recovery from the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and resultant tsunami that devastated the region has progressed in the ensuing years, but some 31,000 people remain displaced as of November 2022. Cleanup plans at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex are also stoking controversy.
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China ruling party’s No. 2 leader Li Qiang elected premier
BEIJING – China’s parliament elected Li Qiang, a close ally of leader Xi Jinping and ranked No. 2 in the ruling Communist Party’s apex of power, as premier on Saturday, replacing Li Keqiang.
Li Qiang, 63, will head the State Council, China’s Cabinet, and his main task will be overseeing the economy, although the role of premier has been waning as Xi has concentrated power in his own hands over the years.
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60% of South Koreans oppose Japan wartime labor dispute resolution
SEOUL – Nearly 60 percent of South Koreans said they are against a move to resolve a wartime labor row between the country and Japan that would see Seoul compensate former Korean laborers, a public opinion poll found Friday.
The result by Gallup Korea reflects public antagonism toward the resolution, which would not require direct payments from Japanese companies, regarding alleged forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
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COVID-19 patients to pay for most treatments after status downgrade
TOKYO – Coronavirus patients will generally be required to pay for their own medical expenses after the legal status of COVID-19 is downgraded to the same category as common infectious diseases on May 8, the Japanese government said Friday.
Under the reclassification of COVID-19 to Class 5 diseases like seasonal influenza, the government will also aim to increase the number of medical institutions that provide outpatient COVID-19 treatments by 50 percent, while expensive drugs will continue to be subsidized until the end of September.
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Baseball: Yoshida, Kondo power Japan over South Korea for 2nd WBC win
TOKYO – Masataka Yoshida went 3-for-3 with five RBIs, and Kensuke Kondo drove in three runs as Japan overcame an early three-run deficit to beat South Korea 13-4 in World Baseball Classic Pool B on Friday.
Japan picked up its second consecutive win in the five-team, round-robin stage at Tokyo Dome, while South Korea fell to 0-2. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
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90% in Japan feel discrimination against disabled exists: survey
TOKYO – Nearly 90 percent of people in Japan believe discrimination and prejudice against those with disabilities continue to persist, according to a recent government survey.
The survey conducted last year found 88.5 percent responded discrimination against such people either “exists” or “exists to a certain extent,” despite the holding of the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, according to the results released by the Cabinet Office late February.
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FEATURE: Japan sake exports set record high, fueled by younger brewers
OSAKA – Exports of Japanese sake have grown in step with the global Japanese cuisine boom, setting a record high for the 13th consecutive year in 2022.
The continuing boom, with shipments surging 18.2 percent last year to 47.4 billion yen (about $340 million), is also fueled by younger sake brewers targeting a more upscale market with premium products and taking steps to foster a sake culture overseas.
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Yuzuru Hanyu opens ice show commemorating earthquake-tsunami disaster
RIFU, Japan – Two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu premiered an ice show Friday marking the 12th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that devastated northeastern Japan.
Entitled “notte stellata,” meaning starry night in Italian, the show runs through Sunday at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Hanyu’s home prefecture of Miyagi, which was hit hard by the disaster.
