Tokyo, 31 October, /AJMEDIA/
Japan PM Kishida Cabinet’s support rate rises slightly to 37.6%
TOKYO – The support rate for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet rose slightly to 37.6 percent, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday, even though he continues to deal with public dissatisfaction over accelerating inflation and criticism over his handling of issues related to the controversial Unification Church.
The approval rating was up from 35.0 percent in the previous poll conducted earlier this month, while the disapproval rating edged down 3.5 percentage points to 44.8 percent, according to the two-day nationwide telephone survey conducted from Saturday.
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154 killed, 133 injured in Halloween crowd crush in Seoul
SEOUL – A stampede during Halloween festivities in Seoul on Saturday night left 154 people dead and 133 injured after many young people flocked to a popular nightlife district, South Korean authorities said.
The deadly crush occurred in a narrow street in Itaewon, where tens of thousands of people had reportedly gathered for what was the first Halloween revelry since restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic were eased.
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Japan mulls extending high-speed missile range to defend Senkakus
TOKYO – Japan is considering extending the range of a new high-speed missile, still in the developmental stage, beyond 1,000 kilometers to better defend its remote islands including the Japanese-administered Senkakus, government sources said Sunday.
The envisioned upgrade of the land-based, long-range missile will put China’s coastal areas and North Korea within its range, at a time when Japan is ramping up its deterrence amid North Korean nuclear and missile threats and China’s military assertiveness, the sources said.
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Baseball: Orix wins franchise’s 1st Japan Series in 26 years
TOKYO – The Orix Buffaloes, champions of Japan’s Pacific League, beat the Central League champion Yakult Swallows 5-4 in Game 7 on Sunday to win their franchise’s first Japan Series since Ichiro Suzuki and the Orix BlueWave triumphed in 1996.
Down 2-0 with one tie after three games, the Buffaloes won four straight games, coming from behind to tie the series at two wins apiece in a three-run Game 5 comeback and never trailed after that, surviving a late Swallows rally on Sunday.
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Figure skating: Uno, Watanabe, Japanese pair win at Skate Canada
MISSISSAUGA, Canada – Shoma Uno topped the men’s podium, Rinka Watanabe claimed the women’s gold in her Grand Prix debut, and Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won their first pairs title of the series Saturday in a dominant showing for Japan at Skate Canada International.
In a 1-2 finish for the Japanese men, reigning world champion Uno climbed one spot on the leaderboard to beat short program winner Kao Miura in the second round of figure skating’s Grand Prix series in Mississauga.
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Japanese kids develop unconscious gender biases at young age
KYOTO – A study by Japanese universities found that children associate the traits of kindness and intelligence with traditional gender stereotypes of femininity and masculinity as early as between 4 and 7 years old.
The findings, published early this month in the journal Scientific Reports, looked at 565 Japanese boys and girls and discovered that girls start believing when they are age 4 that they are nicer than boys, while more boys believe they are comparatively smarter by the time they turn 7.
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Kirin to export premium Fuji whisky to Singapore amid weaker yen
TOKYO – Kirin Brewery Co. plans to export its premium Fuji brand whisky to Singapore in the coming weeks, betting a weak yen and rising overseas popularity of Japanese whisky will help win customers in the Southeast Asian nation.
Two brands of Fuji — Kirin Single Grain Japanese Whiskey Fuji and Kirin Single Blended Japanese Whisky Fuji — will be sold at around S$140 (US$100), according to the major Japanese liquor maker.
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Football: 55-yr-old Miura scores penalty for JFL oldest scorer record
OSAKA – Kazuyoshi Miura netted a penalty for Suzuka Point Getters on Sunday to set the record for the oldest goal scorer in the fourth-tier Japan Football League at 55 years and 246 days.
The former Japan forward came on in the 84th minute with his side 2-0 up away to Tiamo Hirakata and his teammate won a penalty moments later. Miura scored to his right from the spot to help claim a 3-1 win.
