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The number of bear sightings in cities across Japan has been on the rise over the past several years as food scarcity for the animal worsens. But more recently, the bears are getting closer to people — to the point they’re coming inside and making themselves at home. On Thursday morning, a bear broke into an auto repair shop in the town of Niidafukimicho, Akita Prefecture. Police had set up a box trap with honey and rice bran to entice the bear, but the initial attempt failed. It was not until Friday morning that authorities managed to lure the animal into the trap and carry it out. This is one of a series of bear intrusions that have been reported in the Tohoku region this month. Source link

The past year has seen notable triumphs for Japanese culture overseas. Whether it was through the popularity of games like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, honors at the Oscars or Emmy wins for “Shogun,” it felt like a continuous streak of optimism pervaded the discourse on pop culture. However, the year also saw the passing of many greats in the arts. Despite the sadness of losing such figures in the world of Japanese culture, their legacies are just as worthy of celebration as any international award. In February, we lost a luminary of classical music with the death of Seiji Ozawa at 88. The maestro worked with many orchestras in Japan and abroad throughout his decades-spanning career, including with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he was the music director from 1973 until 2002 — the longest tenure in that orchestra’s history. Ozawa received numerous accolades, including 14 Grammy nominations and a win for best opera recording. In 2008, Emperor Akihito bestowed the prestigious Order of Culture on him. Source link

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office has dropped charges against 65 current and former Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and their secretaries, including Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and senior members of a faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, of violating the political funds control law. With the decision, the LDP hopes to turn the page on the scandal, which heavily damaged public trust in the party and led to the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition losing its majority in the Oct. 27 Lower House election. The charges stemmed from a kickback scheme involving funds collected through individual LDP faction member’s sale of tickets to political fundraising parties. Money received beyond a quota was then funneled back to the member by the faction but kept off the books, in violation of the law. Source link

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba suggested Friday that he may call a snap election for the House of Representatives if his government’s fiscal 2025 budget plan or other important legislation is rejected or if a no-confidence motion against his Cabinet is passed during an ordinary parliamentary session next year. “If the budget plan or extremely important legislation is rejected, it would be conceivable to ask the sovereign people to decide which is right: the will of the Lower House or that of the Cabinet,” Ishiba said in a speech at an event hosted by the Research Institute of Japan, a Jiji Press affiliate. He added that the public could be asked to “make a judgment” on a possible no-confidence motion as well. Source link

Japanese manufacturing giant Nidec said on Friday it planned to launch a ¥257 billion ($1.6 billion) bid for Makino Milling Machine, a surprise unsolicited takeover offer in a country better known for agreed upon deals. Nidec said Makino’s board had not agreed to the ¥11,000 per share offer, a 42% premium to Thursday’s closing share price, as it had not proposed the bid before announcing it. The world’s top manufacturer of precision motors said it plans to clear regulatory processes by early April and launch the tender offer on April 4, even without Makino’s consent. Source link

Japan and the United States have for the first time jointly drawn up guidelines for extended deterrence, the Japanese government announced Friday. Tokyo and Washington came up with the guidelines for extended U.S. nuclear and conventional deterrence to protect Japan at a time when the security environment in the region is becoming more severe. The government, however, kept the specifics of the guidelines secret. At a news conference, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya stressed the significance of the guidelines, saying they were compiled in line with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s request for enhancing extended deterrence. “We are eager to work on strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities,” Iwaya said. The highly classified guidelines, which the Foreign Ministry said were formulated based on accumulated working-level discussions between the two countries since 2010, are believed to cover standards and intergovernmental procedures for the use of nuclear weapons. In the region, North Korea is pushing forward nuclear and missile programs, China is expanding its nuclear force and Russia is enhancing military ties with North Korea. Under these circumstances, Japan and the United States issued a joint ministerial statement in July this year that the alliance “will continue to explore how best to reinforce extended deterrence.” Source link

The Defense Ministry said Friday that it has found over 100 new cases of the Self-Defense Forces mishandling designated security secrets, such as improper procedures for members transferring posts and illegal copying of information. The ministry has been conducting investigations after many rule violations related to the handling of secrets were found, mainly on Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels, resulting in punishments of some 120 members in July. According to the ministry, those who handle designated secrets must retake aptitude tests every time they move to other government agencies even if they have previously passed. Source link

Kawasaki Heavy Industries created ¥1.7 billion ($10.8 million) in slush funds over six years through fiscal 2023 through fictitious transactions involving repair contracts for Maritime Self-Defense Force submarines, the Defense Ministry said Friday. Some of the funds were used by the defense contractor to wine and dine MSDF personnel, the ministry said. The bogus transactions, which started no later than around 1985, involved padding orders for products such as disposable rubber sheets used in submarine repairs, the ministry said. Kawasaki Heavy was joined by three subcontractors on such practices, starting in 2000. In addition to wining and dining MSDF members, the funds were also used to finance their personal purchases of goods such as game consoles and fishing gear. MSDF members were also provided with equipment used in submarine-related missions. They were asked what they wanted. Many requested cold weather gear and safety shoes from outdoor brands. The pooled funds were also used for personal purchases by Kawasaki Heavy employees and as expenses for expressing gratitude for submarine repair workers and as margins paid to subcontractors. It has not been able to pinpoint how much money was used for the MSDF, the ministry said. The ministry also investigated 100 other defense contractors. Although no bogus transactions were found, there were discrepancies in a submarine repair contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Source link

Supporters of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi wear masks of his face at an election campaign rally in Meerut, India, on March 31. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party won the most seats in the election, which was held between April and June, for the third consecutive time. However, he fell short of a majority in India’s lower house of Parliament. | ANUSHREE FADNAVIS/ REUTERS Source link

SEOUL – A majority of South Korea’s parliament voted on Friday to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo. Prime Minister Han has been acting president since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Dec. 14 over his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, and his presidential powers were suspended. After Han’s impeachment, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is next in line to assume the acting presidency, according to South Korean law. Some 192 lawmakers voted to impeach Han out of the 300-member parliament. South Korea Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo speaks in his address to the nation at the Government Complex in Seoul on Thursday. | YONHAP / via AFP-Jiji The main opposition Democratic Party (DP), which controls parliament, decided to impeach Han after he did not immediately appoint three justices to fill vacancies at the Constitutional Court. The DP-controlled parliament backed three nominees on Thursday, but Han said he would not formally appoint them unless there was bipartisan agreement on the appointments. There has been disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties and some constitutional scholars over whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote is needed to impeach the acting president. However, parliament speaker Woo Won-shik, who is from the DP, said only a simple majority was needed to impeach Han. Source link