JAPAN HIGH COURT ACQUITS MAN OF 1986 KILLING IN FUKUI
A Japanese High Court has, in a retrial, acquitted a man who was convicted of killing a junior high school girl 39 years ago. The man has already completed his prison term. Maekawa Shoshi, now 60 years old, was charged with killing the student in Fukui City on the Sea of Japan coast in 1986. He later served a prison term after his conviction was finalized at the Supreme Court. Maekawa told NHK that 40 of his 60 years of life have been overshadowed by the murder case and its aftermath. Maekawa has consistently maintained his innocence. The Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court granted a retrial last October in response to his second request for a new judgment. The key factor in his conviction was witness accounts. In granting the retrial, the court said these accounts were not credible. At the first hearing of the retrial held in March,The prosecution reiterated that Maekawa was guilty, but it did not present new evidence. The defense counsel argued that the original trial resulted in a false conviction, going on to blame police and others for wrongly accusing Maekawa and presenting misleading evidence.BEAR SHOT DEAD IN A HOKKAIDO TOWN NEAR SITE OF FATAL ATTACK
Multiple bear sightings are causing alarm among residents in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. Local officials shot dead a bear in the same town. where a man died last week in a bear attack.A research institute is conducting a DNA analysis to determine whether the bear is the one that killed the man.
Police say a resident reported seeing a bear in Hokkaido's Fukushima town in the Tsukisaki area at around 2:00 AM on Friday. Officers and hunters rushed to the scene where they spotted a brown bear. It was reportedly shot dead at around 3:30 AM.
and later found to be more than two meters tall and to weigh over 200 kilograms. Last Saturday, a 52-year-old newspaper delivery man was fatally mauled.
The victim was found about 800 meters away from the latest bear sighting.
Experts have found large and small paw prints resembling those of brown bears.
KYOTO ANIMATION ARSON ATTACK VICTIMS REMEMBERED 6 YEARS ON
Mourners have gathered at the site of Kyoto Animation in western Japan to remember victims of an arson attack on the studio six years ago. The incident left 36 people dead and 32 others injured.About 150 people took part in a memorial service on Friday that began just after 10:30 a.m., the time the attack took place on July 18th, 2019.
Mourners faced an altar displaying 36 sunflowers. Attendees included bereaved family members and studio staffers and officials, including Kyoto Animation President Hata Hideaki.
According to a lawyer for the firm, Hata said although six years seems a long time, it passed very quickly.
He also reportedly stressed the significance of the contributions made by those who died and pledged to work with the current team with the aspirations of the victims in mind, Watanabe Mikiko worked as an art director at Kyoto Animation. Her mother says no matter how many years pass, she feels as if she is still experiencing that awful time.
When I hear news about the incident. I still get upset, but I have a vision of my daughter scolding me if I don't seem to be moving on with my daily life.
So I will do my best to carry on.
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing him has filed a request at the Osaka High Court claiming that Alba's withdrawal is invalid.
JAPAN'S DECLINING BIRTH RATE IN FOCUS AHEAD OF ELECTION
Sunday's upper house election comes as the number of future voters is in sharp decline. Japan logged less than 700,000 births last year.As NHK World's Ishizaka Sae Christine Hall explains, many of this year's ballot box issues are also what are keeping people from having more babies.
Parenthood. It's been a full-time gig for Imukai Hiroko eight years straight.
That's on top of her job as a cook. It's a lot to juggle. Though she says she's considered adding even more responsibilities onto her plate.
I had been hoping for a second child for a long time, but there are two main reasons why that's not possible. There's no time, and financially, it's tough.
She says more and more these days, there's a big expectation for kids to be enrolled in extracurricular activities.Her daughter's English, piano, and other lessons add up to about $270 a month.
Imukai says, even with her husband's caregiver salary, it's hard to imagine fulfilling her hope.
The cost of food is also soaring, and so are living expenses and utility costs. So when you think about how much money you can save, you probably can't afford to spend the same amount on a second child. That's my current situation.
Many others in Japan are dealing with a similar reality. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research surveyed couples.It asked them why the number of children they plan to have is lower than their ideal number. More than half said. It's because it costs too much money to raise and educate them. Tsutsui Junya researches the birth rate issue.
There is a complex combination of reasons behind this, such as not being able to afford it financially, wanting to get married but not being able to find someone whom you are satisfied with, or the work culture not allowing enough time to focus on family.
Though, he adds, some people just don't want children or to tie the knot.The number of marriages has dropped over the years, down more than 150,000 from a decade earlier.
In 2023, the government came up with a strategy to tackle the declining birth rate. Measures include expanded child allowances and help with the cost of higher education.
Its principles include increasing income for younger generations and changing society to be more supportive of child rearing. Tsutsui says policies like cash payments and increased access to childcare help, but they alone won't lead to a notable change.
He says boosting wages is important, as is reforming Japan's work culture, which is known for its long hours and other demanding conditions.
The current environment makes it difficult for married couples when both partners work full-time. The government needs to be fully aware of how to thoroughly change the working culture. This change will probably take several years through comprehensive and continuous policies.
Ishizaka Sae Christine Hall, NHK World.
What should be done to counter the declining birth rate?
As Sae explained in her report, the challenges keeping Japanese families from growing are a key election issue.We asked 14 parties and political groups what actions should take type priority to reverse the declining birth rate. We gave them seven options. Here's what they said. The greatest number of respondents chose improve young people's income and job environment. They were the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Komeito, Japanese Communist Party, Conservative Party of Japan, the Collaborative Party, and NHK Party. Financial support for child-rearing households was picked by Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, Democratic Party for the People, Reiwa Shinseengumi, Sanseito, and Team Mirai.
Make Education Effectively Free was selected by Japan Innovation Party and Social Democratic Party.
The path to rebirth chose other as its option. No party or organization chose support for pregnancy and childbirth, improve working conditions for child rearing, or enhance child care services.
BUSINESS
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business with Gene Otani.James, thanks.
G20 FINANCE CHIEFS EXPRESS CONCERNS ON TRUMP'S TARIFFS
In our top business story this hour, finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 economies have ended their first day of talks in South Africa. US tariff policy was a major topic.Some of the finance chiefs said they are concerned about the impact on the global economy of new tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump. Some said the policies will be ineffective in eliminating trade imbalances. Many of the officials also expressed the view that the global economic outlook will grow more uncertain.
Japan expressed concerns about the effects on the global economy and financial markets of uncertainty caused by a series of US tariffs. We also stressed it's important to maintain a free and open multilateral trade system and achieve growth in the global economy.
The G20 finance chiefs are expected to discuss sustainable economic growth in Africa and other issues on the second day of their talks. They are working to adopt a joint statement at the end of the two-day meeting.CHINA ALLOWS IMPORT OF OVER 400 MARINE PRODUCTS FROM JAPAN
Chinese customs authorities have issued permits to import 449 marine products from Japan, including tuna, scallop and crab.This step comes as Beijing moves towards the resumption of accepting Japanese seafood.
China's General Admission Administration of Customs announced the import resumption in late June, excluding 10 prefectures such as Fukushima, Miyagi and Tokyo. Chinese authorities last week approved the re-registration of processing and other facilities for three Japanese businesses based in Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures. Exporters who have gained this approval will also needJapanese government certificates regarding sanitation, radioactive materials and places of production. These will have to be submitted to Chinese authorities for permission. China stopped seafood imports roughly two years ago after Japan began releasing treated and diluted water into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
SHARPLY HIGHER FOOD PRICES PUSH UP JAPAN'S CPI
Japan's consumer inflation rose in June as shoppers said twice as much as shoppers paid rather twice as much for rice compared to a year earlier. The Internal Affairs Ministry says the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, rose 3.3% year-on-year. The pace slowed for the first time in four months due to government subsidies on gasoline, but still topped 3%.Prices of food, excluding perishables, shot up more than 8%. Rice rose 100%. The ministry notes that only prices of branded rice are included in the survey. That is not the case with lower priced grain that was released from government stockpiles and sold to consumers. Prices of several other food items rose by double digits.
Coffee beans and chocolate jumped about 40%, onigiri rice balls 19%.
AVG. NEW CONDO PRICE IN GREATER TOKYO HITS RECORD HIGH
The average price of new condominiums hitting the market from January to June in the Greater Tokyo area has risen to a new high. The main factors are steeper costs and stronger demand.The Real Estate Economic Institute puts the figure at nearly 90 million yen. Or slightly over $600,000. That's up nearly 17% from the same period last year. Prices in Tokyo's 23 wards that make up the urban core and outlying cities, towns and villages rose around 20%. The metropolitan area also includes 3 neighboring prefectures.
One of them, Kanagawa, was up about 12%.
The rise in Saitama was nearly 27%.
Both prefectures saw record high prices, but Chiba experienced a fall of 1.6%. The institute says higher land and construction costs pushed up prices throughout the region. The institute also notes increased demand from many wealthy people in Japan and from abroad.
All right, let's have a look at the markets.
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That's a look at business news. James, I'm gonna hand it back to you.
Gene Otani from our business desk.
FORMER UNIFICATION CHURCH
GROUP RAIDED IN S.KOREA BY TEAM PROBING FORMER FIRST LADY
The raid was carried out by members of the team of the special prosecutor investigating the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol. The special prosecutor said on Friday his team was searching multiple locations, including the group's main compound near Seoul. The prosecutor did not give a reason for the raid, but local media have linked former First Lady Kim Goni to the group through a gift scandal.
Reports say a high-ranking official of the religious group gave her a luxury handbag and a diamond necklace shortly after Yoon was elected president in 2022.
In return, the church official reportedly requested political favors, including support for the group's development project in Cambodia.
The prosecution team also raided the country's National Intelligence Service in connection with Kim's involvement in a separate case.
JAPAN'S EMPEROR EMERITUS DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL
Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito has been discharged from a hospital in Tokyo. He had been admitted on Monday to receive a new medicine to treat his heart disease.The 91 year old Emperor Emeritus left the University of Tokyo Hospital on Friday.
He was accompanied by Empress Emerita Michiko. The couple returned home before noon. The Emperor Emeritus underwent A coronary bypass operation in 2012 when he was 78 after being diagnosed with angina. He was diagnosed with right heart failure in 2022 and asymptomatic myocardial ischemia in May.
This condition occurs when blood flow from the coronary arteries to the heart muscle is insufficient. It's caused when exercise stress exceeds certain levels. The Emperor Emeritus has since restricted fluid intake and avoided excessive exercise stress. He started taking medicine to enhance coronary blood flow in May.
STRONG HEAT HITS JAPAN AS RAINY SEASON SEEMS TO END
Residents of Japan are battling scorching heat after Japanese weather officials said that the rainy season appears to be over in most parts of the country.The Meteorological Agency said this applies to the Kanto Koshin region, including Tokyo, the Hokuriku region, and the southern part of the Tohoku region. This year's season seems to have ended earlier than usual for most areas. Temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius and more were recorded in some parts. They include Yamagata and Akita prefectures in the northeast, as well as Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures on the Sea of Japan coast.
The agency has issued heat stroke alerts for Fukushima and Niigata prefectures.
It suggests people use air conditioners and consume plenty of fluids and salt, And take regular breaks if working outdoors.
CHILLING OUT BEATS THE HEAT
Speaking of those who work under the blazing sun, heat stroke is a real danger.
Fortunately, those worries could soon be put on ice, as a new remedy promises a chilling solution to the unbearable heat.
SWELTERING SUMMERS INSPIRE NEW PRODUCTS
This is a large-scale highway reinforcement project. Laying cement is already a challenging task, but doing it under the blazing sun while wearing waterproof clothing, goggles and face masks makes it even more grueling.I've already had heat stroke twice, and since I work on steel plates, I'm especially concerned about the heat that radiates off of them.
This construction company has taken a range of steps to help prevent heat-related illness. Such as providing its workers with fan-equipped clothing and wristbands that warn the wearer if they're at risk of heat stroke. And the most recent addition to the battle to keep employees cool is this specially chilled drink.They're drinking ice slurry, or what some are now calling drinkable ice.
The slurry is a mixture of tiny ice particles about 0.1 millimeters in diameter and liquid.
This allows for an extremely cold, icy beverage that can be drunk quickly and comfortably.
It slips down so smoothly. As soon as you drink it, you can feel your body cooling from the inside.
There's no brain freeze at all, so you can gulp it straight down.
The key to preventing heat stroke is maintaining a core body temperature of around 37 degrees Celsius.In 2020, Tokyo University of Sciences Professor Yanagita Shinya conducted research to determine whether ice slurry was effective in preventing heat stroke among firefighters. First, test subjects pre-cooled their core body temperature by drinking an ice slurry beverage before exercising. Next, they completed 20 minutes of exercise.
They were then given a short break and once again drank a bottle of ice slurry before completing another round of exercise. The same experiment was then later conducted using cold water. When compared, the results show that the ice slurry kept the test subjects core body temperatures about 0.1 degrees lower.
A human's core body temperature normally stays right around 37 degrees, so a difference of 0.1 degrees is extremely significant.
Having a large amount of tiny ice particles actually increases the surface area, which allows for more contact with some of the organs. making it very efficient at cooling from the inside.
The inside of a typical freezer is usually about -18 degrees Celsius.
Despite being a refrigerator, this new model is able to maintain a stable temperature between -4 and -12 degrees Celsius.
We certainly could use one of those fridges in our often crowded production room. You're watching NHK News Line from Tokyo.
'DEMON SLAYER' GLOBAL CIRCULATION TOPS 200 MILLION
In other news, a Japanese publisher says one of its manga releases has become a global sensation. It says worldwide circulation of the series called Demon Slayer has topped 200 million copies.The 23-volume series is known as Kimitsu no Yaiba in Japanese. It was created by Gotoge Koyoharu and serialized from 2016 to 2020. Publisher Shueisha said Thursday that 220 million copies are in global circulation, including digital editions.
The story is set in Japan in the early 1900s. It features a boy who fights demons which killed his family members.
He goes on a journey in search of a cure for his sister, who is transformed into a demon herself. In 2020, an animated film based on the manga was released worldwide. It grossed $270 million in Japan alone, making it the country's highest grossing film.
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WEATHER
Now it's time to check out the weather in Japan. While the rainy season has ended in some parts, in other parts, it's they're being hit by heavy rain. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.Western Japan is still facing intense rain on Friday. Over 80 millimeters of rain has been reported in just an hour in one location in Miyazaki Prefecture. People in Kyushu are bracing for disruptions.
Very unstable weather continues in Kyushu, with a risk of training rain band developing late Friday. In Miyazaki Prefecture, torrential rain led to the cancellation of Friday's games in the Miyazaki High School Baseball Tournament.
It was the third rain-out of the tournament. In Nagasaki Prefecture, nearly 70 millimeters of rain fell in just an hour.
Intense rain is still likely in Kyushu on Friday night, possibly leading to flash flooding, but it's expected to ease by Saturday. Heavy rain is also likely in Hokkaido. Total rainfall could be 200 millimeters over the weekend, with a risk of floods and landslides.
Sapporo will have wet weather until Sunday, but sunny skies are expected in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka over the long holiday weekend. Heat will be the biggest concern, with highs around 35.
In the bigger picture, across Asia, a frontal system will bring downpours to not only Hokkaido but also South Korea on Saturday. And we can see the six named storms in the western Pacific. Wipha is approaching the northern Philippines from Friday night, bringing 200 millimeters or more rain in the next 24 hours. Stronger winds and storm surges could be a concernas well.
The system is also expected to bring downpours to eastern Taiwan. People in China's Hainan and Hong Kong should prepare for potential impacts from the system by this coming Sunday and Monday.
That's all for now. Take care.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
With that, we conclude this edition of NHK Newsline. Don't go away. More to come here on NHK World Japan.
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