Hello, welcome back to NHK NewsLine. I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo.
6 INJURED AT JAPAN'S 'NAKED FESTIVAL,' 3 UNCONSCIOUS
An annual festival in Japan that draws thousands of near-naked men ended with six people injured. Officials say three of them in their 40s and 50s were unconscious.
The festival is commonly known as Hadaka Matsuri, or Naked Festival.
Men in loincloths compete to catch wooden sticks believed to bring good luck.
The event is held every February at Saidaiji Kannonin Temple in the city of Okayama.
Emergency services received a call around 10 p.m. reporting injuries.
Organizers say about 10-thousand people attended this year.
They believe the injuries occurred when the lights in the main hall were turned off and the sacred sticks were thrown into the crowd.
00:01:07 話者 2/Festival participant
There were so many people, I felt like I was caught between them. I was so scared.
00:01:15 (Maria Sato)
The ritual dates back over 500 years and is designated as an important and tangible folk cultural property.
FAMILIES MARK 15 YEARS SINCE NEW ZEALAND QUAKE
People have gathered in Christchurch, New Zealand, to mark 15 years since a deadly earthquake. Of the 185 people who lost their lives, 28 were Japanese.
Their families joined New Zealanders at Sunday's memorial ceremony.
They observed a moment of silence at 12:51 p.m., the exact time the magnitude 6.3 quake struck on February 22, 2011. They also read out the names of all who died.
The Japanese victims were students at a language school in a building that collapsed.
00:02:06 話者 3/Horita Kazuo/Victim's father
Japan has excellent measures against earthquakes, so I hope our countries will cooperate in various ways.
00:02:15 (Maria Sato)
Much of the quake damage has been repaired, but the city's iconic cathedral is still being restored.
UN REPORT: FUNDING FOR UKRAINE WOMEN IN NEED UNDER THREAT
A growing number of women in Ukraine are reportedly out of work or facing other difficulties because they need to look after military personnel and civilians seriously wounded in Russian attacks.
The UN is warning that funding to help such women is in danger of being shut down.
A report released by an organization known as UN Women on Friday warns that groups supporting women in Ukraine by helping them cover living expenses or land jobs are under threat.
It says foreign assistance cuts have had a substantial and widespread impact.
00:03:07 話者 4/Sabine Freizer Gunes/Representative, UN Women Ukraine
One in three women-led organizations surveyed warned that they may not survive beyond six months under current funding levels.
00:03:19 (Maria Sato)
The report also says such groups are projected to be unable to serve an estimated 63,000 direct beneficiaries in 2026.
UN Women is calling on the international community to continue providing aid to such organizations.
Russia has been launching attacks on Ukraine since its invasion began almost four years ago, on February 24, 2022.
NASA DELAYS MOON MISSION AGAIN
The US space agency, NASA, will likely postpone a mission to send astronauts around the moon until April or later.
The decision came after officials discovered a new technical issue.
The mission is part of the US-led Artemis lunar exploration program, which includes Japan and several European partners.
NASA had initially scheduled a February launch, but this was postponed to March because of fuel leaks. The agency announced the latest delay on Saturday.
Officials observed an interruption in the flow of helium needed to maintain proper conditions for the engine in the rocket's upper stage.
They say an April launch remains possible if the repairs proceed smoothly.
AI ANALYZES 3D IMAGES TO ISOLATE CERVICAL CANCER CELLS
A group of researchers says it has developed a system that uses AI to detect cervical cancer with high accuracy by analyzing 3D images of cells collected during conventional screenings.
The group includes researchers from a Tokyo-based venture company and other institutions.
The team says the system first captures 2D images of up to a million cells with an accuracy of one-thousandth of a millimeter.
It then converts them into 3D images, and an AI model analyzes each cell in detail.
The group says it only takes AI several minutes to identify cancerous and pre-cancerous cells that carry a higher risk.
They say results produced by the AI-generated analysis are as accurate as, or in some cases, more accurate than tests performed by human professionals.
Conventional cervical cancer screenings require microscope examinations by human specialists.
About 10 million such tests are conducted annually in Japan alone, creating staff shortages.
00:05:53 話者 5/Chiba Tomohiro/Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
The workload for testing is consistently high, and samples often pile up in labs.
But this kind of technology can help reduce the staffing burden.
00:06:04 (Maria Sato)
Chiba hopes the system will lead to early detection of cancers and create a society in which people can access decent levels of medical care.
KAMAKURA TO RENOVATE HISTORIC HOUSE TO HELP CHILDREN
Kamakura City in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, has decided to utilize a culturally important wooden building as a dining facility for children in need.
The former Moroto residence is a western-style two-story house built in 1908 and is designated as a state-registered tangible cultural asset.
It was donated to the city more than 40 years ago and had been used as a community center for children.
It was closed in 2018 due to concerns about earthquake safety.
The city has recently concluded a partnership agreement with an organization that engages in child support projects in the city, allowing it to use the house.
Under the agreement, the city will renovate the building, including making it quake-resistant.
The organization will then use the house to operate a free meal diner for children.
00:07:16 話者 6/Watanabe Kimiko/Representative, Flat Cafe Kamakura
By creating a base, we'll be able to reach out to more people.
00:07:26 話者 3/Matsuo Takashi/Kamakura Mayor
Collaborating with the organization, we hope to create a place where local residents can casually drop by and connect with one another.
00:07:34 (Maria Sato)
The city plans to open the facility in the fiscal year that begins in April 2029.
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Those were the headlines for this hour.
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And that's all for this hour on NHK Newsline.
I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo. Do stay with us on NHK World Japan.
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