Shohei Kato from The Mainichi:
A Tokyo gubernatorial candidate has been warned by police over his election posters displaying an almost naked woman, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned from sources close to the investigation.
Stay classy.
Shaun McKenna & Alex K.T. Martin from The Japan Times:
On this week’s Deep Dive, we speak to Alex K.T. Martin who has done a series of pieces exploring what lies beneath the surface of Tokyo. Hidden rivers, ancient artifacts and crumbling infrastructure are just a few of the discoveries he made during his reporting. And while it’s important to know how we’re going to manage these things as climate change — or more importantly, the possible flooding that comes with it — worsens, sometimes it’s just fascinating to learn about the world under our feet.
Very interesting episode on one of my favorite subjects: urban infrastructure. To keep a city the size of Tokyo running (mostly) smooth, a lot of systems are needed to manage the services we all take for granted.
Gabriele Ninivaggi from The Japan Times:
The Lower House voted down a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday amid widespread disaffection with the Liberal Democratic Party-led government and dismal approval ratings.
The motion — submitted earlier in the day by the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan — was voted down by the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito, which, combined, hold a supermajority in the chamber.
There was no chance this would pass but it is still one step closer to the cliff for Kishida.
From Kyodo:
Google LLC said Wednesday it will collaborate with the University of Tokyo to launch an initiative that uses generative artificial intelligence to address challenges faced by local communities in Japan, such as a shrinking workforce, with successful models to be rolled out nationwide by 2027.
This reeks of a solution looking for a problem. AI is not going to be the savior for anything issue that society face. Could it help in very specific ways, sure. But these collaborations and announcements are for the press releases only.
In Osaka, the focus will be on resolving employment mismatches due to skews in the types of professions that job seekers prefer. A successful model, for example, would be able to suggest positions that job seekers themselves may not have realized were suitable, or illustrate ideal career paths leading to a desired job.
Replacing the job counselor and recruiter, the true scourges of society. I'm sure the usefulness of this program will definitely offset the environmental damage training this AI model will take.
From The Mainichi:
"I will concentrate on making achievements on issues that cannot be postponed," Kishida said during a parliamentary debate among party leaders, adding that he is "not thinking about anything else."
Sure buddy.
Alice French from Nikkei:
Japan's parliament passed amendments to its political funds control law on Wednesday, cracking down on lawmakers who fail to appropriately report political income.
The amendments are part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's efforts to restore faith in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is facing record-low approval ratings and local election losses amid an enduring political kickback scandal.
This is a good explainer to the new law as well as the bottomless pit of disapproval that Kishida and his government are currently in.
From Kyodo:
The complaint filed with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office the same day alleges that Koike's persistent lies about graduating from Cairo University in Egypt constitute false disclosure, Toshiro Kojima said at a press conference in Tokyo.
She denies it as expected, but if true, how did this stay under wraps until now?
From The Mainichi:
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and her biggest rival, opposition-backed lawmaker Renho, clashed over how to tackle the declining birthrate as they finally unveiled their pledges for next month's gubernatorial election on Tuesday, just two days before official campaigning starts.
Policy aside, it is refreshing to see no old men in the election for the top job in the capital.
From The Mainichi:
Heavy rain battered wide areas of Japan on Tuesday, disrupting bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka and prompting the weather agency to urge caution for landslides and floods.
From Nikkei:
Japan's restaurant industry is deploying a two-tiered pricing system in tourist spots as eateries look to cash in on an influx of foreign visitors without alienating local customers.
Compared with the castle pricing for tourists below, I do have a problem with this if it starts to become common outside of tourist areas. For foreign residents wanting to have a meal, an identity check should not be part of the ordering process.