Nipponica

The Liberal Democratic Party won two races and lost six in Sunday’s by-elections for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly, far worse than the party’s self-set conditions for victory of four or more wins.

The work consisted of simply printing personal information data on both sides of a white card with a fake IC chip embedded. She would often make 60 cards in a day, which she would then send to specified domestic addresses. For one day’s work, she would receive electronic money equivalent to about ¥12,000 to ¥16,000.

The MPD investigated, suspecting that the person giving instructions was in China. On May 15, they arrested two Chinese nationals on charges including suspicion of forging sealed official documents for allegedly making fake My Number cards at the request of the same group. They believe the forged cards may have been used for purposes such as setting up mobile phone contracts.

The whole point of a digital ID is that the digital bit can prove authenticity of the card itself. The fact that most businesses and banks rely only on the visual information printed on a card without certifying the digital certificate renders the whole enterprise pointless. While the counterfeiting of these cards is certainly a problem, the real issue is that people don't seem to understand or care on how to use this IDs for their intended purpose.

In 2022, the ministry conducted a special inspection of more than 200,000 Self-Defense Forces personnel about “power harassment” after a female former SDF member made accusations of sexual abuse under her real name.

Last December, the ministry announced it would punish 245 employees, mainly SDF staff called “uniformed officials.”

Action should be taken against any harassment but I am hesitant to think that this will make any kind of real difference in actual future change towards more equitable workplaces.

A United Airlines plane bound for Guam on Sunday returned to Chubu airport in Aichi Prefecture for an emergency landing after detecting a system malfunction during the flight, the transport ministry said.

Flight 136, a Boeing 737 aircraft, made the return landing at around 11:35 a.m. There were no injuries among the 44 passengers and six crew members on board, according to the ministry.

While everything regarding getting the plane on the ground went to plan, the increased scrutiny of Boeing and airlines make accidents like this more and more prominent in the public mind.

Koike, 71, secured a third consecutive four-year term, defeating Shinji Ishimaru, a 41-year-old social media-savvy former mayor from Hiroshima Prefecture, who closely contested second place with Renho, a 56-year-old former lawmaker backed by the main opposition party.

The election was initially expected to be a neck-and-neck race between Koike and Renho, both former TV anchors. However, Ishimaru, relatively unknown in Tokyo before the official campaign began, significantly boosted his profile by expanding his election activities through social media.

More of the same. Again.

Orin metallic bowls, which are used in Buddhist rituals and ceremonies, produce a clean and clear high-pitched sound when struck. The purifying sound stretches out as if echoing in the ears.

The orin made by Kazuya Nanjo transcend the conventional framework of Buddhist implements. They move people’s hearts even when used in interior decoration or as a musical instrument.

A great look into the craftsmanship of making these precise bowls and the determination of keeping a tradition alive.

The number of locations with a heat wave of 35 C or higher reached 105 nationwide. The government has issued a heat stroke alert for 26 prefectures across the country, urging people to drink plenty of water and use air conditioners properly.

Stay cool, friends.

You are on the small island of Kouri, seated in the plush dining room of 6 Six, a restaurant with a small name but a reputation that is growing fast. The cuisine it serves is usually described as innovative French. It would be closer to the truth to call it one of a kind.

The name, whose French pronunciation sounds like "cease" (rendered in Japanese as "shisu"), apparently refers to the sixth sense — intuition or an elevated sensibility. Certainly, all the standard five senses are given an extended workout over the course of a dinner that can take almost three hours from sitting down to the final coffee and mignardises (petits fours).

“They are distasteful. As a Japanese citizen I feel embarrassed, as I see many foreign visitors pass by those billboards and they must wonder what’s going on,” said Mayumi Noda, an office worker. “As a voter, I think it’s outrageous and disrespectful to the other candidates who are seriously competing.”

A record 56 candidates, including incumbent Governor Yuriko Koike, who seeks her third four-year term, are running in the election. Many of the candidates are fringe figures or influencers seeking even more exposure. They include a man dressed as The Joker, who supports freedom of sexual expression, including allowing polygamy to help Japan’s falling birth rate.

While the exploitation of the traditional poster advertising system was a nice way to show its flaws, there is a more nihilist element in these elections than usual. Even moreso than in the British elections on Thursday, which featured its usual cast of characters like Elmo, Count Binface, and Rishi Sunak.

“Obviously, you got to let the criminal justice process play out. But that doesn’t mean you don’t express on a human level your sense of regret.”

“We have to do better,” he said, adding that the US military’s high standards and protocols for education and training of its troops was “just not working”.

Emanuel said the US may be able to propose measures to improve training and transparency with the public at US-Japan foreign and defence ministers’ security talks expected later this month in Tokyo.