Japanese Man Honored By Italian City for Heroism

Francis Tang from The Japan Times:

Alberto Felice De Toni, the mayor of Udine in northern Italy, proclaimed a day of mourning on Wednesday in honor of Shimpei Tominaga, saying his loss represents “a serious and painful wound” for the city.

Local media reported that Tominaga, a Japanese businessman who ran a furniture trading firm in Udine, got beaten up while trying to break up a fight last Friday. He fell into a coma and had been put under intensive care at a local hospital but died on Tuesday.

Kono to Compete in LDP Election

From The Mainichi:

Digital Minister Taro Kono has informed a heavyweight of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that he intends to run in its presidential race in September, aiming to become Japan's next prime minister, a source close to the matter said Thursday.

It is not really too surprising that Konoちゃん is running as he has obviously wanted the PM chair for a long while. But the biggest roadblock for him (besides himself) is his less than stellar reputation as the minister in charge of digitalization and the various MyNumber fiascos. But, a literal tuna mayo onigiri could beat Kishida at this point so anything is possible.

Yen Drops to 37 Year Low

From Kyodo:

The yen continued to fall against the U.S. dollar to the upper 160 range on Wednesday, hitting its lowest level in over 37 years in New York despite heightened vigilance about another market intervention by Japan to slow its rapid drop.

The bank accounts of a nation crying out together in pain...

Infrared Absorbing Uniforms Going to Paris Olympics

Andrew Liszewski from The Verge:

At the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Le Monde reports that athletes on Japan’s volleyball, track and field, and other teams will be competing in outfits made from a new fabric that can better absorb infrared light. Similar to stealth aircraft that avoid detection by deflecting radar signals away from detectors, the fabric absorbs and prevents infrared light from reaching cameras and infrared sensors.

Very interesting tech and a boon to keep the perverts at bay.

The Legend of Kabosu

Donican Lam from Kyodo:

Yet that single snapshot of Kabosu became the iconic "doge," capturing the hearts of millions with her quizzical expression that was then overlaid with an imagined internal monologue in broken English using multicolored comic book-style font.

After spending more than a decade as an unwitting symbol of internet absurdity, Kabosu died last month at the age of 18. But she has left a legacy unlike any other canine.

Pour one out for a good boy.