Nipponica

A veteran Japanese lawmaker known for advocating close ties with Russia is visiting Moscow for talks with senior government officials, a source close to him said Monday, in defiance of a government advisory against such trips.

Marking his second trip to the country since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Muneo Suzuki, a 76-year-old independent House of Councillors member, arrived in Russia on Sunday and is scheduled to return home on Thursday, according to the source.

His reasons for pushing Russian ties are not disclosed in the article.

Around 4:15 p.m., local fire authorities received an emergency call from a male passerby reporting that a helicopter crashed in the city of Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, and that smoke was rising from the accident site.

According to sources including the aviation department of the prefectural government of Saga, next to Fukuoka, the crashed helicopter was from the four-seater Robinson R44 type and was operated by SGC Saga Aviation Co., based in the city of Saga.

According to the complaint, in 2023, when the man was still a student, he visited hospitals in Kobe and Chiba Prefecture to look for a job, but his teacher and others pointed out that he was not allowed to do that during his on-the-job training period. He was told, "We have to punish you somehow" and "Will you waste a year?" suggesting that he would have to repeat the year. He was then demanded to apologize in front of all his classmates and submit a letter of reflection.

Preventing students from job hunting seems completely backwards.

The participants of this year's "Taiwan-Japan Exchange Summit," including more than 100 from the Taiwan side, adopted the "Tainan Declaration," calling for deeper cooperation between the two democracies to "ensure the safety of the Indo-Pacific region as well as freedom and peace in the world."

The declaration also expressed support for Taiwan's bid to join international entities such as the World Health Organization. Amid China's pressure, the island is generally barred from many institutions, particularly the United Nations and its specialized agencies.

A mudslide that occurred in July on Mt. Ibuki, which straddles Shiga and Gifu prefectures, was likely caused by soil erosion from wild deer eating vegetation on the mountain, experts have said.

Deer causing serious damage to crops and vegetation has become a problem in various parts of the country. The July mudslide, which plowed into houses, is believed to be the first one caused by deer. Shiga Prefecture and other authorities are investigating the case in detail.

They always look so peaceful. No one sees their dark side.