Nipponica

The Tokyo metropolitan government has launched an artificial intelligence system that uses high-altitude cameras to detect fires and building collapses in real-time to accelerate its initial disaster response during major earthquakes.

The AI-driven system analyzes footage from high-resolution cameras, with two installed at the Tokyo metropolitan government building and one each at a bridge near Tokyo Bay and a location in the western part of the metropolitan area, the local authorities and system developer Hitachi Ltd. said.

A powerful typhoon continued its advance toward Tokyo and other eastern areas of Japan on Friday, with the weather agency urging people to prepare for strong winds and heavy rainfall, and transport operators canceling many train services and flights.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of violent winds, mudslides, high waves and flooding, as heavy rain will sharply increase the risk of disaster.

Kengo Naganuma, 24, lives just 40 meters away from a platform of JR Hirai Station in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward and is suspected of having targeted people there from his balcony. The police confiscated eight airsoft guns from his home.

"I wanted to shoot people and see their reactions," Naganuma was quoted as telling the police. He also told them he had done it on other occasions.

A simple lesson of cause and effect for our young friend.

The bus will travel at speeds of up to 12 kph along an 800-meter loop of road at the Haneda Innovation City complex in Ota Ward, Tokyo. For the time being, a staff member will be aboard the bus, which can carry 11 passengers, and may switch to manual operation in some situations. The bus’s operations will be monitored from a base in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Less than half of foreign workers and students in Japan's rural areas want to remain in their current region when seeking employment or changing jobs, according to the analysis, compiled by Global Power, an operator of the job search and recruitment site NINJA for highly skilled foreign workers and students.

The company analyzed data from its 42,000 registered users as of May, focusing on their current addresses and desired employment locations.

Among those whose current residence matches their desired employment location, Tokyo leads the way with 51.7%, followed by the prefectures of Fukuoka at 51.5%, Aichi at 49.6% and Osaka at 48.8%. In contrast, Shimane is the lowest at 9.4%, followed by Kochi at 15.4%, Tokushima at 15.9% and Kagawa at 16%.

People want to live where the opprotunities are and the lack of development in rural Japan means no way to improve your wellbeing.

Minamitorishima is Japan's easternmost island, located about 2,000 kilometers southeast of Honshu. It hosts a Maritime SDF base, and Japan Meteorological Agency staff are stationed on the island.

The GSDF has chosen the island as a site for missile training apparently because the island has no ordinary residents and it is off the routes of ships and aircraft.

The GSDF is set to pave a section of the land for SDF use on the western side of the island to create a firing range where launch vehicles for Type 12 surface-to-ship guided missiles will operate.

If you are going do build something like this, build it as far away as possible from the people that are going to be very angry at you for doing it. Legit strat.

Masanori Matsugawa, mayor of the Okinawa Prefecture city of Ginowan, was found dead at a hotel in Tokyo on July 26, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told the Mainichi Shimbun.

Matsugawa, 70, is said to have arrived in Tokyo on July 24 to conduct official duties. He is believed to have died from illness.

The 280-ton jetfoil vessel operated by Tokai Kisen Co. reported at around 10 a.m. that it had "lost control of steering due to an oil leak." There have been no reports of injuries among the 116 passengers and five crew members.

Three passengers so far reported they were not feeling well, and food and water were delivered to the ship by a coast guard helicopter.

It can pull up to six containers at a time, trundling between aircraft and airport buildings over a distance of around 2 kilometers with no driver in the cab.

The Level 4 vehicle, meaning that it does not require human interaction in certain settings — although a human driver can still request control — has been in operation since July 1.

The rainy season appears to have ended in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced Thursday.

And now the Sun rules over us all...