Japan

The Curse of KFC Grandpa: TECO issues travel warning for Osaka Japan in case baseball fans go wild tonight

composite image showing damaged Colonel Sanders statue and fans jumping into the Dotonburi Canal
Odd News Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Osaka, Japan, issued a travel warning advising Taiwanese visiting the city to avoid crowded places if the Hanshin Tigers win Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball final tonight. The travel warning came as police stepped up security around the city, deploying 1,300 police in expectation of a Hanshin Tigers victory in the Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League. Hanshin Tigers fans have a notorious reputation for fanaticism that borders on violence. While fights occasionally break

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Japan deploys Patriot III anti-aircraft missiles on islands close to Taiwan

composite picture showing map of Taiwan and Japanese islands in the Miyako Strait
Military Affairs Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Japan will deploy Patriot III anti-aircraft missiles on Yonaguni Island, just 111 kilometers from Taiwan’s east coast, purportedly in response to North Korea’s long-range ballistic missiles, according to reports in Japanese media outlets today, Monday, May 8. Major Japanese media outlet Jiji Press reported that Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced today that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will deploy Patriot III (PAC-3) anti-aircraft missiles at the Air Self-Defense Miyako Base in Miyakojima City, Okinawa Prefecture. In addition, PAC-3 missiles

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7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan, Tsunami alert issued

Japan earthquake March 15, 2022
Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan at 11:36 pm Wednesday, March 16, rocking the capital Tokyo, and triggering a tsunami warning. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck at a depth of 60 kilometers, 57 kilometers east northeast of the town of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture. The earthquake was felt over large areas of northern and eastern Japan with shaking of up to 6+ on a scale of 7 felt in Fukushima and

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World’s oldest living person celebrates her 119th birthday in Fukuoka, Japan

Kane Tanaka at age 20 and 119 composite image
Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

The oldest living person in the world, Kane Tanaka, celebrated her 119th birthday in Fukuoka, Japan today January 2; and a member of her family revealed that Tanaka’s birthday wish is to celebrate her 120th birthday next year, according to the The Sankei News. Tanaka was born in 1903, the year the Wright brothers made the first successful powered flight. Notable people born in 1903 included George Orwell, Anaïs Nin, and John Dillinger, but Kane Tanaka has far outlived her peers

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Cold weather comes early to East Asia as energy crisis looms in China

snow in Hokkaido Japan
Regional Weather 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

In Taiwan, October 17, northeasterly monsoonal winds brought an early cooling respite from the hellish heat of a long, hot summer, but parts of China saw sub-zero temperatures arrive the earliest in more than half a century, and snow fell in Japan a half-month earlier than last year. In Hokkaido, Japan, the cities of Wakkanai and Asahikawa saw the first snow, Sunday, 17 days earlier than last year, the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory announced. All-Nippon News Network reported that under

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Japanese company launches instant noodle flavored soda

instant noodle flavor Nissin soda
Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

Japanese company Nissin Foods is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its popular instant noodle brand by launching a drinkable version in the form of instant noodle flavored sodas. Japan’s Mainichi News reports that Nissin has reproduced four of its most popular instant noodle flavors as soda drinks, including Nissin cup noodle, Seafood, curry, and spicy tomato instant noodle flavors. Nissin Foods took to Twitter to say that the sodas faithfully reproduce the authentic taste of instant noodles. “It’s up to

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Suspected Chinese space junk found on Japanese island

suspected Chinese space junk
Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

An object resembling a rocket fragment bearing the words “China manned spaceflight” has been reported washed up in the Japanese Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, according to the Chinese language version of Kyodo News. The Taketomi Township Office reported that the object was found on a sandy beach on Kohama Island August 30. The 4 meter by 2.5 meter white object bears the words “China Manned Spaceflight” in blue, simplified Chinese characters, resembling the logo of China’s manned spaceflight project.

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“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” banned at Tokyo Disneyland to promote “gender inclusiveness”

Disney characters on show at Tokyo Disneyland
Society 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments ,

The traditional English language expression “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” is being replaced by “Hello, everyone” at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort in the interests of gender inclusiveness, according to Kyodo and other Japanese media agencies. Tokyo Disneyland and the resort have been “transitioning” the welcome announcements to be more accommodating to all guests with a more inclusive message that applies to people of all genders, Disney watchers and insiders, Inside The Magic reported. “Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo

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Researchers plan to row from Taiwan to Japan in dug-out canoe to prove migration theory

dugout canoe in Taitung County, Taiwan
Culture 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A team of Japanese researchers will attempt to row a dugout canoe from Taiwan’s east coast to Yonaguni Island, Japan, to try to understand how people migrated from Taiwan to Okinawa more than 30,000 years ago. This year’s attempt comes after previous experiments using boats made from reeds, and bamboo, failed. Japan’s National Museum of Science and nature launched the project in 2016, and attempted to sail a boat made of cattail reeds from Iriomote Island to Yonaguni Island. At

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Statue of Comfort Woman unveiled in Tainan Rued

Ma Ying-jeou and statue of comfort woman
Society 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , , ,

The installation of a statue in Tainan City commemorating “comfort women” was “extremely regrettable,” said Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Wednesday. Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) reiterated its government’s regret over the statue, saying that the installation and display of “comfort women” statues runs against the Japanese government’s position and its efforts in facing the issue. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Andrew Lee said that Taiwan was still pushing Japan on the issue, but the statue has nothing to do

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