Transcript

Welcome to Japan Daily News on April 13th.

North Korea has launched a missile and the government has issued an evacuation warning through the J-Alert system to municipalities in the Hokkaido area. Residents have been advised to seek shelter in sturdy buildings or underground.

Yellow sand has been blowing in from the continent, affecting a wide range of areas from northern to western Japan. The poor visibility is expected to continue on the 13th, so people are advised to be cautious of the impact on transportation.

The Osaka-Kansai Expo, with the theme of “Designing a Future Society that Shines with Life,” is set to open in half a year and it is two years until the opening day. The high cost of materials is casting a shadow, and the organizers, the Expo Association, are facing challenges in ensuring the construction of pavilions and raising national enthusiasm.

The Nippori-Toneri Liner, which runs through Tokyo’s Arakawa and Adachi wards, suspended its operation for about four hours due to a power outage on the night of the 12th. It also suspended its operation from the first train on the 13th, marking the third consecutive day of suspension. Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation is working to restore the service as soon as possible.

Moderna, an American pharmaceutical company, has expressed its intention to flexibly produce vaccines that respond to the mutated virus that is currently spreading, and provide them to the Japanese government from autumn onwards.

It has been a week since a helicopter carrying ten members, including the division commander of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, disappeared around Miyakojima in Okinawa Prefecture. No significant clues have been found in the search so far, but the Self-Defense Force is expanding the search area and investigating the cause.

A girl was arrested on suspicion of theft in February, but it was revealed that she had been using the name of another existing woman, and the Osaka Prefectural Police and prosecutors had proceeded with the proceedings without confirming it. The police have apologized to the woman whose name was used.

In Niigata’s Shibata City, a house caught fire on the evening of the 12th, killing two men. The police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The police in Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 60-year-old man on suspicion of violating the Animal Welfare Act for keeping dogs in poor conditions and abusing them. The police suspect that the situation had deteriorated into “multi-dog breeding collapse” as the man did not follow the administrative guidance given by the health center 25 times. The man denies the allegations, claiming that he was keeping them properly.

That’s all for today’s Japan Daily News. Stay safe and have a good day.