Transcript

Welcome to Japan Daily News on April 14th. Today, we have news on various topics.

In Aomori, a house fire has killed five people, and the police suspect arson. The owner of a car parked near the site of the fire cannot be reached, and the police are investigating whether the person is among the victims.

In Okinawa, the search for the missing members of a crashed Self-Defense Force helicopter continues. The Maritime Self-Defense Force has found what is believed to be a part of the aircraft and a person who appears to be a crew member underwater. The Self-Defense Force plans to send divers to confirm the findings.

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the Kumamoto earthquake, and seismic activity remains high in the area around the active fault that triggered the disaster. Experts warn that the risk of another major earthquake remains, and urge people to be prepared.

The Air Self-Defense Force and the US military conducted joint training exercises in the skies over the Sea of Japan on the 13th. The Defense Ministry says the exercises strengthened the deterrence capabilities of the Japan-US alliance amid the increasingly severe security environment, including North Korea’s missile launches.

In another development related to the Self-Defense Force helicopter crash in Okinawa, a Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel searching the area has reportedly found someone in need of rescue and what is believed to be a part of the helicopter’s wreckage.

Opponents of proposed changes to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act gathered in front of the Diet Building to protest the bill, which they say does not do enough to help foreign nationals who cannot return to their home countries.

Finally, Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials have announced that damage to the pantograph of the Tokyo Arakawa and Adachi area’s Nippori-Toneri Liner caused the four-day suspension of services from the 10th to the 13th of this month.

That’s it for today’s Japan Daily News.