Transcript

Welcome to Japan Daily News on April 28th. Let’s start with the announcement of the Spring Conferment of Decorations, where the Japanese national baseball team that won the World Baseball Classic and 644 individuals and 20 groups were honored. The recipients include people who have devoted themselves to their fields for many years and those who have made achievements in art and sports. Congratulations to all of them.

In Sudan, five more Japanese nationals and their families have been evacuated to Djibouti by a Canadian military transport plane due to the worsening security situation. This brings the total number of Japanese nationals and their families evacuated from Sudan to 65. We hope they will be able to return home safely soon.

In the helicopter accident involving the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force off Miyako Island, the cockpit and tail of the aircraft were found near the seabed where the crew members were found. A recovery vessel is expected to arrive at the scene on the 28th to begin the recovery operation. Our thoughts are with the families of those involved.

After the transition to the fifth category of the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that it will change its reporting system from “full understanding” to “fixed-point understanding” by designated medical institutions. The number of infected people will be announced once a week on Friday, with the first announcement scheduled for May 19th.

According to the statistics of traffic accidents nationwide, the proportion of accidents involving bicycles was the highest in the past year since the survey began in 2003, accounting for 23.3% of all accidents. We hope that everyone will pay more attention to traffic safety, especially when cycling.

In the aftermath of a personal injury accident at Kamonomiya Station in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Atami was suspended in both directions. However, the line resumed operations at around 0:20 am. We hope that everyone can travel safely and smoothly.

Finally, in relation to the corruption scandal surrounding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics sponsorship contract, former KADOKAWA chairman Haruki Kadokawa, who was charged, has been released on bail after more than seven months in custody, paying a bail of 200 million yen. The investigation into this case is still ongoing.

And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for listening to Japan Daily News.