Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on June 27th, 2023. In Matsuyama, a class was held on June 26th to teach children at a nursery school about water safety ahead of the season when they are more likely to play in the sea and rivers. The class aimed to raise awareness among the children about the precautions they should take when playing near water.

The trial for the suspect involved in the incident where multiple passengers were attacked on the Odakyu Line train in Setagaya, Tokyo two years ago began on June 27th at the Tokyo District Court. The defendant is facing charges of attempted murder and other crimes. The incident, in which several passengers were assaulted inside a closed train, has attracted attention on how the defendant will explain the attack.

In other news, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Ichikawa Sarunokosuke, a kabuki actor who was found collapsed with his parents at their home in Meguro Ward last month. The police suspect that Sarunokosuke assisted his mother’s suicide and have arrested him on charges of aiding suicide.

Promoting gender equality, ministers from the G7 countries and members of domestic and international civic groups held a dialogue event in Tokyo to raise awareness and discuss the realization of gender equality.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare plans to conduct a research study on the sale of emergency contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription in certain pharmacies starting from this summer. The ministry aims to make it possible to purchase emergency contraceptives without a prescription under certain conditions. The ongoing debate surrounding emergency contraceptives and the details of the trial sale are summarized.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has initiated a thorough discussion on teacher salaries and work reform at a special subcommittee of the Central Education Council. With the shortage of teachers and long working hours being issues, the ministry aims to establish a certain direction by next spring. A man who lost his son to suicide caused by overwork expressed his hope for the creation of a workplace environment and system that does not sacrifice any more victims.

A man and a woman, believed to be a high school girl, were crossing a pedestrian crossing on a national road in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture on the afternoon of June 26th when they were hit by a large truck. The girl was killed, and the man was seriously injured. The truck driver has been arrested on suspicion of negligent driving causing injury. During the investigation, the driver stated that he noticed the red traffic light late.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced that it has issued a warning to the Director of the Civil Aviation Bureau for his involvement in the personnel intervention issue by a former Vice Minister regarding airport facility management. It was found that Masaharu Kubota, the Director of the Civil Aviation Bureau, received entertainment in the form of meals from a stakeholder with vested interests, which violated the National Public Servants Ethics Code. Kubota has been reprimanded with a warning as of June 26th. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be partly cloudy with a maximum temperature of 25°C and a minimum temperature of 23°C. There is a 15% chance of high temperatures and a 10% chance of overcast skies. The humidity will be around 87% and the UV index is 6. Enjoy your day! And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for listening to Japan Daily News.