Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on July 6th, 2023. In our first news story, a construction accident in Shizuoka has left eight workers injured, with two in a critical condition. At around 3 am on the 6th, a steel frame supporting a section of an elevated road under construction on the Shizukei Bypass in Shizuoka City’s Shimizu Ward collapsed, causing injuries to eight workers. According to the fire department, two of the workers are in critical condition.

Moving on to our next story, Meta, the American IT giant that operates Facebook, has announced the launch of a new social media platform called ‘Threads’. Starting from the 6th, Threads will allow users to post and share content in over 30 languages, including Japanese. With Twitter facing ongoing turmoil and people exploring alternative platforms, this new SNS from Meta has the potential to bring about a significant shift in the social media landscape.

And now, let’s turn our attention to the weather. Today, various regions across Japan are expecting scorching heat, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. Please take precautions against heatstroke, such as staying hydrated. However, starting from the 7th until next Monday, around the 10th, a front is expected to become active again, bringing heavy rain to western Japan, particularly the northern part of Kyushu. Stay updated with the latest information and exercise caution.

In other news, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as ‘Rengo’, has compiled the final results of this year’s spring wage negotiations. The average wage increase rate stands at 3.58%, reaching the highest level in approximately 30 years since 1994.

Shifting our focus to education, the National Center for University Entrance Examinations has decided to make online applications the norm for the Common Test for University Admissions starting from the 2025 academic year.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the devastating torrential rains in western Japan. Temporary housing has been resolved, and the restoration of the damaged infrastructure is nearly complete. However, recent heavy rainfall in various regions serves as a reminder of the importance of disaster preparedness.

In a concerning development, the container terminal at Nagoya Port has experienced a system failure due to a cyberattack by a group calling themselves ‘Lockbit’. The association responsible for managing the system has revealed that they were targeted by a ransomware attack. They are working towards restoring the system by the morning of the 6th.

Lastly, in Saitama, a 73-year-old unemployed suspect has been arrested on suspicion of a hit-and-run incident. On the afternoon of the 5th, the suspect allegedly struck and injured two pedestrians with their car on a municipal road in Sagamihara City before fleeing the scene. The suspect denies the allegations during questioning. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be mostly cloudy with a chance of light rain showers. The temperature will range from 24°C to 26°C. And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for listening to Japan Daily News.