Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on July 20th, 2023. In our top stories today:

First, the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture has lifted all evacuation orders. The evacuation orders were issued to 236 households and 324 people on the islands of Tashirojima and Ajiishima due to the risk of heavy rain and disaster. The orders were lifted at 5 a.m. on the 20th, and now all evacuation orders within Ishinomaki City have been lifted.

Next, the Tohoku Shinkansen, which connects Morioka and Akita, has resumed its services. Due to the impact of heavy rain, train services between Morioka and Akita were suspended until the 19th. However, starting from the first train on the 20th, the Tohoku Shinkansen is operating on its normal schedule.

Moving on, the Tohoku and eastern regions of Japan are at risk of extremely heavy rain. A front and cold air in the upper atmosphere have caused unstable weather conditions over a wide area. There is a possibility of localized heavy rain, mainly in the afternoon of the 20th. In the Tohoku region, some areas have already experienced loose ground due to previous rainfall, so please continue to be cautious of landslides and other disasters.

Shifting gears, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is planning to re-arrest the head of a special fraud group based in the Philippines. It has been revealed through interviews with investigators that the suspect gave instructions for a series of wide-area robberies, including an incident that occurred in Chiba Prefecture in January of this year.

In other news, evacuation orders have been lifted in six districts of Ishinomaki City. The orders were issued to 3,721 households and 8,639 people due to the risk of heavy rain and disaster. However, the evacuation orders for 236 households and 324 people on the islands will continue.

Additionally, a baby’s body was found in a transparent bag in an empty lot in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture. The police are urgently working to confirm the identity of the baby and investigate the details of the incident.

Lastly, the Tohoku region is at high risk of disasters even with a small amount of rain. Due to the influence of a front and low pressure system, the atmospheric conditions in the Tohoku and Kyushu regions have become unstable. On the 19th, rain continued to fall in the Tohoku region, particularly in Akita Prefecture. Some areas in Tohoku have experienced loose ground and damaged river banks due to previous rainfall, so please remain vigilant against landslides and pay close attention to rising river levels.

That’s all for today’s news. Thank you for listening to Japan Daily News. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be partly cloudy with a maximum temperature of 27°C and a minimum temperature of 25°C. There is a chance of rain with a precipitation of 0.3mm. The humidity will be around 85% and the UV index will be 6. Overall, it will be a warm and slightly rainy day. And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for listening to Japan Daily News.