Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on July 29th, 2023. In today’s news, Akita City experienced record flooding due to heavy rain earlier this month. Over 1,300 households were affected, making it the worst flooding since the Showa era. Moving on to transportation news, a Seibu Ikebukuro Line express train was forced to stop after coming into contact with fallen trees due to the heavy rain in Saitama Prefecture. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported, and train service has now resumed. As we continue to experience a heatwave, the entire country is under a severe heat advisory. Temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius in Kanto, Kinki, Tohoku, and Kyushu. Please stay hydrated and take precautions against heatstroke. In other news, the minimum wage in Japan has exceeded 1,000 yen per hour for the first time, taking into account rising prices. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s advisory panel has recommended a 41 yen increase in the average hourly wage nationwide. Next, following the insurance fraud scandal involving Big Motor, a major casualty insurance company, Sompo Japan has announced the termination of their agency contract with Big Motor and is preparing to pursue compensation claims. Shifting our focus to infection control measures, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has begun discussions on the implementation of the revised Ryokan Business Law, which allows ryokans and hotels to request cooperation in infection control from guests suspected of having specific infectious diseases. The ministry aims to establish concrete operational guidelines to prevent discrimination and potential conflicts. Lastly, the number of traffic accident fatalities in the first half of this year has increased for the first time in 10 years, reaching a total of 1,182 nationwide. This rise is believed to be influenced by the relaxation of movement restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Police Agency plans to strengthen measures to address this issue. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be partly cloudy with a high of 30°C and a low of 27°C. And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for listening to Japan Daily News.