Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on September 22nd, 2023. In our first news story, the city of Musashino in Tokyo has decided to install water purifiers in wells used for disaster purposes after detecting levels of PFAS chemicals that exceed the government’s interim target values. PFAS, a group of chemicals that have been linked to harmful effects, will be addressed through this measure to ensure the safety of the water supply.

Moving on to our next story, a former doctor who worked at the National Cancer Center Hospital East in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, has been arrested on suspicion of receiving cash in exchange for using medical devices from a Tokyo-based manufacturer. It has been revealed that the doctor chose to use the devices from this particular manufacturer despite the lack of usage records. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the extent of collusion in this case.

Next, we turn our attention to political news. It has come to light that the political party branches led by Minister of Economic Security and Minister of State for Defense Takaichi, Chief of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council Hagiuda, and Chairman of the Election Strategy Committee Kobuchi received donations from a contractor involved in national public projects just before the previous lower house election. Such donations are prohibited by the Public Offices Election Act. In response to NHK’s inquiry, the offices of the three politicians have stated that they have either already returned the donations or plan to do so in the future, citing ethical considerations.

In a separate incident, an American citizen, known as ‘Johnny Somali’, has been arrested for trespassing at a construction site in Chuo Ward, Osaka, while wearing a mask. The 23-year-old individual had been filming and streaming videos of his disruptive behavior under the alias ‘Johnny Somali’ on the internet.

In sports news, there have been multiple reports of ticket fraud related to the recent game where the Hanshin Tigers clinched their first league championship in 18 years. Victims have reported not receiving tickets they purchased through social media platforms. The Hyogo Prefectural Police are investigating these cases as potential fraud, taking into consideration the high-profile nature of the game.

Lastly, we have an update on the safety situation in Takanocho, Wakayama. The town had issued an ‘emergency safety assurance’ evacuation advisory for the entire area, but it was lifted at 1:41 am. There are currently no evacuation advisories in effect within Takanocho.

That concludes today’s news report from Japan Daily News. Thank you for listening. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, there will be patchy rain possible with a maximum temperature of 28°C and a minimum temperature of 25°C. And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for listening to Japan Daily News.