Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on October 18th, 2023. In our first story, it has been three years since a road collapse was discovered in a residential area in Chofu, Tokyo. The loosened ground due to underground tunnel construction has been repaired, but the community has undergone changes with residents moving out and houses being demolished. The repair work is expected to take about two more years, and the highway company says that the resumption of tunnel construction in the collapsed area is not foreseeable.

Moving on to our next story, a woman in her 70s was found dead with blood flowing from her head and face on the premises of a house in Toyama City. The police suspect that she was attacked by a bear based on her injuries and are investigating the incident.

Next, the Supreme Court will deliver a verdict today on a case regarding the maximum disparity in votes in the 2022 House of Councillors election, which raised the question of whether it violates the constitution. The judgments of the high courts in various regions differ, and the focus is on how the Supreme Court will determine the situation of the disparity and the efforts of the Diet to correct it.

In other news, it has been revealed that nearly 40% of the firefighters at the only fire station in Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture, have experienced power harassment, according to a survey conducted among all station members. Experts point out that in small communities, measures against power harassment tend to be insufficient, and a change in values is necessary.

Moving on, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to add additional compensation to the disability welfare service fees for the next fiscal year to establish a system for accepting medically fragile children and children with severe disabilities in local nurseries. The additional compensation will be provided for specialized support to help these children adapt to group living.

In a concerning incident, it has been revealed that a former temporary employee responsible for operating and maintaining the call center system at a subsidiary of NTT West Japan has illicitly leaked approximately 9 million pieces of customer information over a period of nearly 10 years. The customer information includes names, addresses, and phone numbers. The company has issued a deep apology for the incident.

Finally, since the second release of treated water began at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on October 5th, Tokyo Electric Power Company has been conducting daily analysis of seawater in the surrounding area. The latest analysis from the water collected on the 16th detected the highest concentration of tritium to date, with 16 becquerels per liter. The detection of tritium levels above 10 becquerels has been ongoing in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. However, Tokyo Electric Power Company explains that this value is well within the expected range, even if the tidal flow weakens, and assures that there is no impact on safety. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.