Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on February 10th, 2024. In today’s news, we start with the sad news of the passing of renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa. Ozawa, often referred to as the ‘world’s Ozawa,’ passed away at the age of 88 due to heart failure at his home in Tokyo on February 6th. His death has been widely reported both in Japan and abroad, with many expressing their condolences.

Moving on to our next story, the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula has caused the Japan Airlines Ishikawa High School in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, to relocate its baseball team and other clubs to affiliated schools in Yamanashi Prefecture. The school is expected to gradually move more clubs to Yamanashi in the coming months. To support the relocation, the prefecture has provided cardboard beds and mattresses.

As we continue, experts are urging caution regarding the potential increase in disaster-related deaths due to changes in living conditions and cleanup efforts following the Noto Peninsula earthquake. In previous disasters, there has been a rise in such deaths one to two months after the initial event. They are calling on people to be aware of the points to consider and take necessary precautions as various activities are being carried out for the reconstruction of their lives.

Turning to a concerning incident, a male teacher in his 50s employed at a public junior high school in Tochigi Prefecture has been arrested on suspicion of producing child pornography. The teacher allegedly used a smartphone camera to take and send explicit images of underage female students. The teacher denies the allegations.

In other news, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, also known as the Nihon Bengoshi Renmei or Nihben, has elected Reiko Fuchigami, a former president of the Tokyo Bar Association, as its next chairperson. Fuchigami’s election marks the first time a woman has become the head of the three pillars of the legal profession: lawyers, prosecutors, and judges. She has expressed her enthusiasm for achieving initiatives such as the implementation of a selective separate surname system.

Shifting our focus to the recovery efforts in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, following the Noto Peninsula earthquake, starting from February 13th, lunch will be provided at elementary and junior high schools as part of the preparations for resuming afternoon classes. Since the earthquake, schools in Wajima City have been conducting morning-only classes.

Lastly, in a tragic discovery, the charred remains of a man were found inside a burned-out car in the mountains of Otaki Town, Chiba Prefecture, on February 7th. It is believed that the man died before the car caught fire, leading the police to investigate the incident as a case of corpse abandonment. And now for the weather. The weather in Tokyo today is expected to be cloudy with a high temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and a low temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.