Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on February 24th, 2024. In today’s news, we have two significant stories coming out of Japan.

First, a recent survey conducted by a pharmaceutical company revealed that the number of children suffering from hay fever has increased over the past decade. The survey, conducted through parents, found that over 40% of children under the age of 16 have symptoms consistent with hay fever. This represents an increase of approximately 10 percentage points compared to a similar survey conducted 10 years ago.

Moving on to our second story, it has been six months since the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean began. While the levels of tritium detected in the vicinity of the plant have remained well below Tokyo Electric Power Company’s voluntary standards, the water treatment process has been plagued by troubles. This has resulted in scrutiny of Tokyo Electric Power Company’s safety management by local communities and others. Furthermore, China’s import ban on Japanese seafood in response to the water release has been prolonged, causing significant impact. As a result, seafood industry stakeholders are faced with the challenge of finding alternative export destinations and new sales channels.

In other news, the second match of the ‘Kisei’ Shogi Championship will take place in Kanazawa city today. The defending champion, 21-year-old Sota Fujii, expressed his determination to put on an enjoyable game for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, saying, ‘I want to do my best to show the people affected by the disaster a game of shogi that they can enjoy.’

That’s all for today’s news from Japan Daily News. Stay tuned for more updates. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be partly cloudy with a maximum temperature of 8°C and a minimum temperature of 3°C. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.