Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on March 30th, 2024. In our first news story, a man in his 40s was stabbed in the back in Kumamoto City. The incident occurred on the evening of the 29th in the central district of the city. The victim reported that he was walking on the sidewalk when he was attacked by a man with a knife-like object. The assailant fled the scene with the weapon, and the police are currently investigating the case as a case of assault.

Moving on to our next story, the education boards of Chiba Prefecture and Chiba City have announced a new program to support aspiring teachers. Under this program, the education boards will fully cover the student loans of university and junior college students who are hired as teachers. The aim is to attract talented individuals to the teaching profession and ensure a stable supply of educators.

Now, let’s turn our attention to Tokyo Women’s Medical University, where an investigation is underway regarding alleged fraudulent payments to a non-existent employee. It is suspected that a former employee received approximately 20 million yen in salary over a period of two years without actually performing any work. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is looking into the details of this case, as it has also been discovered that the individual was receiving a salary from another company during the same period.

Shifting gears, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan has announced plans to introduce a pre-screening system for foreign visitors. With the aim of preventing terrorism and reducing congestion during immigration inspections, the agency will trial a system that verifies the information of foreign travelers before they depart from their home countries. This system is scheduled to be implemented from the next fiscal year.

In other news, the national reading comprehension essay contest for students from elementary to high school levels has encountered a problem involving the inappropriate use of AI-generated text. It has been revealed that at least 10 entries in this year’s contest included passages generated by AI that were used inappropriately. As a result, these entries have been disqualified from the judging process. The organizers of the contest acknowledge that while only a small number of participants misused AI, they will consider how to maintain the essence of expressing one’s own thoughts in reading comprehension essays while exploring the potential applications of AI.

Moving on, there is an update regarding the health issues related to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s product containing red yeast rice. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has requested that the 52 companies that purchase red yeast rice from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical conduct a voluntary inspection to determine if any of their products have been linked to kidney diseases. As of the deadline on the 29th, it has been confirmed that none of the products from these companies are associated with the reported health issues.

And finally, an NHK interview with a man who was hospitalized after consuming the red yeast rice product sheds light on the fear experienced by those affected. The man, who underwent surgery for inflammation in his urinary tract, expressed his concern about the increasing number of reported cases and the unknown cause of the health issues. He emphasized the need for a prompt investigation to determine the cause.

That’s all for today’s news. Thank you for listening to Japan Daily News. Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow. And now for the weather. The weather in Tokyo today will be sunny with a maximum temperature of 22°C and a minimum temperature of 13°C. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.