Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on April 5th, 2024. In our first news story, there was a major disruption on the Tohoku Shinkansen line near Fukushima station earlier this month. Engine oil leaked from an inspection vehicle, leading to a prolonged suspension of service. JR East has revealed that a bolt came loose in the engine’s accessory equipment, causing damage and resulting in the oil leakage. The affected vehicle was newly put into service and is suspected to have had a manufacturing defect.

Moving on to our next story, the trend of higher wage increases seen in this year’s spring labor negotiations is now being aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises. The labor union federation, Rengo, held a gathering to discuss ways to extend the high wage increase to these companies. They confirmed their commitment to creating an environment that facilitates wage increases, including urging price transfers.

In other news, the city hall in Mikasa, Hokkaido, was briefly thrown into chaos when a resident brought in what appeared to be an unexploded bomb. After an investigation by the Self-Defense Forces, it was confirmed that the object was an old Japanese military shell and posed no danger of explosion. The incident prompted temporary evacuations and police response at the city hall.

Turning to the recovery efforts after the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, a long-established sake brewery in Noto Town has resumed its operations after a three-month hiatus. The brewery had been severely affected by the earthquake, causing significant delays in their production schedule.

In political news, former Mie Governor and current Liberal Democratic Party member, Hideyoshi Suzuki, will not face prosecution in connection with a suspected violation of the Public Offices Election Act. Suzuki had been under investigation for accepting a donation of approximately 10 million yen from a construction company in his electoral district, just before the House of Representatives election three years ago. The Tsu District Public Prosecutors’ Office determined that there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges.

Next, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has issued a nationwide notice urging caution regarding lightning strikes. This comes after an incident in Miyazaki City where 18 high school students were hospitalized after being struck by lightning while playing soccer. The ministry is calling for immediate suspension of activities if there are signs of thunderstorms to ensure the safety of students.

And finally, the National Governors’ Association and senior officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism have confirmed a flexible approach to the operation of ride-sharing services. In a meeting, they discussed the need to adapt the regulations to the specific circumstances of different regions, such as urban and mountainous areas.

That’s all for today’s news. Thank you for listening to Japan Daily News. Stay tuned for more updates. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be mostly cloudy with a chance of light drizzle. The average temperature will be 11 degrees Celsius. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.