Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on April 10th, 2024. In today’s news, JR East Japan has introduced new rail vehicles for transporting crushed stones, which play a crucial role in ensuring the safe operation of trains by reducing vibrations. This is the first update in approximately 60 years, and the vehicles have started full-scale operation in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Renowned children’s book author Kako Satoshishi, known for the ‘Daruma-chan’ series, will have an unpublished manuscript on the theme of war published as a picture book next spring. The manuscript was written by Kako Satoshishi, who passed away at the age of 92 six years ago.

Moving on to natural disasters, the Japanese government’s Earthquake Research Committee has issued a warning for continued vigilance against strong earthquakes and accompanying tsunamis in the Noto region. Although seismic activity has decreased since the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January, the committee evaluates that the region is still in an active state.

Turning our attention to Taiwan, it has been one week since a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the eastern coast. Thirteen deaths have been confirmed, and the search for six missing individuals is ongoing. The focus now is on rebuilding the lives of those affected by the disaster.

Shifting gears, a survey conducted by NHK revealed that over 60% of local governments consider raising awareness about the search efforts for individuals with dementia who go missing as a challenge. The survey highlighted the need for coordination between administration and local communities in implementing monitoring projects and pointed out the lack of knowledge about these initiatives among residents. Additionally, there are concerns about information sharing in cases where missing individuals travel across a wide area.

In other news, the principal of Morioka Seio High School in Iwate has been placed on a six-week suspension by the Japan High School Baseball Federation for repeatedly refusing to cooperate with investigations and reports related to suspected misconduct. The federation has also demanded that the school submit an investigation report by May 10th.

Lastly, an Asahi Shimbun employee, a 53-year-old company staff member, has been summarily indicted for trespassing on the property of the defendant, who is accused of killing four people, including a woman and a police officer, in Nakano City, Nagano last year. The employee allegedly entered the defendant’s residence without permission while the defendant was barricaded with a hunting rifle. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 16°C and a low of 8°C. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.