Kyodo News Digest: May 25, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 15:03 | All, World, Japan
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan PM vows better treatment of SDF staff amid security challenges
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged Sunday to improve the treatment and working conditions of Self-Defense Forces members tasked with serving in an increasingly challenging security climate.
During a roundtable with young personnel at a district-level command of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kyoto Prefecture, Ishiba said, "We must treat you appropriately as you strive to carry out your duties regardless of the risks."
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Japan sets rules on name readings to curb flashy "kirakira names"
TOKYO - Japan will impose rules on Monday on how children's names in Chinese characters are pronounced, amid growing concern over what are known as "kirakira names" -- flashy or unusual readings that have stirred debate.
The move is part of the enforcement of a revised law requiring all names in the national family registry to include phonetic readings, which will effectively ban interpretations considered too disconnected from the characters used.
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Major Japan tutoring firm sorry for false claim on Minamata disease
KUMAMOTO, Japan - A major Japanese tutoring company has recently apologized for inaccurately describing the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease as hereditary in its online study material, a description that drew strong public criticism.
The false claim appeared in a video lesson for junior high school students from the firm's "Try IT" online service, which explained cases of infants developing the disease via mercury exposure through the placenta but wrongly called the condition "inherited."
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Japan to increase salaries of chefs at diplomatic missions
TOKYO - Japan's government plans to improve working conditions for chefs at its overseas diplomatic missions due to intensifying competition for talent as the nation's cuisine grows in popularity worldwide.
More than 6 million yen ($41,000) will be paid annually to chefs under the new scheme slated to start in January, up from the current average of around 4 to 4.5 million yen, according to the Foreign Ministry.
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Octogenarians in Philippines given Japan citizenship meet Okinawa kin
LINAPACAN, Philippines - Two sisters in their 80s of Japanese descent in the Philippines who had been stateless before being granted citizenship from Japan last year met with their Japanese relatives for the first time Sunday.
The meeting between Esperanza Morine Cabrillos, 87, and Lydia Morine Galalan, 85, and their relatives from their Japanese father's side came as this year marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and eight months after they were recognized as Japanese nationals.
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Drug suspect attempts to flee police custody as officer dozes
YOKOHAMA - A man suspected of possessing stimulant drugs fled a police station in Kawasaki near Tokyo while a police officer dozed in an interrogation room on Saturday, but he was swiftly recaptured, police said.
Kohei Takai, 32, was caught after fleeing on a street about 200 meters from Kawasaki Police Station around at 9:35 a.m. He had been served an arrest warrant over the possession of stimulant drugs earlier.
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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani likely to return to mound after All-Star break
NEW YORK - Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound is likely to be after the All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.
Ohtani is scheduled to face batters Sunday for the first time since elbow surgery in September 2023.
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Swarming insects causing distress at World Exposition in Osaka
OSAKA - Swarms of midges have become a headache at the World Exposition in Osaka, causing visitors to cringe and raising concerns about possible health issues.
The small flies have been found on walls and the pillars of the wooden Grand Ring encircling many of the pavilions, with people forced to fight them off to avoid swallowing them.
Video: Festival to introduce Japanese sake takes place in Seoul
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News in Easy English: Tokyo seniors have fun at day care cooking classes
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a day ago
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Asahi Shimbun
a day ago
- Asahi Shimbun
In-house app bridges language gap at hospital in Shizuoka
Yoshinori Asahina of Iwata City Hospital, who developed a language app to help foreign patients, on April 23 in the city's Okubo district (Hideki Aota) IWATA, Shizuoka Prefecture--An in-house hospital team here has developed a language app for foreign patients to prevent delays in medical care and avoid miscommunication that could cause potentially disastrous mistakes. Like other medical institutions around Japan, Iwata City Hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture has seen an increasing number of foreign patients who lack a sufficient command of Japanese. Since its inception in autumn 2022, the language app, called 'Furenavi,' has undergone continuous improvements and refinements. It now provides essential explanations and confirmations before medical tests or surgical procedures in nine languages at the municipal general hospital, home to more than 30 clinical departments. Hundreds of standard medical phrases are organized to align with the typical flow of hospital operations. With a simple tap on a tablet screen, the appropriate text—accompanied by illustrative visuals—appears, and it can also be read aloud using a built-in voice function. For instance, for an X-ray examination, the procedure through the app might unfold as follows: staff confirm the patient's identity by asking for name and date of birth; the patient is instructed to wear only undergarments on the upper body; the patient is asked to remove bras and accessories; and finally, staff ask the patient to take a deep breath and hold it. Furenavi displays each question and instruction in English and other supported languages, helping to ensure the process runs smoothly and without confusion. In the past, explaining procedures to foreign patients often added considerable time to already crowded X-ray schedules. Miscommunication sometimes led to retakes, increasing patients' exposure to radiation. Iwata is home to about 165,000 residents, including around 9,900 foreign nationals, or 6 percent of the population. The western region of Shizuoka Prefecture, known for its concentration of motorcycle and automobile manufacturing plants, has a notably high percentage of foreign residents, particularly from Brazil. As a result, more than one in every 20 patients at the hospital is a foreign national. However, interpreters are not always readily available, and existing translation tools were often time-consuming with questionable accuracy. Although not designed for two-way communication, Furenavi delivers precisely translated instructions, verified by native speakers. It also features phrases that allow users to confirm simple responses, such as 'yes' or 'no,' through pointing. The app was developed by 38-year-old Yoshinori Asahina of the Radiology Department. After being transferred to the department, which deals with a high number of foreign patients, he quickly recognized the communication barriers. Drawing on his university experience building image analysis systems, Asahina teamed up with like-minded supervisors and colleagues to develop the app. Working after conventional jobs, he completed the project in about three months. Initially available in English, Chinese and Portuguese, the app has since expanded to include six more languages, including Vietnamese, Tagalog and Indonesian, thanks to support from the prefectural government. A newly added AI feature can even estimate a patient's likely language based on their name. As of this spring, Furenavi was also being used in emergency outpatient care and disaster response settings. CUSTOM TAXI BOOKING SYSTEM The success of Furenavi inspired the development of another in-house tool: a booking system for taxis that can accommodate wheelchairs and stretchers. Such vehicles are in short supply and typically face peak demand during morning hours for discharges and patient transfers. Previously, arranging one could take more than an hour. The new system allows staff to check real-time availability online and complete bookings in just minutes. In most public institutions and private companies, such digital tools are either purchased as commercial software or outsourced to external developers. But with limited budgets and staffing, few hospitals have the capacity to develop systems internally. 'It makes me happy to be of help to both patients and staff,' Asahina says. 'Technology only has meaning when it's put to use.' He hopes to make the app available to health care facilities both within and beyond the prefecture. Interest in Furenavi is growing, even among major medical equipment manufacturers. As a homegrown app, it not only helps keep costs low but also holds potential as a source of revenue. Plans to digitize hospital operations are often scrapped due to budgetary constraints. Shohachi Suzuki, director of Iwata City Hospital who is responsible for overseeing the municipal government's hospital operations, notes, 'We want to create environments where talented individuals and teams can flourish.'
