Easy Japanese news in translation: Polar bear gets ice block with apples at zoo in Osaka
Easy Japanese news is taken from the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for children. This is perfect material for anyone studying Japanese who has learned hiragana and katakana. We encourage beginners to read the article in English followed by Japanese, or vice versa, to test their comprehension.
A fresh set will be published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., Japan time. Click/tap here for past installments.
Intermediate learners who do not need English assistance can directly access the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun site here. Furigana (hiragana) is added to all kanji in the text.
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an hour ago
Record Heatstroke Sufferers Taken by Ambulance in Japan
News from Japan Jul 30, 2025 13:40 (JST) Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)--Japan saw 10,804 heatstroke suffers taken to hospital by ambulance in the week through Sunday, a new weekly record this year, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The figure far surpassed the previous week's 5,309 amid a heat wave pushing up temperatures to 35 degrees Celsius and beyond in various parts of the country. By prefecture, Tokyo's 1,009 was the largest number of ambulance-transported heatstroke sufferers. Saitama, also in the eastern region, came second with 750, followed by northernmost Hokkaido, where the reading jumped 2.8-fold to 690. The agency is calling on people to use air conditioners and fans without hesitation and to stay hydrated. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
