
Washoku may prevent depression, Japan study says
It's well known that Japan's washoku diet, which is rich in fish, soy beans and vegetables, is good for one's health. Now, a large-scale study says it may also help prevent depression.
In the research, published in the Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences journal earlier this month, researchers surveyed about 12,500 workers at five major companies in Japan between 2018 and 2021. About 88% of the respondents were men, and their average age was 42.5. Out of the total, 30.9% said they were depressive and suffered from symptoms such as feeling despondent or demoralized.
The scientists asked participants how frequently they consumed certain foods and drinks during the previous week, then came up with a 0-to-9 scale that showed how closely they followed a traditional Japanese diet, which includes white rice, fish, miso soup, soy products, cooked vegetables, salty foods, mushrooms, seaweed and green tea.

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Japan Times
17 hours ago
- Japan Times
Washoku may prevent depression, Japan study says
It's well known that Japan's washoku diet, which is rich in fish, soy beans and vegetables, is good for one's health. Now, a large-scale study says it may also help prevent depression. In the research, published in the Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences journal earlier this month, researchers surveyed about 12,500 workers at five major companies in Japan between 2018 and 2021. About 88% of the respondents were men, and their average age was 42.5. Out of the total, 30.9% said they were depressive and suffered from symptoms such as feeling despondent or demoralized. The scientists asked participants how frequently they consumed certain foods and drinks during the previous week, then came up with a 0-to-9 scale that showed how closely they followed a traditional Japanese diet, which includes white rice, fish, miso soup, soy products, cooked vegetables, salty foods, mushrooms, seaweed and green tea.


NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
Site of massive neutrino detector in Japan shown to media
Reporters have been invited to take their first look at the cavern being built to house the Hyper-Kamiokande detector for observing elementary particles, which are called neutrinos. A large cavern for the detector at a depth of 600 meters underground in the city of Hida, Gifu Prefecture, was shown to the media on Saturday. The cavern, with a diameter of 69 meters and height of 94 meters, is scheduled to be completed next month. A giant water tank will then be installed. The tank's inner walls will be lined with about 20-thousand ultra-high sensitivity photosensors for observing neutrinos. The construction of the Hyper-Kamiokande detector began in 2020, with the aim of helping to unravel the mysteries of the birth of the universe. Observations are expected to begin in three years' time. The new detector is capable of observing about eight times more neutrinos than one of its two predecessors. The Super-Kamiokande, along with the Kamiokande detectors, have helped Japanese researchers twice win the Nobel Prize in Physics for successful observations of neutrinos. Kamioka Observatory at the University of Tokyo's Institute for Cosmic Ray Research has been leading the international project. Director Shiozawa Masato said he is relieved to see the cavern will be completed soon. He said he hopes to see research outcomes that would surprise everyone, so he urges people to keep up to date on the project.


Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Japan's H2A rocket retired after successful final launch
Japan's flagship H2A rocket lifted off for the final time at 1:33 a.m. on Sunday from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, successfully concluding a 24-year run that has defined the nation's space capabilities. The rocket's 50th and final mission carrieds the GOSAT-GW, a government-developed hybrid environmental observation satellite. The satellite combines the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for monitoring ocean surface temperatures and water cycle dynamics with the TANSO sensor, which measures greenhouse gases, and is expected to play a key role in the country's climate change mitigation and resource management. With this final launch, the H2A retires with a stellar track record — 49 successful launches out of 50, a success rate of 98%. Jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the 53-meter rocket debuted in 2001 and quickly became the workhorse of the country's space program. Some of H2A's most vital payloads were weather and reconnaissance satellites that support the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. It also enabled landmark missions such as the 2014 launch of the Hayabusa2 asteroid probe, which successfully returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth, and contributed to Japan's first successful lunar landing in January 2024 by carrying the SLIM lander. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the launch was delayed after an anomaly was detected in the rocket's second-stage electrical system. Engineers completed the necessary repairs and re-inspections before clearing it for flight. The decision to retire the H2A comes amid rising global competition in the space launch industry, where cost-efficiency has become a key differentiator. While the H2A offered world-class reliability, its average per-launch cost of around ¥10 billion ($69 million) made it increasingly difficult to compete with rockets with lower price— to— payload prices, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9. With the H2A now phased out, attention turns to its successor, the H3 rocket. Co-developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the H3 offers lower launch costs and increased launch frequency amid intensifying international competition. While its debut flight in March 2023 ended in failure, the program has since rebounded with four consecutive successful launches. The upcoming sixth H3 mission, scheduled for later in this year, will mark a key milestone. The rocket will be the first in its 30 configuration, using three liquid-propellant engines and no solid rocket boosters — a test of its low-cost configuration and a step toward Japan's effort to build a globally competitive launch platform.